[PGT] Canucks at Flames - F*** CBC Edition

[JayDangles]

8 hours ago, CanuckFanForever said:

Don't get me wrong Tocchet could win a Jack Adams trophy.

 

But is 1 and done ok with this fan base in the playoffs. 

Hell yes it is! I would rather be 1 and done than repeat any of the past 8 years of hockey(including the bubble).

 

For us to have the season we're having after what we've been through, at least playoff experience is a necessary part of building a cup team. 

If you expect them to go to from bottom 8 in the league to the cup finals the next year that's on you man. 

 

Put things in perspective. If the team wins a round or two in the playoffs that's amazing. But Jesus at least find a way to give credit once in a while. 

[JayDangles]

1 hour ago, stawns said:

Watched the game late last night.  They played about 20 mins of terrible hockey, 30 mins of good hockey and 10 mins of excellent hockey.

 

Petey's line finally had some jump and Petey, himself finally looked more engaged.  

 

Kuz has a strong game, but Miller and Boes weren't great, overall.  Again, both get a pass because they've been solid to this point.

 

The Blueger line was good again, and the swedish line was great as well.

 

The double H's were solid, Zmyers and Zad were also good.  Juuls had a bad giveaway and an untimely penalty (though hard to blame him for that one), but he also made some solid plays.

 

The special teams were weak and they really need to address this because they can't afford to give up PP goals if they're not scoring them.

 

Demko was Demko 

 

I do think they're very passive in their own end, but I think that's what Tocchet wants to see.  I'd like to see them more aggressive, but I'm not the coach.

 

All in all an ok game and they picked up a huge two points.

Well said Stawns.

I think the reason our defensive system is so passive is because we don't have the type of defenseman that can react properly when things get scrambly. Only Hughes can react properly.  When you play aggressive and knock the puck away things get messy, players chase loose pucks, wind up out of position, lose their checks etc. A lot of goals were scored against us when we were scrambling in our own zone.

 

At least with a passive system it's easy for guys like Myers to know where he needs to be. It allows for more zone time for the opposing team, but keeps the chaos to a minimum, which is actually translating to less goals against.

[Sargon]

9 hours ago, I.AM.THE.WALRUS said:

It looks like we’re fighting through some sort of learning curve… This team needs to figure out how to pull it back together again to find another gear because I think teams know how to play us now - we have to adjust our strategy because teams have adjusted to us and we’re not as effective as we used to be 

It definitely seems like we have lost a little bit of our focus and commitment to puck support and sticks clogging up passing lanes,and sloppy passes to no one is standing out.bit of a lack of intensity at times. I agree about the learning curve and would rather struggle a bit now learning to be consistent and then putting it together towards the approach of the latter end of the season entering the playoffs.timing in sports like life is sometimes the key to everything.

[Alflives]

6 minutes ago, JayDangles said:

Well said Stawns.

I think the reason our defensive system is so passive is because we don't have the type of defenseman that can react properly when things get scrambly. Only Hughes can react properly.  When you play aggressive and knock the puck away things get messy, players chase loose pucks, wind up out of position, lose their checks etc. A lot of goals were scored against us when we were scrambling in our own zone.

 

At least with a passive system it's easy for guys like Myers to know where he needs to be. It allows for more zone time for the opposing team, but keeps the chaos to a minimum, which is actually translating to less goals against.

Tocchet said in his post game (more than one) he wants his guys to play more aggressively. Tocchet does not teach to be passive. 

[NoCupSyndrome]

2 minutes ago, Sargon said:

It definitely seems like we have lost a little bit of our focus and commitment to puck support and sticks clogging up passing lanes,and sloppy passes to no one is standing out.bit of a lack of intensity at times. I agree about the learning curve and would rather struggle a bit now learning to be consistent and then putting it together towards the approach of the latter end of the season entering the playoffs.timing in sports like life is sometimes the key to everything.

 

Little to practice time (given all the games) is definitely an issue. The details are slipping. Hopefully this gets better with their first home stand of more than three games and some additional off days coming up.

[Barnstorm]

9 hours ago, Captain Kirk said:

How does Zad end the night with not a single hit ?

 

9 hours ago, Barnstorm said:

He had one decent hit in the 1st.

Probably trying to play safe and conservative until he gets his feet wet.

 

He wouldn’t want to be the goat in his old building in his first game, 

 

9 hours ago, Vancan said:

 

I'll say it again, he was a 5th to 6th defenseman on a non playoff team. Don't expect him to be anything but, you'll be disappointed if you expect a big hitter, shot blocker, solid reliable defenseman.  He is not that at all.  

 

9 hours ago, Barnstorm said:

Talk to me in 20 games. We’ll see where he’s at on a “playoff” team

with new coaching. 

 

9 hours ago, Vancan said:

 

Sure.... Calgary, Buffalo, Chicago, Colorado all couldn't do it, I suppose we can.... Just saying don't get your expectations to high with him at all. But get back after 20 games if you wish. 

@Vancan 

You’ve mis-represented what I said. It was asked how Zadorov played without a single hit. 
 
