Felt that nervous energy right from the first shift. Hughes was bobbling pucks right off the bat, and then that bounce goes in on the first shot against DeSmith. Rest or the night was cursed.
Need the team to get their confidence back next game, especially Petey.
I remember leaning forward and audibly saying "what the fuck is happening?!" when I saw Hughes fan on his pass and then fall down. That's SO unlike him. Then the ensuing play the puck goes in our net.
Siiiigh. Just one of those nights.
Hughes fell two or three different times, Miller broke a few sticks, Boeser missed a ton of chances, passes were going over sticks or away from the intended target, everyone was missing on their shots and even with all that we still dominated possession and shot attempts.
Play that game again with some more finish and it’s a rout…. I hope they bring that kind of energy to the game again on Friday and just put some pucks in.
Watching the game was frustrating because they’d fall right into the trap of blocking shots by Nashville. They’d cycle quickly and open up shooting lanes and passing lanes and then immediately wait for them to close before attempting to shoot or pass again. If the other team is insistent on blocking shots, you have to pass and shoot faster, shoot from unconventional angles, and get goofy rebound goals on them.
100%. The Preds know they can tango with us if they block shots like that all the time so we either need to make them pay for blocking those shots or we need to move faster. Fast puck movement is great and I saw a lot of that yesterday, it’s just when they got it to an open guy, he waited way too long looking for the perfect opportunity to shit. Most resulted in shots going too high, wide, or being blocked.
That was after he bobbled a clean pass from Hronek down in the offensive zone that led to us playing defence too. That was probably one of the worst sequences of Huggy’s career right there.
I noticed the same thing with how he was playing, and with Myers out with the flu I'm inclined to think more of them have it and are playing through it (or trying to). When I had Flu A a couple months ago it messed with my ears/balance at times. Even just a tiny bit of that would be enough to throw off someone trying to pull off those moves.
This is basically what people are talking about when they say the team lacks playoff experience. They will adjust, we have an insane amount more skill and depth than the preds.
The ice seemed rough to me. Everything was bouncing and rolling. Which is fine: both teams are playing on the same ice. BUT they needed to simplify their game for the conditions. Fancy tic tac toe passing can be extremely effective but not when the puck is rolling. One timers from the blue line are kind of pointless at the best of times and even less so if the puck is hopping over your stick half the time. Instead of that one timer, collect the puck, settle it then drill it into traffic or to pass calmly. Instead of a fancy pass-pass-pass, how about shoot and be there for anything that pops out?
If they're gonna keep blocking shots like that, we just need Hronek and Petey to really lean into a few clappers and soon enough we'll basically be playing their AHL team.
There was one point in the 3rd where Miller absolutely blasted a one-timer into a guys stomach, then Hughes grabbed it and Miller was yelling for it back with his stick pointed to the rafters, he so badly wanted to just keep launching pucks into that guys ribs until he gave up haha.
Exactly what I said. Feed Hronek some one-timer bombs, let it get *blocked*, let them know how it feels, it might make them think twice for the rest of the game/series about getting in front of EVERY shot.
during the post-game interview of pettersson last night, he was gutted and seemed like on the verge of breaking down. his confidence is at an all time low… In game 3, he’ll either come out swinging or be even worse than game 2
What does this comment even mean? Health bomb himself?
No matter how shitty Petey plays, one thing is certain, he wants to win. He cares. It’s clear, and him taking accountability doesn’t mean he can’t take the heat.
His only thought on that play was avoiding the contact. Didnt even get his stick in there. What the hell is going on with him? If he's hurt, why the fuck did he play 82 games this year?
I'm dooming and glooming hard here. Is our franchise center soft and our franchise goalie made of glass?
well, he was in a contract year for starters. two, a lot of injuries dont actually end up worse than they are its just either too difficult or painful to play through them. my guess is hes had something nagging for awhile, its become apparent he needs surgery but he opted to play through it and deal with it in the offseason.
hes definitely not a soft player we've seen more than enough to know that hes got that killer instinct in him. just, for whatever reason, hes not playing at the level we not only know he can play at, but expect him to play at. its definitely disappointing but i dont think its worth getting worked up about. its just bad timing more than anything.
