vcBrett

WOW. When they scored with like two and a half minutes left, I was sitting there thinking "We atually have a chance.". That might be the most exciting comeback I have seen as a canuck fan. Miller with 3 assists tonight, he was a beast and played a hard game. Boeser with the goal scoring barrage tonight, just the right amount of patience on that 2nd goal and great effort on the game tying goal. Garland was good again, somehow he is still finding a way to make things happen. Lindholm played solid, good faceoffs and reliable play when we needed it. Finally Silovs. He stole this game. There were moments were Nashville couldve ran away with this, but SIlovs said NO and kept this game within reach. Three different starters so far and each of them has a win. Now that is what you call "overcoming adversity". I dont expect Nashville's spirits to break and they will be fighting tooth and nail in game 5. Keep battling and dont stop believing. Lets see it happen! Canucks in 5!! Go Canucks Go!!

We will win this series. Nashville is not playing sustainable hockey. All those blocks are going to add up. You may win a game or two when being heavily outmatched in shot attempts, but that doesnt work for very long. Nashville gets a lucky tip early to take the lead and Saros made some great saves where if we get the puck up just a little higher then its in. Petey missing a wide open net, Joshua directs a puck off the post, and so many good tips just not connecting right. We outplayed Nashville, no arguing that. But sometimes you dont get the result you deserve, but more often than not you will. We just need to make sure we dont get depressed or start questioning our game and losing confidence. A lot of Nashville players were limping at times and slow to get up. There are cracks in that wall and we CAN break through. SO far through two games, its obvious that Nashville is the team taking more bumps, taking more bruises and getting beat up. That all said, the PP NEEDS to play better, and that starts by being more unpredictable. It doesnt take a hockey genius to draw up a game plan to defend against our PP. We always go to the obvious places and make the passes everyone can tell were trying to set up. We might as well be calling out every pass we make because its that obvious anyway. It hardly feels like we are taking advantage of having one more guy than the defenders, get it to the net and use your numerical advantage to win those scrums in front, force the forwards to join the scrum in front to create space up high so our point men can get into scoring positions. You also generate less shorthanded opportunities since most shorthanded goals start with a turnover near the blueline. This was a frustrating game to watch tho I cant help but feel that if Nashville didnt score on that fist shot attempt we couldve taken this game. Nashville is making it difficult to play from behind. All we need to do is win game 3. and were back in control, and we have also been one of the best road teams all year. The preds better have a lot of ice packs for those shot blocks, because we will be coming hard in game 3. I think we all knew this would be difficult, and I was b*tchin and moaning all game like most of us I assume. Tho I still believe this will be our series. Go Canucks Go! Lets steal both games in Nashville!

Im not concerned with winning the division, tho I admit getting passed by Edmonton would be annoying. The McDavid fanboys on national media would be gloating so hard. Still, what happens, happens. We are in the playoffs and regardless of where you finish in the standings, there will be good teams in your way, that you will have to beat in order to go all the way. It would be nice to finish the season on the a strong note, and beating the flames and hopefully the Jets too is always fun. I predict a 3-2 Vancouver win, goals from Boeser, Mikhyev, and Garland staying hot and scoring the game winner. Also, not too concerned about who we play in the first round. There are pros and cons to playing certain opponents early vs later. The later you play against the best teams, the more beat up they are, yet the same goes for you. You also run the risk of injuries and players playing hurt the longer the playoffs go on and this could backfire as you might be the one suffering the most in that regard. There is an argument to be made for playing a top team early in the playoffs while you are healthy and able to give 100%. Reminds of the 2011 run, we got past the blackhawks early while healthy, then the Preds and Sharks didnt seem as intimidating by comparison. I have always been one to prefer getting the hardest challenges and obstacles out of the way first, tackling the most difficult task while at peak performance seems like the best idea. Though I can understand a different point of view. Still, at the end of the day, the road to the cup is never easy. All the more reason to build momentum and positive vibes. Regardless of positioning, playing well and feeling confident is key heading into any post season. Lets get it done tonight boys! Go Canucks Go!

