Camilo de Sanvezzo (second from right) gave the Whitecaps FC their first-ever lead against the Portland Timbers, but it was negated in the second half by a dubious penalty call. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

More after the break.

Vancouver held the lead twice in this game, courtesy of a fantastic Camilo free kick from about 20 yards, and a Gershon Koffie strike from a couple of yards further out. Both times, the leads were negated on handball calls of dubious legitimacy by referee Matthew Foerster. On the first, a laser of a shot connected with the left arm of Andy O’Brien. The arm was not in an unnatural position, and it looked as though O’Brien was attempting to move his arm out of the ball’s path by turning sideways. Nevertheless, the referee pointed immediately to the spot and Canadian international Will Johnson made no mistake. I think it was a soft call, but I freely acknowledge that were the teams reversed I would have been howling for a penalty. In fact, I was — in the first half, a nearly identical play saw Timbers defender Mamadou Danso have his hand struck by the ball in the Portland box, with no call. But yeah, que sera, sera.

Portland Timbers forward Jose Valencia makes a fabulous end zone catch in double coverage to score a touchdown — oh, wait. In soccer, you’re not supposed to be able to do that. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The second goal is the one that emphatically should not have counted. Minutes after a (pretty soft) red card to Danso reduced the Timbers to ten men, a ball was sailed high and long into the Whitecaps box for Jose Valencia. The ball dropped between defenders Brad Rusin and Andy O’Brien, who appeared to have Valencia neatly sandwiched. Valencia trapped the ball very briefly against his chest with his hand, the ball dropped to his feet, and he slid the equalizer past Brad Knighton. Rusin took to twitter after the game apologizing to the fans for not doing better. No such apology was forthcoming from the referees, who said only that they believed Valencia took the ball down with his chest. He didn’t. Above, you can see photographic evidence that he didn’t.

Referees are openly despised in most arenas around most leagues — check www.refyousuck.com if you somehow need proof — but this crew received some especially lusty boos at the end of the Whitecaps – Timbers match. Yes, we at PITH suspect that linesman indeed always has his eyes closed like that. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

This is where I repeat a thought I’ve expressed before: soccer could use a rugby-style replay official, and MLS would be the perfect league in which to test such a system. Referee development is a process akin to player development. Read: it’s not getting better any time soon. The officials in this league are the weak link in an otherwise damn good product. I’m sick of going to games wondering not who on my favourite team is going to shine but in which new and flamboyant way the ref is going to fuck up a decent game of soccer. I’m well aware that MLS can’t fix the officials overnight, but they need to find some other way to address a problem that’s actively hurting soccer in North America.

Game review: Whitecaps 2, Timbers 1, Referees 1. Bring on Montreal.

The Boston Bruins are unnaturally big, led by Charzilla himself on defense. Photo ripped unceremoniously from nhl.com

More after the break.

Team Can’tada
For the fourth straight year, Team Canada has been knocked out of the IIHF World Hockey Championships before the tournament final — this time by Gabriel Landeskog, a pair of Sedins and a bunch of other Swedes. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) The knock against this tourney has long been the fact that it’s timed to coincide with the Stanley Cup playoffs, leaving many of the world’s finest players off national rosters. Would Canada have been sidelined like this if Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla had been in Helsinki? some say. Would Russia go home early with Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk on the roster? they ask. Who knows. Hey, Sweden is playing without Henriks Lundquist and Zetterberg. No Jon Quick or Ryan Callahan for the States, either, and they’re still alive. We’re all in the same boat, I say, so suck it up. What Canada should worry about is injuries to players like Eric Staal, who went down awkwardly and favoured his right knee before leaving the game. This sort of incident makes bringing world-class players to tournaments like the Olympics a more difficult proposition — player insurance and pro team permission become increasingly bigger issues if guys like Staal aren’t available to teams like the Carolina Hurricanes come time for training camp.

The 40-Year-Old Version
It seems almost impossible, but it’s been 40 years since the last time the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins met in the post-season. Game one of the 2013 second round goes down tonight, but it was 1973 when the Blueshirts beat the defending Stanley Cup champs in their last playoff meeting. Tukka Rask was damned good against the Leafs, but if this series comes down to a war of attrition featuring a battle between netminders, my money is on the Rangers led by Henrik Lundquist.

Coming off the bench in the 14th minute in injury relief of Daigo Kobayashi, Teibert showed great speed and good chemistry with Nigel Reo-Coker. More important for the Caps, he showed solid finish, something Vancouver has been sorely lacking over the past eight weeks of Major League Soccer action.