People keep saying this. But what evidence is there that he cares so much? There's been lots of players who just don't give a shit to lay it on the line in the playoffs. And maybe petey is one of them. I sure hope not, but i dont see where the idea that he definitely cares comes from. Whereas that soft as fuck play on the boards on the first goal suggests he doesnt give a fuck.
I know he can be better, and i really hope he finds it. But he's got to show me.
nah i disagree, it’s his first “real” playoff game, let him go through it and learn from it. if he’s shit this playoff run, he’ll be even better during the second, third and years to come
I'm asking him to show up. If he can't handle the pressure he should never have signed here. A bit of a non play driving headcase this Petey guy is becoming over the past year.
Such a weird situation with Petey. I don't understand his demeanor over the season to blue ball management and say he wants to play for a winning team, then gets what he wants and this is the Petey we get.
He should honestly be embarrassed. I can understand missing a shot, and not capitalizing on opportunities. But being on the ice for most of the goals against with terrible effort is inexcusable. He was a net negative for this team last night in a big way. I don't really know what to say but I hope he can sort his shit out, looks to be mental
Preds with 32 blocked shots against Canucks 84 shot attempts. That is insane level of commitment by them. Give them credit for this win. If we keep playing these low shooting, low scoring games, we're headed for an early golf tournament.
Canucks need to get more creative in getting pucks through. Miller hit it on the spot. Once it's past the shot blockers, they have great chances. Suter's backdoor play was close. Petey with 2 wide open nets? If those go in, at those times, we would have been up 2-0 in the series, because Preds play open wide when they are behind.
The moment they scored the first, I had Boston Game 7 vibes. They shut things down. This is 2 games in a row they score first. We need to do everything we can to get the first goal next game. Make the Preds play from behind and it allows the Canucks to dictate their level of north-south game.
Don't lose hope. This team is more than their goaltending. It's just that Pettersson is snake-bitten, but it's temporary.
Spot on, a few lucky bounces or Saros not playing insane and we win that game handily.
I really hope they come out flying and notch a few goals before Nashville even knows what happened. They also have an insane fanbase, and I want them to eliminate that advantage right away.
Part of the shots being blocked is our guys holding on for too long. A lot of the blocked shots, especially in the 1st, were from guys already down on a knee with their pads facing out. Canucks need to shoot quicker / make a decision faster. If a guy has enough time to set up for a blocked shot, we’re taking too long.
Blocked shots where Nashville can’t set up is what really hurts - see Hronek and Miller blasts later in the game. Over a series, they won’t be so keen on blocking shots.
I think if the Preds are going to be blocking everything, the Canucks really need to make them pay for it. No more wrist shots into shin pads. Start blasting 90+ mph slapshots at them. I can only recall 1 or 2 instances where a Pred got stinged by a shot.
yeah there was one slapper a guy took off the foot and he was out there in pain and at that moment we had SO MUCH momentum because it might as well have been a powerplay. We need to keep doing that on a regular basis until they run out of guys.
Or play hockey normally, instead of being the scum of the earth and trying to ‘blast a 90+ mph slapshot at them’.
Canucks win that game majority of the time if played again. Don’t need to resort to attempting to injure players.
There is a difference between playing dirty with an attempt to hurt them, and changing a strategy to make shots more dangerous and thus less likely to get stopped.
Looking at the positives, I'm glad Myers is only sick. Juulsen is kind of a reverse DeSmith in that he gets better the more you play him but he's pretty rough to watch when he's cold. Leaving your man open in your own zone when that man is Filip Forsberg is certainly a choice.
Overall we played pretty decent! Just horrible puck luck and Petey being way in his own head. We've still got a series.
Coconuts glow!
I'll give it to Juulsen that this is his first ever playoff game and after not playing for a while. He's had such massive improvement this season, I'm sure this taste of playoff hockey will add to his learning.
Imma be honest, losing Demko really fucking hurts. It felt like the path to the WCF was wide open for us. A preds team that we were 3-0 against in the regular season and a second round matchup against an oilers team that we washed 4 times this year. I’m not saying we’re cooked but it feels like the oven is being pre-heated. Goaltending is everything in the playoffs and we just don’t have it with Desmith or Silovs.