Every cup winning team needs a Juulsen. That guy who is always working hard and practicing his game. Seeing somebody like Juulsen working his a** off inspires other players, you feel guilty when you see him giving 110% and you know that you have more to give. Even if you arent slacking off yourself, you see Juulsen going so hard it makes you wanna step up and help him out. An inspiring story to get back into the NHL as a starting roster player. Heres hoping that Juulsen can finally look forward to a long NHL career... Hopefully with Vancouver.

Man, im feeling it tonight. Everything has been going well for me lately, all I need is a big performance from the Canucks and I can call it a perfect day! Im optimistic right now. Canucks win 5 - 2, JT with four points (lets say 1g, 3a). I also am feeling a big night for Brock with 2 goals. Lets see it happen boys! Also saw Joshua was back at practice in a non-contact jersey. Nice to see him getting ready for the playoffs. At least with a hand injury you can still work conditioning. Lets hope hes ready and fresh to rock the competition come playoff time. Go Canucks Go!!!

This is a perfect game to generate some momentum for this homestand. Thought Washington was that game, lucky we have another less then stellar team tonight to rectify that. Need the top guys to step up. Miller has a long leash, he has earned a few games of leniency. Petey, however, needs to have a big game. He has been too quiet lately and needs to play like he is the highest paid player on the team. Lindy needs a goal or a couple points tonight, like his d game, but we didnt trade for him to put up 7 points in I think 19 games so far. Though to be fair, its not like anyone not named Miller, Boeser and Hughes have been generating many points. Joshua being hurt sucks, but losing a third line winger is no excuse for everybody else going cold offensively. Hopefully, we have a good team game, I expect lulls and times where Buffalo will be pouring it on, but if we can get pressure from each of our lines and not solely rely on the Miller line, then I think we take this 5-3. Buffalo makes it 4 -3 late in the third before we get an empty netter to put it away. Lets go Canucks!!!

Day off on his birthday, nice. Happy bday Miller.

That was rough. I thought the first was fine, but man what a poor response in the 2nd. I cant say any individual player is doing too bad, but they just look lost out there. Bad passes, fumbling pucks, not picking up their guy. The Canucks arent done yet, but its looking pretty bad. I think teams have figured us out on the PP. Its always just the same three guys up high passing around the puck. The guy in front and the guy in the slot might as well not even be on the ice. Also, Whenver we throw it back to the point the defenders get aggressive and bring guys up looking for a turnover and an oddman rush. We need to get the puck behind the net more on the PP. Stop relying on the point for all our offense. Pull defenders down low, create more space for the pointmen. The powerplay is stale and old, stop relying on the same old tricks. Its good to have a go to and reliable system, but you need to keep defenders guessing as well.

Honestly im fine with the way the team played. A bad turnover by Hronek led to a long shift in our own end. Thats just on Hronek for that goof. 5v5 we have looked pretty good, we just need to clean up these penalties. Bad one by Hogy at the end, and a bad one by Lindholm too, you gotta control your stick better than that. We arent playing like garbage, the feet are moving, were playing physical. Jsut need to clean things up a bit. I have like Bains with Miller and Boeser, he seems to read the offensive play well. Im feeling he gets his first point if not his first goal if he keeps it up. Demko looking real good. Hopefully we adjust and make things a little easier for him. Still, we just gotta kill this penalty at the start of the second and its back on. 1-1 is nothing to get worried over. we just need to make sure we get the next one.

Good game, beating the team youre supposed to beat and doing it convincing fashion. Like the effort from everybody tonight, you could tell they realy wanted to cap this road trip off with a strong finish. That 3rd line is gold, I wouldnt say theyre perfect, but thats the kind of depth you want in the playoffs. Miller and Boeser with Suter were decent tonight, looked like they were a little out of sync offensively. Petey was quite, so was Lindholm. That line wasnt bad but Hogy was the most noticeable for sure. The 4th line was decent too, they did their jobs. The whole defense was good, made Chicago work for what little they got. Solid game for Demko as well. Didnt need to be great tonight. The powerplay is a little concernig tho. Come playoff time you cant be pulling dry spells like this. They need to shake it up a little, I think they need to get the puck behind the net more and try to create more offense down low. Teams are taking away our blueline option that we like so much. Gotta force defenders to back off a little more and give the point men more time and space. Still, winning is key no matter how you do it. A pretty good road trip with some lows but mostly highs. Lets light it up at home now! Go Canucks Go!!!