I responded that he had one hit and was possibly playing conservatively in his first game on a new team so as not to become a liability (goat) in his first game snd in his old building. 
 

Then you chimed in to warn me that my expectations are too high. 
 

Where exactly did I express high expectations? It’s all above to review.

 

By the way , he’s renowned for beings “big hitter.” There are countless videos detailing his bone crunching hits and suddenly I shouldn’t expect to see that continue?

 

 

[stawns]

12 minutes ago, JayDangles said:

Well said Stawns.

I think the reason our defensive system is so passive is because we don't have the type of defenseman that can react properly when things get scrambly. Only Hughes can react properly.  When you play aggressive and knock the puck away things get messy, players chase loose pucks, wind up out of position, lose their checks etc. A lot of goals were scored against us when we were scrambling in our own zone.

 

At least with a passive system it's easy for guys like Myers to know where he needs to be. It allows for more zone time for the opposing team, but keeps the chaos to a minimum, which is actually translating to less goals against.

 

That might be part of it, but I think it's also the system that RT employs.  They collapse down and try to keep the puck to the outside.  So, while they give up possession time, theoretically, they don't give up a lot of chances from high danger areas 

 

How effective it is remains to be seen.  I'd like to see q more aggressive approach, but as long as they get points, so be it.

[stawns]

7 minutes ago, Alflives said:

Tocchet said in his post game (more than one) he wants his guys to play more aggressively. Tocchet does not teach to be passive. 

 

The system they play suggests otherwise.......in their own end anyway.

[Rekker]

31 minutes ago, JayDangles said:

I understand math.. but your counting your chickens too early my friend. Only scenario where winning percentage gets you into the playoffs is if another pandemic happens.

Until then LA needs to win those games in hand, and they will need to do it with a tougher schedule than they've had.

LA is one big, tough, fast team lead by a future hall of famer who still plays Selke hockey. They are the real deal. 

[Johngould21]

My one and only complaint about last night's game, Miller should not have taken the faceoff on the third Flames goal. He was almost Ofer on the dot all night. Petey on the other hand was excellent. Oh and maybe one more. How in hell do the Canucks always get that play by play guy? 

[Barnstorm]

2 minutes ago, Rekker said:

LA is one big, tough, fast team lead by a future hall of famer who still plays Selke hockey. They are the real deal. 

The season ebbs and flows,  a couple of injuries and a tougher schedule could hold them down below us. As it stands we are ahead. 

[coho8888]

10 minutes ago, Alflives said:

Tocchet said in his post game (more than one) he wants his guys to play more aggressively. Tocchet does not teach to be passive. 

Yep, after the Vegas game tocchet said that we did too much standing around, watching the puck.

 

What I observed though is that during our win streak, we did not allow teams to really set up in our own zone.  We attacked the puck carrier a lot more and broke up the play before they were able to get control.  Rewatch the Dallas game to see what I mean.  Not sure if it’s injuries, lack of practice time or just other teams doing a better job of adjusting to this.  

[Sargon]

4 hours ago, I.AM.THE.WALRUS said:

What movie is that from?

Casablanca 

[Kragar]

9 hours ago, CanuckFanForever said:

Vegas lost Theodore and Martinez from their D and had to re-adjust the Canucks lost Soucy and haven't re-adjusted since. what happens if they lose Hughes or Hronek

What about the Avs, getting shut out by the Pens and Sabres back to back, and also losing to the Yotes and Ducks?

 

Bruins have lost to the Ducks, Habs and Blue Jackets.  Good teams lose to bad ones all the time. Doesn't mean it's time to start firing people.

 

Shit happens. Even to teams better than us.  And when shit happens to middling teams, it looks even worse as the depth is not there to cover it up.

 

Canucks are missing Soucy and Suter, important pieces of defensive play. And they've gone 5-5 since losing them. You seem hell bent on blaming Tocchet.

 

Who knows, maybe you're even right to blame him. But NOBODY is gonna fire a coach when the team is 4th in the league standings.  Your constant ranting about RT, to that end, just makes you look foolish.

 

Couple that with the vastly improved PK since RT took over. Maybe the D system isn't as bad as you think. Maybe all it is is some injuries mixed with a busy schedule, the latter of the two making it tougher to implement significant changes on the D play. Hopefully finally having a long homestand will give them the opportunity to tighten things up.

[Barnstorm]

4 minutes ago, Johngould21 said:

My one and only complaint about last night's game, Miller should not have taken the faceoff on the third Flames goal. He was almost Ofer on the dot all night. Petey on the other hand was excellent. Oh and maybe one more. How in hell do the Canucks always get that play by play guy? 

Possibly SN saves money on travel and accommodations by using regional voices rather than flying Shorthouse in. For the most part, we only have to endure the Alberta homers when we’re in their barns. 
 

Having said that , I believe our home opener against Edmonton this year was called by Edmonton’s broadcasters too. 

 

The one bright spot is their broken spirits when we beat them down. 
 