Canadian product Russell Teibert (left) scored the first two goals of his promising MLS career, as the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated the LA Galaxy 3-1 on May 11. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Much of the first 60 minutes of this game was uneventful. Sure, there were a few chances, but a lot of the action took place in the midfield, with both teams showing little creativity or desire. Teibert took a Reo-Coker pass on the right flank in the 63rd minute, however, and injected some flair into the match. He cut into the middle of the field just shy of the 18-yard box, then using a trio of Galaxy defenders as a screen, Teibert launched a left-footed strike past Galaxy keeper Carlo Cudicini. It was the first pro goal for the player born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and represents a massive boon for the Whitecaps FC Residency program, which Teibert joined in 2008.

His second goal came in the 76th minute, off of a gorgeous give-and-go with Gershon Koffie. This time, Teibert didn’t need to dribble his way into the danger area. He fed Koffie a pass down low, then finished off with a one-timer from 12 yards out.

After having his strongest game in a month, Darren Mattocks capped off the scoring in injury time with a bit of a lucky one from inside the six-yard box. Despite having numerous chances in close each game, the speedy Jamaican had failed to score since March 23 in Houston. Caps fans will no doubt hope this gimme will open the floodgates for Mattocks, who scored seven times last year and predicted a 20-goal campaign for 2013.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC defender Andy O’Brien had a strong game on the back end, preventing future Hall of Famer Landon Donovan from being much of a threat. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

As for the Galaxy, they had the majority of ball possession, and forced Joe Cannon to make a couple of tough saves in close. The Caps, however, managed to keep LA’s most dangerous weapons out of the mix. Well, okay, I suppose you can’t credit Vancouver for silencing Robbie Keane — he’s out of the lineup with an injury at the moment. But Johnny Leveron and Andy O’Brien frustrated the likes of Landon Donovan, Jose Villareal and leading scorer Mike Magee. It seemed that O’Brien’s sole instruction this match was, “Put your hand in Donovan’s pocket, and keep it there until you hear the final whistle.” He effectively stymied the US legend, who looked uncharacteristically harried every time he touched the ball. You wouldn’t think a team coming off back-to-back championships would miss the injured Robbie Keane quite this much, but there it was on the pitch for all to see, and the Galaxy lost their second match in a row.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Darren Mattocks got off the schneid this weekend, scoring his first goal in nearly six weeks in a 3-1 win over the LA Galaxy. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The Whitecaps won for the first time in eight MLS games — they won consecutive games against the NASL FC Edmonton, but hadn’t won an MLS match since the first week of March. They next face the red-hot Montreal Impact in the Canadian Championship final on Wednesday, May 15. The next home game is three days later: on May 18 the Caps host the Portland Timbers.

You want your highlights? You got ‘em, my brothers and sisters.

More after the break.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Camilo is the ultimate love-him-or-hate-him kind of player. Whichever side of the fence you’re on, you can’t deny the game is more interesting with him on the pitch. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the head.

For those of you who also follow hockey, you may have heard of a stat called “Corsi” which has been gaining popularity in recent years. Corsi is essentially a plus/minus stat for shots directed at net instead of goals, and has shown itself a more reliable indicator of a player’s on-ice performance than other more conventional statistics. It’s also a reasonable indicator of how the run of play is going. Even if a team is down 1-0 or 2-0, looking at how many shot attempts are being put towards each goal tells you a lot about the game. Once you get that data, you can begin comparing players. To begin, we take the shot differential (Corsi) while a player is on the pitch and subtract the shot differential when the player is off the pitch.

For example: Jun Marques Davidson has been on the field for 112 shots for, or 13.75 for every 90 for every 90 minutes of play (for ease of reading I’ll refer to this as per match), and 105 shots against, or 12.89/match. That’s a +0.86/match shot differential when he’s on the field, a slightly positive advantage over the opposition. While Davidson has been on the bench, however, the Caps have had 51 shots for, or 17.86/match, and 29 shots against, or 10.16 per match — a dramatic +7.70/match shot differential when he’s off the field. On average, the Caps direct 6.84 more shots on target than their opponents for every ninety minutes that JMD sits his defensive ass on the bench. That’s not good.

At the other end of the spectrum is Camilo. When Camilo is on the park Vancouver dominates the play, outshooting the opposition 109-60. When he’s on the bench, Vancouver is outshot 54-74. Crunch the numbers and you get a team-leading relative shot differential of +12.17. The Whitecaps will take, on average, 8 more shots for every 90 minutes the Brazilian plays, and concede 4 fewer.

Some of the knocks on Camilo are legitimate: he doesn’t work hard enough to stay on his feet. I’m still not convinced he dives, but he certainly doesn’t try to fight through contact. Some are overblown: calling him selfish is ridiculous when he led the team in assists last year and set up 1.17 shots/match, fifth best on the team.

