[PGT] Canucks @ Oilers (i.e., the DeSmith apology thread)

[Devron]

Need a collage of all the posters that said the Oilers will win the division. Then after we win the first round of the playoffs a collage of all the posters that said first round exit 

[Westcoasting]

11 hours ago, Alflives said:

Trolls, where are you?

Ask Stawns he is the one driving the negativity bandwagon! Most will be jumping off and trying to get a seat on the playoff bandwagon before it’s full lol.

[Bob Long]

2 minutes ago, Devron said:

Need a collage of all the posters that said the Oilers will win the division. Then after we win the first round of the playoffs a collage of all the posters that said first round exit 

 

my favourite part is the canucks being a 107 point (and maybe more) team and we somehow got "lucky" the oilers didn't catch us yet. 

[Bure10Kuzmenko96]

HAHAHAHAHA

[Devron]

3 minutes ago, Bure10Kuzmenko96 said:

HAHAHAHAHA

[-dlc-]

21 minutes ago, Gurn said:

As back up goalies- yes. Until they get played like starters, and then they breakdown again.

 

Perhaps next year the team won't over play Demko, he doesn't get injured, and the back up goalies don't have to play too many games.

Thing is, Demko likes to play and is our #1 so there's a fine line between giving him the net and allowing him to rest. 

 

I don't know that we have a whole lot to b about in regard to goaltending and how that's handled.

[4petesake]

49 minutes ago, Chon derry said:

This was a 4 pt game for Edm. Sure downplay the significance.  

 

 

[Dr. Crossbar]

15 minutes ago, Devron said:

Need a collage of all the posters that said the Oilers will win the division. Then after we win the first round of the playoffs a collage of all the posters that said first round exit 

 

[Sonoman]

23 minutes ago, Bure10Kuzmenko96 said:

HAHAHAHAHA

Thank you Detroit.  Holy heck, I just noticed the date on that post

Edited April 14 by Sonoman
Additional

[Dr. Crossbar]

1 hour ago, Ghostsof1915 said:

So what's going to be the narrative of the wet blanket brigade?

- Petey is too expensive?

- Canucks will lose in 4 in the first round?

- The team will lose everyone as UFA's?

 

 

They're clinging white-knuckle style to the first found exit. 

[Bob Long]

29 minutes ago, Bure10Kuzmenko96 said:

HAHAHAHAHA

 

what stage of grief is this ?

 

[-dlc-]

1 minute ago, Bob Long said:

 

what stage of grief is this ?

 

What stage of denial is this? FTFY

[Jaimito]

 

Canucks Takeaways: After a return to form, division title all but locked up

 

Iain MacIntyre | @imacSportsnet

April 14, 2024, 2:42 AM

 

Playing the same opponent who launched their wonderful journey six months ago, the Vancouver Canucks beat the Edmonton Oilers again on Saturday.

 

But unlike Vancouver’s season-opening two-game sweep against the Oilers back in October, this victory wasn’t an upset or a statement game or part of a quaint, unexpected start for the long-struggling Canucks. It was for the Pacific Division title.

 

 

 

The Canucks looked Saturday like the formidable team they’ve become this season and beat the Oilers 3-1 to put a chokehold on what would be Vancouver’s first division title since 2013.

 

Seeing their lead on the Oilers shrink to three points from 12 in the last month, the Canucks’ win gave them a five-point cushion with two games remaining. 

 

 

Any point from those two games clinches the division title and home-ice advantage through the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs (should Vancouver advance). And even if the Canucks lose in regulation against the Calgary Flames, Tuesday at home, and Winnipeg Jets, Thursday on the road, the Oilers would still have to sweep their final three games over four nights in three cities to edge Vancouver by a point.

 

We hate the cliché, but there really aren’t any easy matchups when the playoffs open, and finishing first in the Pacific may earn a more difficult wild-card opponent than finishing second and getting a well-known division rival in the first round. 

 

So maybe winning the division doesn’t matter. But losing it certainly would have for the Canucks, especially since they have topped the Pacific for four months and worked so hard this season to rebrand the franchise that hasn’t played non-COVID playoff games since 2015.

 

Adding a division banner to Rogers Arena would be a massive achievement for a team that was widely picked before the season to be in the wild-card mosh pit but, already with 107 points, has built the third most successful regular season in franchise history.

 

 

After Canuck goalie Casey DeSmith kept the game scoreless with a handful of big saves early on, Sam Lafferty made it 1-0 for Vancouver at 19:44 of the first period when he beat Stuart Skinner on a three-on-two as Edmonton defenceman Darnell Nurse backed into his own goalie.

