-Buzzsaw-

One of these days Canucks management should really pay note to these boards and Deb's part in them and introduce Miller's #1 fan to him.

Miller is having a great season. He has found a coach who understands him, and knows how to motivate him. Miller has developed later into his career as a complete NHL power forward.

- Demko had a standout game - Pettersson back to form - Zadorov and Myers best defensive pair... especially standouts during PK's... they should stay together Unfortunately Hughes had his worst game of the season... cause of two 'too many man' penalties and the guy who made the perfect pass turnover which led to Carolina goal. And by the way, Kuzmenko has ZERO confidence left... afraid to shoot, tentative with his passes... Tocchet has ground the initiative completely out of him. Overall I like what Tocchet has done with this team, but he has gotten it wrong with Kuzmenko. There are dozens of teams falling all over themselves to get this guy... but Tocchet has reduced his trade value considerably. In the first 15 games Kuzmenko might not have been scoring, but his line was piling up the goals and points. Now he is nowhere. Sorry, but he has been mismanaged. Lafferty may be doing well with Pettersson, but anyone can pick up goals by being on his line... and Lafferty is not a first liner... his best previous goal total was 10... and maybe he's going good now, but its not going to last.

Where are the F*ckwads who were calling for Pettersson to be traded?????

The only issue I had with this game is that Tocchet persists in his grudge against Kuzmenko. Kuzzy needs to be Pettersson and Mikheyev... not on the 4th line... Petey/Kuzzy/Mik is the line which works and which can produce. Forget the occasional defensive lapse, the number of goals they can score makes up for it.

By the... Zadorov wasn't interested in the fight... he knew the game was over and it was meaningless. He just held Maroon at arms length until he got tired and then wrapped him up like a Christmas present. I don't think Big Z likes to fight, he will do it when necessary, and probably with a lot more enthusiasm when the game is on the line and the team needs firing up. What Z likes is hits... Gonchar just needs to keep him from getting into headhunting mode and getting suspended.

Cr*p first period, but they came back well in the 2nd and 3rd. Excellent job by DeSmith. Gustafson was also very good... would have been more Canuck goals except for some very timely saves... Boeser breakaway example. Overall I didn't find the Canucks were up to their first 15 games standards, but they did play solidly. Pettersson still hurt, still can't shoot, pass and stickhandle like he should, but he is playing smart defensively. I thought he seemed stronger this game compared to last 3 so he may be recovering. Best Canuck line was Bluegers.

Where do you get the idea Zadorov is gone? Of course the Canucks are planning on signing him... PA didn't trade for him and spend all those draft choices to let him walk.

What's with this board... turning into Reddit.

Canucks need to win this one and get back to the structured and disciplined form that gave them the wins early in the season.

Tanev was a great member of the Canucks and should have been re-signed here for another four years back when his extension was due. A much better choice than the D-men who replaced him. Now its too late to bring him back... too old for the core we're building now. He's a good guy... and a warrior and I personally wish him well.

His 'poor' play has always been related to injuries he has sustained. Do some research.

I was impressed with Zadorov's interviews comments. Seems like a intelligent and thoughtful guy who wants to do what he can to fit in with the team and improve it. Its easy sometimes to dismiss people on the basis of their physical appearance... but his comments belie the stereotypes. Intelligence is a big factor when it comes to success, we've all seen guys who have all the physical skills not pan out because they didn't have what it takes between the ears. Based on what he said, I think he is teachable and can improve on what he has already delivered in his time in the league. Big Defensemen often don't reach their ceiling till quite a bit later than smaller ones, (Think 'Big Harold') lets hope that's the case with "Little Nikki".

First, learn to spell. I remember two years ago, the same bunch of hyenas were screaming for Pettersson to be traded... I wasn't.

What a bunch of Putz's this members of this forum are. Last year Pettersson reels off 100 points and now they are ready to trade him. Schizo freaks.

I know people are bitching about Kuzmenko's play and the fact he is snakebit right now and can't buy a goal. But the team needs him. He is important to the team's success... we need both of the two top lines scoring, and he should be on Pettersson's line. The coach has some kind of grudge against him, doesn't fit Tocchet's mold of 'responsible'. But Pettersson's line was producing when Kuzmenko was on it with Mikheyev. And if they put the line back together, the goals would come. Tocchet needs to put his personal likes and dislikes aside and just play this line. Last year it worked, and the first 15 games it worked.... it will work again.