Another one I’ve heard is that Camilo doesn’t have a strong left foot. This is MLS, not the EPL. There aren’t a lot of ambidextrous players in these parts. What I do know is that as Camilo goes, so does the Whitecaps offense. Here’s hoping Martin Rennie sees fit to keep him in the lineup for the foreseeable future.

For those of you that have made it this far, the data I’m working from can be found here. Note that Vancouver outshot Edmonton 41-17 over their two games, leading to some decidedly odd numbers for players like YP Lee and Alain Rochat, who missed those drubbings.

After game one of the Senators-Canadiens series, the front page of the Ottawa Sun featured a goretastic image of Lars Eller leaking blood all over ice at the Montreal Forum. We at Pucked in the Head would be shocked if this weren’t one of the few newspapers that still publishes Sunshine Girl pics on a regular basis.

Mere days into the NHL’s first round, and we’ve already seen blowouts — the Sidless Penguins handed John Tavares every ass on the New York Islander roster in game one. We’ve been treated to overtime gaffes — I’m looking at you, Jonathan Quick, you bizarre, talented bastard, you. Controversy: Eric Gryba got an unwarranted two-game suspension after Lars Eller’s nose hit the ice. Sadly, Brendan Shanahan’s ruling — see the video below — was only half as atrocious as the Ottawa Sun’s front page coverage of the incident. (Even Sun sports journalist Bruce Garrioch was embarrassed, going to lengths to explain that editors, not writers, choose the pictures and headlines.) And out west, Roberto Luongo played his face off in a surprise start for the listless Vancouver Canucks. No one seems to know what ails the goaltender regent, Corey Schneider, but who mans the crease will only be a talking point if Vancouver manages more than a goal a game against the Sharks.

Perhaps the most impressive story so far this playoff actually stretches beyond the boundaries of the NHL. On the very day that the Toronto Maple Leafs played their first playoff game in nearly a decade, the Leafs, Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto FC were collectively outscored 20-2 by the Boston Bruins, Boston Red Sox and Montreal Impact respectively. It seems nothing can go right in Hogtown these days — Rob Ford is still the mayor, for goodness’ sake.

Okay, okay: politics notwithstanding, in a city that proclaims itself the Centre of the Universe, they sure as shootin’ aren’t doing much to impress in the world of sports. Until the Argonauts take the field to defend their Grey Cup title later this summer, the only thing T-dot has to cheer for is the Marlies. The Baby Leafs swept the Rochester Americans in the AHL Calder Cup playoffs, and await the winners of the other three Western Conference quarterfinals before second round reseeding. Go (baby) Leafs go, I suppose.

Here’s ol’ Shanny’s ruling, in which he mysteriously states that Gryba made Eller’s head the principal point of contact. (Compare with PK Subban’s hit on Chris Neil earlier in the game — in which red-jerseyed shoulder indeed smucks upon white-helmeted head — as giffed by @Eyeonhockey.)

PK Subban launches his shoulder into Chris Neil’s head early in game one of the Habs-Sens series, a case of no blood, no foul for the NHL. Image grabbed from @eyeonhockey.

I’m sure Chris Withers will have more to say about the match, but here are a few shots I captured at the game.

Corey Hertzog scored a dramatic second half goal to lift Whitecaps FC to a 2-0 win over FC Edmonton on May 1, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

More after the jump.

Whitecaps FC rookie Erik Hurtado had numerous touches of the ball after coming off the bench in the 74th minute. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

In the 51st minute, FC Edmonton defender Adrian Leroy was booked with a red card by referee Geoff Gamble, forcing his team to play with 10 men the rest of the way. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Whitecaps FC forward Corey Hertzog made the most of his second half substitution for Darren Mattocks, scoring once from distance and threatening to do so on at least three other occasions. Here he avoids a sliding tackle by FC Edmonton defender Eddie Edward. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The frenzy that is the first round of the NHL playoffs is upon us — and if the first night is any indication, the theme is defense, defense, snore… I mean, defense. I mean, really. The last time we came out of a lockout, hockey was exciting and fast-moving. This lockout has punctuated the return of the dead puck era, where neutral zone traps and left wing locks are 

If tonight’s games between the Canucks & Sharks and the Pens and Isles end 2-1 in OT, can we just fast forward to the final and be done with it?

EA Sports has used NHL 13 to prognosticate the NHL playoff results, and they’ve come up with the New York Rangers as a surprise winner of Lord Stanley’s mug over Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks in the final. Our man Jake Hall decided to sim it up as well, and he got a decidedly different result:

by Jake Hall

For fans of the Vancouver Canucks, the “official” EA Sports sim wasn’t pretty. It involved a second round sweep at the hands of the Kings — a sweep! What is this, 2012? Needless to say, I was hoping for a different outcome when I ran the 2013 playoffs through my humble PS3 in the Hall household.

Check it out after the jump.

