The Straw That Stirs The Drink

Ryan Kesler celebrating his first period goal last night. Via Sportsnet.ca

Anyone who knows hockey will tell you that there is no single player on a team that lifts them to greatness. That it's about how the pieces of the puzzle fit together, with each guy knowing his role and playing it perfectly to help his team succeed. However for the Vancouver Canucks, some pieces are more important than others, case in point: Ryan Kesler.

Last night marked the return of Kesler to the Canucks line-up after a 19 game absence with a broken right foot, even though he had yet to participate in a full practice. Coach Alain Vigneault said they were going to "play him into shape" and limit his minutes during the game against the Phoenix Coyotes. All Kesler did in his return was play 15:51, win more face-offs than any other Canucks center, and out-chance the opposition 7-4. Oh, and he scored the game winning goal too.

It's been said that the twins, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, are the ones that drive the bus on this team. Well, if they're the drivers, Selke trophy winning Kesler is undoubtedly the engine. If they're the brains, he is the heart. If they are the rum and Coke, he is the one that stirs the drink. You get the point. When Kesler is in the lineup he's able to allow AV to play to his strengths, namely the line match-up game. Kesler, along with his line mates, is able to take pressure off the Sedin line, allowing them to be more productive. Added to that is the trade deadline acquisition of Derek Roy, which makes this team perhaps deeper at center than it's ever been, and last night it showed. The Canucks out shot the Coytoes, a team hard in the hunt for a playoff spot, 40-19, out chanced them 22-11, and won 2-0. Not many in the hockey world are talking about Vancouver as real Stanley Cup contenders, but with Kesler in the line-up, other teams in the Western Conference need to beware. Look no further than the series against Nashville in the 2011 playoffs, when Kesler dominated and had a hand in 11 of the 14 goals scored in the series victory. Without him they are still a good team, but with him, they are elite.

Snap Shots:

• Canucks goalie Cory Schneider may very well be playing himself into the Vezina trophy conversation. Much of the first half of the year was dominated with talk for Ottawa's Craig Anderson as top goalie, but since he went down to injury, the race has been wide open. Schneider is suddenly first in shutouts (5), sixth in GAA (2.06), second in save percentage (.928) and has firmly established himself as the starter in Vancouver with 11 straight starts and 15 wins on the season. 
• The Carolina Hurricanes continue their massive struggles losing again last night, this time to the Boston Bruins. With only one win in their last 13 games, the Canes have sunk to 13th in the East and lost all playoff hopes in the process. Clearly acquiring Jordan Staal and Alex Semin wasn't enough for this team, and Jim Rutherford, who has been running the team since they were still in Hartford, will have some hard choices to make this summer. 
• On the other end of the scale, the Toronto Maple Leafs picked up another victory last night, helping them further hold onto their playoff position. They're now 8 points up on 9th place New Jersey, and with only 9 games left to go, it seems they may have finally gotten their invitation to the dance. Could we see an all Canadian match-up in the first round?
• And lastly, here's your gif of the day courtesy of red-hot Alex Ovechkin:

Via @SensForLife11 Twitter