Absolutely. The Devils have to be played physical and with a lot of clogging of the neutral zone. D has to be very structured with the forwards backchecking constantly. Canucks did none of those.

Loosey-Goosey Loses

Really sloppy play to allow the 6-5 goal.

With this line juggling... we don't even have the good 3rd and 4th lines we used to have.

Disagree with the line shuffling Tocchet is doing. Kuzmenko and Pettersson are in a slump... both should be together. Tocchet has done everything but put them back together. Also Mikheyev should be on the Pettersson line. These guys complement each other's style.... they all pass well, they understand the intricate type plays, crisscrossing, etc. Pettersson is now playing with the Lumberjack corps.... wrong style for him.

This Devils team has as much or more offensive talent as the Canucks. Not just Hischier or Hughes, they also have a really strong supporting cast of forwards, Toffoli, Palat, etc. The Canucks probaby have more defensive talent...and probably better goaltending. But the way the Canucks are playing, run and gun, loosey-goosey, and forget defensive zone coverage, is just letting the Devils use their strengths. The game should have been played tight checking, focus on clogging up the neutral zone. The Canucks have also reverted to their poor coverage in front of their own net... which we thought was under control. Just not seeing the coaching or the team performance which is needed to beat a very good team. Team is failing to make the jump needed to beat the really good teams.

Here's my analysis of what's wrong with the team: - Hughes is burning out... he's been playing 30 minute games lately too often. He is still just a kid, younger players may be a little quicker, but they don't have as much endurance as 28-32 year olds. I can see a huge difference between the first 15 games of the season and now. Although it is tempting to play him a lot, (his average now is 25:00) but better to keep his average minutes to around 23:00. He is the key to the offense. - Same applies to a slightly lesser extent for Hronek. - JT Miller and Pettersson have been playing 20:00 per game... better to keep Petey down a little lower... around 18:00. Same reason as Hughes. Miller could probably play the same. Less PK time... maybe make them the third pairing for the PK. Work on the third and fourth lines taking on more of the PK work. - More emphasis on passing instead of carrying the puck... speed up the game that way. - Rotate in and out at least one of the bench forwards every game so everyone gets time off to be rested and gets motivated. - Pettersson probably has a nagging injury which is hampering his play... not enough to sit him, but enough to affect play. He is not shooting, his passes are not crisp and he is moving slower. Only time will fix this. With the addition of Zadorov, I am hoping the defense pairings will get stabilized.

I don't know why people are so surprised and upset. Every building contender goes through this. It is very common for younger teams on the cusp to come out of the gate really fast, then slow down. As others have said, this team is miles better than it was last season or the seasons before... when Markstrom or Demko had to stand on their head for the team to win. I expect this team to make the playoffs, but likely they won't finish top of the division... or even second, not with Vegas and LA in the division. I would be happy if they finish third... but they may need to do it the Wild Card route. Team needed defense improvements... size and skill... now they have Zadorov... lets hope Foote and Goncharev can teach him positioning and discipline. If that happens, the team will improve. And we need to have more defensive discipline at the front of the net and better control of the boards. They also need more speed and size up front... when I was watching this game the thing I noticed was how quickly the Vegas players caught up to the Canuck forwards on the backcheck... Vegas has a fast team. So either the Canucks get more speed, or they start to work on their passing game so they can use puck movement to accelerate the attack. Overall I am happy with the progress of the team this year.

Before we get to the knee jerk whines about Pettersson again, lets look at the facts: - He's top 10 in NHL scoring - Overall he is still in positive +/- figures - HIs play of late is not the usual standard from him... so the problem is either physical or he will break out of his slump soon. When its mid season and he's still in a slump, then you can complain. Even if he has an off season and only scores 75 points, (more than 90% of the league) then you know it'll mean we get him signed at a bargain price... and he'll bounce back next year with another 100 points. And by the way, Pettersson has bulked up over his first couple years. He is still listed at 176, but he is much more likely 180+.