 

Pius Suter’s redirect of Tyler Myers’ shot-pass made it 2-0 at 11:00 of the second period. Evander Kane finally beat DeSmith with a deflection at 17:48 of the middle frame, but the Canucks surrendered only eight shots and two high-danger scoring chances in the final period and secured their 49th victory — and 43rd in regulation — when Dakota Joshua scored into an empty net with 1:47 remaining.

 

THE McDAVID FACTOR

 

We’re just putting this out there for discussion, but there’s a chance the Oilers missed the best player on Planet Earth as McDavid sat out his third straight game with an undisclosed injury. But that still left Edmonton with about 17 more players than they had performing at the start of the season when the Canucks beat the Oilers three times in four weeks by an aggregate score of 18-6. McDavid had three points in the three games. Canuck captain Quinn Hughes had eight.

 

The most impressive aspect of Saturday’s win is how comfortably and efficiently the Canucks defended their lead in the third period. The great silver lining of the team’s offensive struggles the last two months is that the Canucks had to refine their defensive game — not as a bonus, which is what it was in most of Vancouver’s first-half victories, but as essential. It is a good way to be in the playoffs, when there will be a lot of 2-1 games in the third period.

 

CASEY’S BIG AT-BAT

 

Appearing to finally buckle under the weight of filling in for injured starter Thatcher Demko, goalie Casey DeSmith allowed 12 goals in 59 shots in lopsided losses against playoff-bound teams his last two starts. He watched minor-league callup Arturs Silovs get a second consecutive start on Wednesday, when the Canucks lost 4-3 in overtime against the Utah Coyotes.

 

With Demko still not playing — he got extra work with goalie whisperer Ian Clark after the morning skate in Edmonton — it was a bold decision by the coaching staff to go back to DeSmith with the division title at stake on Saturday. But the veteran backup responded with one of his best and most meaningful games this season.

 

DeSmith stopped 32 of 33 shots, including four challenging ones on an Edmonton power play after J.T. Miller took a tripping penalty at 68 seconds. In the third, he stuffed Zach Hyman on a rebound after stopping Leon Draisaitl on a charge to the net.

 

This was a big game for the Canucks, but a giant one for DeSmith due to Demko’s lack of game preparation going into the playoffs.

 

DEPTH SCORING

 

Something else reminiscent of the Canucks’ early-season success: scoring from the bottom six. Lafferty’s goal, partway through a line change, was the fourth-liner’s first in eight games and second in 21 games. And Suter, promoted back to a line with Miller and Brock Boeser, scored for the first time in 13 games — and just four games after he was a healthy scratch.

 

In a season of surprises, the Canucks’ scoring depth and bottom-six play-driving in the first half of the season were among the biggest. Vancouver will need more of it to go anywhere in the post-season.

 

THE OTHER ELIAS

 

Anyone still wondering about coach Rick Tocchet’s deployment of Elias Lindholm as a third-line centre instead of as a helper for Elias Pettersson in the top six should remember Saturday’s game. Playing between wingers Joshua and Conor Garland, Lindholm spent the bulk of his five-on-five ice time going head-to-head against Draisaitl.

 

And although shots were 6-6 and the Lindholm line generated just 35 per cent of expected goals, the Canucks’ third line was strong over the final two periods and didn’t yield much to the Oilers’ best forwards. Lindholm went 11-9 on faceoffs, had six shifts in the final 10 minutes and finished with 17:54 of ice time to lead Vancouver forwards. Miller logged 17:36, and Pettersson 17:33.

 

QUOTEBOOK

 

Asked in Edmonton about winning the division, Canuck coach Rick Tocchet: “Well. . . it's not over yet, so I'm not going to answer that question. Listen, anytime you play late in the season meaningful games (it means) a lot. That's something this franchise wanted for a long time, and these are the games we need. We've got a big one on Tuesday.”

 

 

Edited April 14 by Jaimito

[canuck73_3]

11 hours ago, Elias Pettersson said:

To all the Lindholm haters:

 

 

@RU SERIOUS Let’s see Kuz--ko do this… lmao

[RU SERIOUS]

12 hours ago, Heretic said:

That was great. 

Enjoyed that a lot.

 

Cool to see so many Canucks fans in Edmonton.

...you mean Ex-Vancouverite Millenials who can't afford to live in Shangri-La anymore.    We miss 'em all!!!!