Western Conference Round 1
(1) Chicago vs  (8) Minnesota

Minnesota’s $100-million dollar man Zach Parise helps the Wild knock off the powerhouse Chicago Blackhawks. Photo pilfered from a random internet website.

A huge surprise right off the bat as the Wild pull off the upset of the century. (The century is young, after all…) Minnesota in 6 — maybe all that cash they dropped on Parise & Suter wasn’t a bad move after all.

(2) Anaheim vs (7) Detroit
Another upset as Detroit is able to knock off the number two seed. But can we really call any Red Wings win a surprise? There’s just so much experience in that room, and we at Pucked in the Head are still skeptical that Anaheim ever won a Cup in the first place. (How do you spell ‘conspiracy’, boys and girls? D-U-C-K-S.) Detroit in 7.

(3) St. Louis vs (5) Los Angeles
The Kings take care of business in a hurry, despite the Blues taking game one. LA in 5.

With the Stanley Cup Playoffs getting underway tonight, you’ll be getting your fill of hockey coverage on Pucked in the Head, don’t you worry. We’ve had a smattering of baseball coverage on the site before, but it’s all focused on the Toronto Blue Jays, and screw Toronto. Today, new PitH correspondent John Stewart takes a look at some ball a little closer to Vancouver with an update from the Emerald City.

Ladies and gentlemen, your 2013 Seattle Mariners.
As of Tuesday, April 30:
W-L: 12-18
Injuries: Saunders, Gutierrez (yes, again), Morse, Pryor

So why are you reading about baseball on a blog whose title certainly suggests a fondness for hockey? Because Jason Kurylo asked me to write about the Mariners. And whatever Mama wants, Mama gets. Or something.

Here you go.

I grew up in Seattle, and I’ll try to provide some roundup and insight on the team every two weeks. Highlights (though they may be few this season), lowlights (and they may be many) and everything in between. If there’s a burning question about the team or the game (or some other team which might actually make the playoffs) I’ll do my best to answer. But for now, here’s what we know.

Felix Hernandez is still amazing. Hisashi Iwakuma is proving to be the smartest move the Mariners made in the off-season, finger blister notwithstanding. The rest of the starting rotation does not inspire great confidence, although Brendan Maurer has upside, and won his last start against a pretty decent Angels lineup. The bullpen has been pretty solid.

Offensively? Well…there’s not a lot of great news here. Morse was off to a hot start but got hurt. Saunders was playing solid ball and got hurt. Gutierrez…I love the guy, but you can’t bank on him playing more than half the season at best.

It seems pretty clear that Justin Smoak is not working out, but there’s really nobody in Tacoma to bring up, and I doubt he has any real trade value. So we’re probably stuck with him for the rest of the season. Dustin Ackley sure looked like a can’t fail draft pick, but he’s just not hitting the ball well at all. More on him in a future piece. Kendrys Morales seemed like a good pickup but his bat has cooled off significantly. And Jesus Montero…for a guy who really has no future as a catcher, he sure needs to start hitting the baseball.

Really, the only strong offensive story is Kyle Seager, who’s doing a fine job at the hot corner and is pretty much the only major-league caliber hitter on the team right now. And this from a guy who wasn’t on any radar screens when he joined the team. Baseball’s a funny game that way.

Lest you mistake my pessimism for cynicism – it is still early in the season. This team is not as bad as they have played so far this season — the recent three-game win streak suggests there are better things to come. They are not a playoff quality team, but they should be able to play .500 ball. I would not, however, suggest betting your life savings on that one.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker and FC Dallas defender Jair Benitez race for a ball during the first half of a 2-2 tie at BC Place on April 27, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Dallas players went down like red-shirted ensigns on Star Trek. They stayed down like my two-year-old daughter, bawling because they fell down went boom. Come on, you wailing tart — you’re a professional freaking athlete, in prime physical condition. Are you seriously telling me your tummy wummy hurtsy wurtsies because the bad man in the brown jersey bumped into you? Get up, you whining sack of sheisse, and play the game.

More after the break.

Less than five minutes into the MLS match at BC Place, and the crowd was treated to the first of many instances of Dallasing. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The home crowd at BC Place booed lustily at each and every instance of Dallasing on Saturday, but was treated to a spirited Whitecaps comeback as two late goals salvaged a single point for the good guys.

My question is, what can be done by leagues — from MLS to FIFA international, from the BPL to the Bundesliga — to curb the fakery that embarrasses players, fans, referees and sponsors alike? Some suggest that any player who stays down long enough to draw a stoppage in play should have to leave the pitch for a minimum of five minutes, putting their team down a man. Others, myself included, would like to see after-the-fact punishments meted out by the league; let the MLS review videos of egregious dives, and fine or suspend players and their coaches.

What do you think?

Highlights from Saturday’s 2-2 draw: