The view from Vancouver

THE PROVINCE

Jason Botchford: Canucks still breathing after 2-1 victory over LA Kings
“With nothing to lose, John Tortorella’s Canucks made it evident Saturday they don’t have much interest in change.

Two days after GM Mike Gillis revised his mission statement ­— yet again — the Canucks couldn’t have looked further from those core principles.

They started by playing safe, defensive, zone-read hockey, trying to out-L.A. the L.A. Kings. For the first two periods, the only thing that looked uptempo was the Zamboni.”

Tony Gallagher: Kings’ Rob Blake taking his time to call on Canucks
“Rob Blake has been waiting for the Canucks to be officially eliminated from playoffs before popping the question to Vancouver players to see if they wish to represent Canada at the World Hockey championships.

And despite the dismal season the Canucks have endured, four players will be hearing their phones ring when the right time comes.”

Jason Botchford: The Van Provies: Torts isn’t changing while the Sedins may be regretting something significant
“Torts has no plans in changing, and he made that clear with what he said Friday — nothing wrong with the system! — and how he started Saturday’s game.

“The first period was boring, you saw it,” Zack Kassian said. “It was systematically dump it in, dump it in.

“There wasn’t a lot of ice to play on.”

So what happened in the third?”

The Province: Let’s answer 10 questions raised by a disastrous Canucks season

VANCOUVER SUN

Brad Ziemer: Canucks beat Kings 2-1, stave off playoff elimination
“The Vancouver Canucks must have felt like they were California Dreaming. They actually beat the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.

The Canucks came from behind to defeat the Kings 2-1 at Rogers Arena and keep their extremely slim playoff hopes flickering for at least another day.”

Harrison Mooney: I Watched This Game: Canucks vs Los Angeles Kings, April 5, 2014
“The last time the Canucks saw the Kings, they skated away with a moral two points, and an actual zero points, losing the game but punching a bunch of people — which, in the minds of many hockey fans, is the margarine to victory’s butter. This time around, however, no one had to settle for I Can’t Believe It’s Not Winning!, as the Canucks actually managed to score more goals than the Kings, which signifies the sort of triumph that actually affects the standings.”

CANUCKS ARMY

Dimitri Filipovic: Canucks Army GDT #78 – Kings @ Canucks
“As Corey Masisak noted in his Power Rankings yesterday, all of this puck possession has slowly started to translate into more goals scored for the Kings, and if that keeps up they’re going to be a gargantuan force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately for them, and hockey fans all around the world, they appear to be on a first round collision course with the San Jose Sharks — a series which would be unquestionably worthy of a Western Conference Final.”

NUCKS MISCONDUCT

Sean Larson: Richardson’s late heroics cap dominating third period in 2-1 win over Kings
“It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish. The Vancouver Canucks proved that on Saturday night with a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Arena staving off mathematical elimination for at least one more day.”