[RU SERIOUS]

21 minutes ago, canuck73_3 said:

@RU SERIOUS Let’s see Kuz--ko do this… lmao

RotoWire

@RotoWireNHL

Andrei Kuzmenko: Hat trick in Friday's win

 

 

rotowire.com

Andrei Kuzmenko: Hat trick in Friday's win

Kuzmenko scored three goals, including two on the power play, in Friday's 6-3 win over the Ducks.

11:38 PM · Apr 12, 2024·

492Views

 

Let's see Lind- do this!  LMAO       

 

 

Edited April 14 by RU SERIOUS

[Dr. Crossbar]

Still ... not concerned. 

[stawns]

6 minutes ago, Jaimito said:

 

Canucks Takeaways: After a return to form, division title all but locked up

 

Iain MacIntyre | @imacSportsnet

April 14, 2024, 2:42 AM

 

Playing the same opponent who launched their wonderful journey six months ago, the Vancouver Canucks beat the Edmonton Oilers again on Saturday.

 

But unlike Vancouver’s season-opening two-game sweep against the Oilers back in October, this victory wasn’t an upset or a statement game or part of a quaint, unexpected start for the long-struggling Canucks. It was for the Pacific Division title.

 

 

 

The Canucks looked Saturday like the formidable team they’ve become this season and beat the Oilers 3-1 to put a chokehold on what would be Vancouver’s first division title since 2013.

 

Seeing their lead on the Oilers shrink to three points from 12 in the last month, the Canucks’ win gave them a five-point cushion with two games remaining. 

 

 

Any point from those two games clinches the division title and home-ice advantage through the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs (should Vancouver advance). And even if the Canucks lose in regulation against the Calgary Flames, Tuesday at home, and Winnipeg Jets, Thursday on the road, the Oilers would still have to sweep their final three games over four nights in three cities to edge Vancouver by a point.

 

We hate the cliché, but there really aren’t any easy matchups when the playoffs open, and finishing first in the Pacific may earn a more difficult wild-card opponent than finishing second and getting a well-known division rival in the first round. 

 

So maybe winning the division doesn’t matter. But losing it certainly would have for the Canucks, especially since they have topped the Pacific for four months and worked so hard this season to rebrand the franchise that hasn’t played non-COVID playoff games since 2015.

 

Adding a division banner to Rogers Arena would be a massive achievement for a team that was widely picked before the season to be in the wild-card mosh pit but, already with 107 points, has built the third most successful regular season in franchise history.

 

 

After Canuck goalie Casey DeSmith kept the game scoreless with a handful of big saves early on, Sam Lafferty made it 1-0 for Vancouver at 19:44 of the first period when he beat Stuart Skinner on a three-on-two as Edmonton defenceman Darnell Nurse backed into his own goalie.

 

Pius Suter’s redirect of Tyler Myers’ shot-pass made it 2-0 at 11:00 of the second period. Evander Kane finally beat DeSmith with a deflection at 17:48 of the middle frame, but the Canucks surrendered only eight shots and two high-danger scoring chances in the final period and secured their 49th victory — and 43rd in regulation — when Dakota Joshua scored into an empty net with 1:47 remaining.

 

THE McDAVID FACTOR

 

We’re just putting this out there for discussion, but there’s a chance the Oilers missed the best player on Planet Earth as McDavid sat out his third straight game with an undisclosed injury. But that still left Edmonton with about 17 more players than they had performing at the start of the season when the Canucks beat the Oilers three times in four weeks by an aggregate score of 18-6. McDavid had three points in the three games. Canuck captain Quinn Hughes had eight.

 

The most impressive aspect of Saturday’s win is how comfortably and efficiently the Canucks defended their lead in the third period. The great silver lining of the team’s offensive struggles the last two months is that the Canucks had to refine their defensive game — not as a bonus, which is what it was in most of Vancouver’s first-half victories, but as essential. It is a good way to be in the playoffs, when there will be a lot of 2-1 games in the third period.

 

CASEY’S BIG AT-BAT

 

Appearing to finally buckle under the weight of filling in for injured starter Thatcher Demko, goalie Casey DeSmith allowed 12 goals in 59 shots in lopsided losses against playoff-bound teams his last two starts. He watched minor-league callup Arturs Silovs get a second consecutive start on Wednesday, when the Canucks lost 4-3 in overtime against the Utah Coyotes.

 

With Demko still not playing — he got extra work with goalie whisperer Ian Clark after the morning skate in Edmonton — it was a bold decision by the coaching staff to go back to DeSmith with the division title at stake on Saturday. But the veteran backup responded with one of his best and most meaningful games this season.