This game is making me angry. The canucks look like amateurs out there. If the team is playing slow, i can understand and the solution is simple, play harder. But right now its not a matter of playing harder, but smarter. The Canucks are playing into Bostons hands. Bostons lacks the skill we have so they are trying to turn this into a physical game and we are falling for it. The teams that usually win are the teams that dictate the pace and style of the game. This starts by getting more shots, especially on the PP. If guys block em, who cares, those bumps and bruises take their toll as the game wears on. We are passing too much and giving the Bruins too many opportunities to get takeaways. More shots will force the Bruins out of their defensive positions and force them to scramble for loose pucks creating space for scoring chances if you can win those loose puck battles. We also need to go behind the net more on the PP, Boston is bringing pressure on the blue line forcing bad passes. Yet on that last goal Boston only had one guy downlow, play behind the net and force Boston to bring defenders down from the point to open up more space for our blueliners. We are perimeter passing around the blueline on the PP giving Boston opportunities to create shorthanded chances. I think this a sign that Boston did their homework and studied our game and PP and are deploying a solid counter. Coaching adjustments will be key in this intermission. Tocc needs to get thru to the boys and alter the game plan, Boston obviously knows what were trying to do so we need to shake it up.

I like Zad too, brings some more physical play. I also think its been good for Meyers, when youre the only big guy on defense you get a lot of attention and expectation, having Zadorov helps keep Meyers from being overused. I think Zad has been on the 3rd line because thats how deep our defense is this year. Hughes, Hronek, Soucy, Cole, Meyers, Zadorov. I dont think Zad gets minutes over Soucy, he might be better than Cole, but Cole has earned Toccs trust so it will be tough for Zad to come in and take minutes from Cole. Meyers has also been having a strong season for himself. Hughes and Hronek should be obvious. With that considered its no wonder Zad is on the 3rd line, and thats great. A lot of teams would love to have enough depth on defense where a guy like Zad is on the 3rd pair.

I have been hearing some interesting chatter about the possibility that the Canucks dont resign Petey and make a similar move Calgary did with Tkachuck. Trade his rights to a team that will pay the man and bring in some skilled players in return. Ultimately, Petey's performance, his asking price and the teams end results will determine the best course of action. Tho, I am on the side that we should resign him. It does provide something interesting to ponder and what a Canucks team next year could like if you traded Petey's rights in the offseason. From all I have seen and heard, I dont get a good feeling that Petey will be taking a significant enough discount to help resign a lot of these UFA's. Would you rather have say Boeser and Lindholm here the next 4-6 years or Petey. That is a tough one that would take some serious thought on my part to answer. I think it was Macintyre who was talking about the Canucks potentially bringing in Lindholm can also act as a security blanket should Petey's asking price remain too high for this team. If Petey wont take a discount, you can let him go and resign Lindholm, giving you a legit #2 center to play behind Miller and save some dollars to spend elsewhere. I think, however, that this would be the last resort for management. But the point still stands, the Canucks have a legit #2 center (who put up 1st line #'s while between two elite wingers) that they can resign without having to dip into the free agency and potentially over pay to get a guy. You would save money to keep around a lot of guys and potentially bring in some extra talent as well. Next years top six could be: LW (accquired in Petey trade) - Miller - Boeser Mik - Lindholm - Podkolzin? Free agent? (I havent giving this too much thought) Depending on what you could get back for Petey or even accquire in free agency if you save some dollars, this team could still be competitive without Petey. Although this is all conjecture, I think its interesting to think about. There is also no doubt management has had serious talks about this possibility. Not only have the Canucks had a crazy season so far, but they appear primed for a wild off-season as well. Lets trust Allvin and JR to make the right choices, they havent given me a reason to doubt that they will make the best decision available to them.

Hughes v Makar is understandable, two young studs with killer ozone play and respectable dzone play. I think Makar had the quicker start, but thats more due to the team situation each player had. WIth an equally good team in front of him, Hughes has been closing the gap. Give it a few years, if The Canucks can remain competitive beyond this year then I believe we may start hearing Hughes' name a little more often than Makar. A Norris trophy would also help, so lets keep our fingers crossed Hughes stays dominant this year. When it comes to Miller, I really do think the guy is still underrated. I remember reading at the start of the season that apparently Miller is the 10th leading scorer among active players since joining the Canucks and this will be his first All Star appearance. Think about that, before this years ASG, the leagues 10th highest scorer over the past 4 seasons or so hadnt appeared in a single ASG. That should be the definition of underrated. Tho, I think Millers attitude issues at times may factor into the media not talking about him. Its a poor selling point for the game when you watch a guy banging his stick on the net and yelling at his goalie. Also, there is the fact that Miller himself has stated he is not that interested in doing commercials or being big in the media. All that said, anyone who knows anything about hockey should know JT doesnt get the credit he deserves. As of right now, if you had to choose between losing MIller or Petey for the playoffs, who would you choose? I think its obvious that Miller gives us a better chance than Petey does right now. In a couple years we will have to see, I wont crystal ball this and say Miller cant play good hockey into his late 30's. Who knows what it will be like a few years from now. The ASG will be a good chance to showcase to mainstream sports media and east coast hockey fans just how good our players are. In Millers case, he doesnt have any elite skill, he is a sum of his parts player, so the skills competition probably wont be Millers cup of tea. Hopefully he has a big ASG. Still, Im excited for all the Canuck talent being showcased. GO Canucks Go!!!

The Canucks are leading the league and just got a lot tougher to play against. Even if the Canucks cant resign Lindholm, I still dont hate this trade. Its a risk, but its a risk worth taking. Hopefully we can work out a deal to keep him here for at least a couple seasons. As for what we gave up, Jurmo and the conditional pick are nothing. Not to knock Jurmo, but he isnt an irreplaceable piece. What will likely be a late 1st isnt too bad either, this is the right time to trade a 1st, every contender does this. I guess its just been a while since the Canucks were contenders, everyone has probably forgotten what its like. Brust is the tough pill to swallow, loved the kids game this year. However, we already have a small offensively minded dman tearing up the league. Rathbone struggled to get meaningful pp time over Hughes and now add in Hronek. It would be tough to utilize Brust's skillset with such competition for minutes. Two way and defensive minded dmen will be the guys best suited to complement Hughes and Hronek. Tho, I still think if you were to trade Brust that you would do so in a trade that brought in someone you are certain will be here a while. We will have to see if Lindy will stay beyond this year. I suppose one thing we as fans wont know is what other teams were offering. Brust may have been the only prospect deemed tradeable that could convince Clagary to trade Lindy to us rather than the competition. As for what we got. I really like Lindholm, and I have always liked what I have seen when we played Calgary. Seems a dependable guy that can be utilized in all situations, exactly what Tocc wants in a player. I really think the system here will suit Lindholms game, and assuming he will likely have Petey and Mik on his wings, theres also a good chance his offensive might improve. It is safe to say that Kuzy at his best and Lindholm and his best both provide similar offensive production but Lindholm provides much better dzone play. This trade means the Canucks have improved one of their biggest weaknesses' (defensive play) and have done so without sacrificing offense. The big question is if he resigns and how much he would want. Like I said, I dont hate this trade if he doesnt resign. Heck, if the Canucks actually won the cup I wouldnt care who does or doesnt resign. If we dont, however, we will certainly be the losers of this trade if Lindy doesnt resign. I believe in calculated risks, and Allvin has made some good ones. He deserves an opportunity to show us what he can make of this team. Im pumped for the first game back after the ASG, but honestly a little nervous too. Expectations were already getting high, and now after a pricey trade to land a pivotal piece like Lindholm, expectations will be sky high, but Im all here for that. Go Canucks Go!!!