[GasThomas]

I know we won, but Meyers was way too out of position in 2 of the 3 goals. It's gonna cost some point that kind of mistakes. And I didn't see any improvement. 

[Rekker]

9 minutes ago, Barnstorm said:

The season ebbs and flows,  a couple of injuries and a tougher schedule could hold them down below us. As it stands we are ahead. 

Of course. But if we play them in a seven game series, as of now. My cash is on LA for sure. 

[Barnstorm]

2 minutes ago, Rekker said:

Of course. But if we play them in a seven game series, as of now. My cash is on LA for sure. 

True that is.

[Johngould21]

6 minutes ago, Barnstorm said:

Possibly SN saves money on travel and accommodations by using regional voices rather than flying Shorthouse in. For the most part, we only have to endure the Alberta homers when we’re in their barns. 
 

Having said that , I believe our home opener against Edmonton this year was called by Edmonton’s broadcasters too. 

 

The one bright spot is their broken spirits when we beat them down. 
 

Debrusk I can handle, he's actually very good. Hrudy and Millen not so much.

[JayDangles]

28 minutes ago, Alflives said:

Tocchet said in his post game (more than one) he wants his guys to play more aggressively. Tocchet does not teach to be passive. 

I was talking specifically in the defensive end about systems. I'm sure he wants the team to play more agressivenin the neutral and offensive zone. Like they were when they were on that hot streak.

[6of1_halfdozenofother]

2 minutes ago, Johngould21 said:

Debrusk I can handle, he's actually very good. Hrudy and Millen not so much.

 

DeBrusk does have his Edmonton/Toronto moments, but he is better than Hrudey (who doesn't really hide his Alberta homerism) and Millen (who should've retired with Bob Cole).

[Gurn]

I think if Petey and Miller had scored shorthanded in the first period, the Flames would have checked out of the game.

Demko seems to be a bit banged up, looked really slow getting up a couple times-could be another flu sapping his energy.

Wonder how long it is going to take Petey to get healthy, if he has to keep playing?  With Suter out, they can't really chance having just Miller as a solid centerman, even for just a game or 2.

[-dlc-]

Quote

“We were joking,” Zadorov said after the morning skate on Saturday. “Me and Mysie were a D pair 11 years ago, 10 years ago, in Buffalo. We're running it back right now. He's a good player.”

The pairing had a solid, unspectacular game — and the Canucks would love another 57 of those. Zadorov and Myers logged 11:22 of five-on-five ice time together, controlling 61 per cent of shot-attempts and posting expected-goals of 79 per cent on the strength of a 7-1 advantage in scoring chances, according to naturalstattrick.com.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/canucks-takeaways-zadorov-eases-defensive-load-in-high-yield-road-win/

[-dlc-]

I'm not complaining, it's more curiosity. Why have some teams played 5-6 games less than others/us? I mean, there's an even number of teams in the league...not sure this should be the case.

 

We've had to grind it out from the start when players were coming off summer and a little rusty. Hadn't had a whole lot of practice time and familiarity. Fatigue factor and risk of injury maybe a bit more prevalent because players aren't as "game ready" as they are further on in the schedule. Not as conditioned to the gruelling pace straight out of the gate. Over time, it adds up and injuries start to factor in.

 

Luckily, we did have a great start and built up a bit of a buffer. Can ease off a bit (a dangerous mentality that I hope the team doesn't adopt) as the schedule gets less intense. But sometimes when you're in a groove it puts you off stride (not saying that's the case).

 

Other teams got to ease in but will now have to up their games. But they've built up to that and it's not just thrown into the deep end. Have more of an idea of what they're up against as the dust settles in the league and they've had a good look at other teams. 

 

We had "easy" games/wins according to some but I don't know that I agree. No one knew Edmonton was going to suck at the start...and they're certainly starting to turn things around and hit their stride. 

 

Just wonder why it is that the schedules vary so much. Teams with games in hand have a good idea of what they have to do and how much ground they need to make up. Not that it would likely change the perspective....win is the theme. But subconsciously they know they're fighting for spots and maybe this team was letting the foot off the gas a bit as others are fighting hard for every point. That's on a team for sure...can't get comfortable. But after having grinded it out so much, maybe a bit of an exhale is warranted and it's not that they don't care, it's just that they're depleted and a bit beat up. I think we saw some of that.

 

People are quick to assess this team as "this" or "that" but it all matters. Win games, even if they're not pretty. In the end, that's what matters. By the time playoffs hit, it's a fresh slate and survival of the fittest. People talk about this team not being able to contend in the playoffs but I don't buy that. You just need to find ways to win and they're learning that. 

 

 

 

 

[Crabcakes]

Petey is coming out of his funk.  And look, 6 points for his line.  Goals and assists for everybody.  

 

Also, the lack of defensive depth is showing in the standings but the addition of Zadorov is really going to help.  Next is finding somebody to help on the right side.  Juulsen at -5 is in the lead for the green jacket.  The only minus player on the d-corps on a +32 team is hard to do.  The only other minus player is Blueger at -1 but he has been playing too high in the line up because we are missing Suter.