 

DeSmith stopped 32 of 33 shots, including four challenging ones on an Edmonton power play after J.T. Miller took a tripping penalty at 68 seconds. In the third, he stuffed Zach Hyman on a rebound after stopping Leon Draisaitl on a charge to the net.

 

This was a big game for the Canucks, but a giant one for DeSmith due to Demko’s lack of game preparation going into the playoffs.

 

DEPTH SCORING

 

Something else reminiscent of the Canucks’ early-season success: scoring from the bottom six. Lafferty’s goal, partway through a line change, was the fourth-liner’s first in eight games and second in 21 games. And Suter, promoted back to a line with Miller and Brock Boeser, scored for the first time in 13 games — and just four games after he was a healthy scratch.

 

In a season of surprises, the Canucks’ scoring depth and bottom-six play-driving in the first half of the season were among the biggest. Vancouver will need more of it to go anywhere in the post-season.

 

THE OTHER ELIAS

 

Anyone still wondering about coach Rick Tocchet’s deployment of Elias Lindholm as a third-line centre instead of as a helper for Elias Pettersson in the top six should remember Saturday’s game. Playing between wingers Joshua and Conor Garland, Lindholm spent the bulk of his five-on-five ice time going head-to-head against Draisaitl.

 

And although shots were 6-6 and the Lindholm line generated just 35 per cent of expected goals, the Canucks’ third line was strong over the final two periods and didn’t yield much to the Oilers’ best forwards. Lindholm went 11-9 on faceoffs, had six shifts in the final 10 minutes and finished with 17:54 of ice time to lead Vancouver forwards. Miller logged 17:36, and Pettersson 17:33.

 

QUOTEBOOK

 

Asked in Edmonton about winning the division, Canuck coach Rick Tocchet: “Well. . . it's not over yet, so I'm not going to answer that question. Listen, anytime you play late in the season meaningful games (it means) a lot. That's something this franchise wanted for a long time, and these are the games we need. We've got a big one on Tuesday.”

 

 

 

I think you can really credit CD with that one.  If he doesn't shut the door on that first oilers pp, it could really have gone south there.  You could see the team change after that first 7 minutes.  

[-dlc-]

Evander Kane is the name
And I played in the Oilers game
'Till Soucy's cavalry came
And tore up the ice again

In the winter of '23
We were hungry but they beat us all 3
April, and Richmond's cowbell
Was a sound I remembered, oh so well

 

The night they drove us out of town
The cowbells were ringing
The night they knocked Evander down
And all the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la

[RU SERIOUS]

12 hours ago, Cromeslab said:

Desmith was solid

Yes, he looked tuned it - especially in the first period when he was peppered non-stop.    He was ready right from the Puck Drop.    Great effort by him.

[Canuck Surfer]

LOL Edmonton;  

 

 

[Alflives]

1 minute ago, stawns said:

 

I think you can really credit CD with that one.  If he doesn't shut the door on that first oilers pp, it could really have gone south there.  You could see the team change after that first 7 minutes.  

Yup. Confidence in the goalie makes a huge impact on a club. Oilers will be in tough against LA. PLD will shutdown McWhiner Baby. Soilers give up way too many high danger chances as they cheat for offence. 

[-dlc-]

Those who refer to McDavid's absence.....will have a point but it also points to the fact that they're very much reliant on him and individuals don't win games, teams do. Draisaitl was a non factor without his ride or die. 

 

We're "missing" Petey from the scoresheet and our #1 goaltender. But the team is stepping up and different people are contributing. Matters.

 

Oilers have 2 losses in a row....4 of 7 in April. They're a McDavid away from being quite average at best.

[Hairy Kneel]

12 hours ago, Darius said:

For those still lamenting about Kuzmenko : would he have even seen the ice in the last 10 minutes.  Guess who was out there closing out the game down the stretch

 

 

Kuz has 13 goals since the trade, Mik has done jack shit scoring wise.

[Gawdzukes]

52 minutes ago, Smashian Kassian said:

 

Hronek is going to be the interesting one. With Hanifin coming in at 7.35 x 8 I don't think the Canucks will go higher than that.

 

Ideally they keep;

Hronek

Joshua

Lindholm

Zadorov

 

Then see if we have enough to make Tanev work, or else Myers, but it'll be tight for sure.

 

I don't think we can afford those last two guys without moving Mik, Garland, or Boeser. I can't imagine a scenario where they sign Lindholm. A 6.5 or 7.5 million dollar 3rd line center is crazy. We'll be hard pressed to sign a 2RD, a top 6 winger, and a 3LD, plus Joshua and Hronek.