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HomeSportsHart AttackHARTLEY MILLER’S HART ATTACK – February 19, 2016 EDITION 563

HARTLEY MILLER’S HART ATTACK – February 19, 2016 EDITION 563

The 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs without a team from Canada remains a strong possibility.

With nearly 70 per cent of the NHL season complete, none of the seven teams from the Great White North will qualify for the post-season unless one goes on an unexpected hot streak down the stretch.

In the 2014-15 season, five of the seven made the playoffs and just Toronto and Edmonton missed the party.

This season after Thursday’s action, Ottawa is six points out with the other six Canadian teams even further back: Vancouver and Montreal are eight points from a playoff spot, while Winnipeg is 10, Calgary 11, Edmonton 14 and last place Toronto is 17 off the pace.

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To put this into perspective: Canadian teams occupy 7 of the bottom 9 spots in the overall standings sitting 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th 29th and 30th. Just Buffalo and Columbus prevent a clean sweep.

The only time in NHL history that no Canadian team made the playoffs was 46 years ago in the 1969-70 season.

Sportsclubstats.com has listed the Habs as the Canadian club with the best chance of qualifying for the playoffs, at a tiny 5.8 %. The Senators are listed at 4.5 % and the Canucks are a 4.4 % long shot.

Although mathematically they are alive, both the Oilers and Leafs are rated at 0.0 %.

By the way, Canadian teams are a dreadful 2-11-1 this week, with both victories by Ottawa.

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Outside of Thursday’s 5-2 loss to Anaheim, the Vancouver Canucks home losing skid reached even greater proportions because of the mediocre and awful teams that were leaving Rogers Arena with two points.

The Canucks fell 5-2 to the Minnesota Wild, who lost their previous eight and 13 of 14.

Prior to that, Vancouver was beaten 5-2 by the NHL’s worst team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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They also dropped a 4-1 decision to Calgary, 26th in the overall standings; 2-1 to Columbus in a shootout, the 28th place team; and the skid started with a 2-1 loss to Nashville, a team on the bubble for making the post-season.

The Canucks are riding their longest home losing streak in seven seasons and during the six game stretch have been outscored by a whopping 23-9 margin.

Sure, Vancouver will want to be a “seller” at the trade deadline but what players do the Canucks have, that they would be willing to part with, would be of interest to other teams?

If they have any, those players would not fetch much in return.

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Making a significant reduction in their goals against is a top priority for the Prince George Cougars down the stretch.

The Cougars have just 15 regular season games left and their lead on 4th place Kamloops in the B.C. Division is down to four points.

P.G. has given up 60 goals in its last 15 games, an average of 4 a game, which helps to explain why the team is just 6-7-2 over that stretch.

Offensively, during the same period of time, the Cats have scored 65, but their 15 game total gets a bit inflated when one of the games is a 7-0 triumph over the last place Saskatoon Blades.

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All teams go through slumps and the Cougars are currently going through theirs.

They haven’t won in 2 1/2 weeks, a stretch of five games, which is their season high.

The Cougars face another team going through an unexpected slide when they host the Red Deer Rebels tonight and Saturday.

The Rebels, who will compete in May’s Memorial Cup as the host team, have dropped their last four but remain second in the Central Division and third in the Eastern Conference.

Both the (35-20-1-2) Rebels and the (31-22-3-1) Cougars are in the WHL top 6 in goals for.

With the Cougars next victory, they will surpass their win and point totals from last season.

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There is nothing wrong with hockey players wanting to go to McDonald’s after a game, however, the Prince George Spruce Kings reputation took a bit of a beating after a recent trip there went public.

Following the Spruce Kings 4-1 Sunday loss in Coquitlam, their final road game of the season, the team had a meal at McDonald’s before heading home.

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Their $250 receipt that was posted on social media and TSN drew widespread attention.

If the players had ordered salad and a lower fat chicken wrap, I doubt anyone would have given it a second thought.

The receipt was clear that some of the Spruce Kings filled up on double burgers, large fries and lots of pop.

In today’s world where athletes are strongly encouraged to follow a nutritious diet, this one meal would not meet any guidelines.

It’s been a long season for the Spruce Kings, the second worst team in the BCHL, who took it on the chin again Thursday falling 5-1 to the Langley Rivermen.

The Rivermen won all seven head to head games against the Spruce Kings by a combined score of 36-10.

I suspect this fast food stopover is the exception and not the rule, but when the team has a 12-38-4-1 record, having this meal come light globally does not help the Spruce Kings image.
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Defenceman Brandon Manning of Prince George has been a Philadelphia Flyers healthy scratch in several recent games, including Tuesday’s 6-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils.

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Manning has played in 34 of the Flyers 56 games.

He has three assists, 44 penalty minutes and is a plus 5.

The Flyers are six points out of a playoff spot.

From the Quote Rack:

His Airness turned 53 Wednesday. Tom Brady is 53?

Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California

Super Bowl MVP Von Miller went to Disney World, where he sacked Goofy six times. Peyton Manning went to the Happiest Place on Earth – a Budweiser factory.

Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald:

The audio went out for part of Adele’s song on Monday night. And many Super Bowl viewers are thinking “Why couldn’t it have happened to Cold Play?”

Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com

Donald Trump says he plans to build a border wall between the US and Mexico. In related news, Vegas bookmakers have just made Mexico the favorite for this summer’s Olympic Pole Vault competition.

Comedy writer TC Chong of Vancouver http://alwaysfunny.com/

Regarding the NBA All Star Game in Toronto, 196 to 173 isn’t a basketball score, it’s the results of a weigh in on The Biggest Loser.

Contributor Marc Ragovin

And in case you missed it:

It’s too bad James Harden and Khloe Kardashian broke up. I was looking forward to Keeping Up With the Hardashians.

Comedy writer RJ Currie www.Sportsdeke.com

Hartley Miller is the sports director and morning news anchor for 94.3 the Goat. He also is the 94.3 radio color commentator for P.G. Cougars home games. His column appears Fridays on myprincegeorgenow.com. Send along a quote, note, or anecdote to [email protected] Follow him on twitter: @Hartley_Miller

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