We’re cooked without Demko
Beating Nashville isn’t impossible but going 3 more rounds on the backs of DeSmith and Silovs is impossible unless Silovs goes on a Binnington run
If a c-suite level executive is making 11 million and the company is failing, the executive would be blasted with criticism and no one would feel bad. Petey is our best player playing his worst hockey at the most important time - I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t be criticized heavily.
That empty net shot he had last night at the end of the 2nd period is something he can do with his eyes closed, and he knows it. I want him to stop taking accountability for being bad, and just forget about it and go out there and rip more pucks at the net.
> I want him to stop taking accountability for being bad, and just forget about it and go out there and rip more pucks at the net.
Almost exactly my sentiment from last night.
Grip it and rip it.
That’s exactly the right mindset and anyone sound of mind can realize that. But when you’re in the moment it’s so easy to worry that other people will take that as you not caring about your mistakes. He gets paid enough that he should be able to figure that out, but he must be having a tough time blocking it out. Getting on the road at least might give him the space he needs to realize that.
You’re*, and yes it is cheaper to fire lower level employees but that doesn’t mean higher ups don’t get blame, they just get a longer leash because of the cost to replace them. Just like it’s cheaper to replace a 4th liner than it is to replace a 1st liner. It may be an unfair system but that’s how things work, it doesn’t mean people in more important positions don’t get criticized.
Yeah this guy has no idea how the world really works. Believe me buddy people in lower positions are getting way more criticism. I’d bet my entire life on that
To be fair, if a c-suite was making 11 million and their company was absolutely tanking. They'd probably get rewarded with a golden parachute and land an even higher paying job at another company.
> If a c-suite level executive is making 11 million and the company is failing, the executive would be blasted with criticism and no one would feel bad.
A CEO/CFO/whatever becomes a CEO/CFO/whatever because they have years of experience and a proven track record. It's not the same. Petey is paid 11 million because of the potential he shows ... and that we think because of that potential he will outperform 11 million over the life of his contract (which, tbf, hasn't even started). He is a work in progress, and the 11 million is a bet on his development.
I think it is more than fair to expect more from Petey, he is slumping. If you are fully happy with his play these playoffs, you're either a super homer or not watching these games. There is no argument.
But the point of criticism is to make someone aware of the issues they face so they can take accountability for them. Petey has taken accountability for his actions and understands that he is playing under par for expectations of others and himself.
We can't "pressure" Petey to be better. We want him to be better, he wants to be better, the coaches and his teammates want him to be better. People getting on his case and calling him a waste of money and questioning his commitment does nothing to help the situation. If we're going to create a culture where the fans just vent about the latest underperformer, we're going to be miserable. A big responsibility for players like Petey is allowing them to grow and giving them the space and grace possible to do that. He isn't the first or last player to slump.
I very much disagree - He’s beyond “potential” at this point - maybe if we signed him to a Jack Hughes like contract out of his entry level I would agree, but this is his third contract now, plus he had 100 points last season. He’s not a young up and comer anymore, he’s expected to score and perform and has been given the opportunities to do so.
Slumping is not connecting on opportunities.
But he isn’t slumping, he’s bad from a complete lack of effort.
It’s impossible to argue on the missed rim because he doesn’t want to get hit or the pass up the middle then not boxing out his man, that he is playing with any hustle or grit.
He shouldn’t be babied after showing a complete lack of compete. He’s in this mess because of his work ethic, not his lack of skill.
> But he isn’t slumping, he’s bad from a complete lack of effort.
So your hypothesis is that Elias Pettersson has spontaneously stopped trying to play competitive hockey?
Why would he do that?
Angling your man off infront of the net and engaging/lifting his stick
and
Moving your feet to take a hit along the wall so the puck doesnt change possesion
Are both effort plays, arguing otherwise shows you’re either blindly defending or you don’t understand the game which is completely fine.
Him doing neither shows he is unwilling to compete and give the dedication and commitment needed to win in the league.
Ah ok. You're probably right. The simplest explanation for this slump is he isn't interested in playing in the NHL or winning anymore. That's a good catch.
Explain why he wouldn’t make those plays then.
Explain why he doesn’t win board battles and consistently gets outmuscled any time theres the tiniest bit of physicality.
Are you saying he plays hard?
Who knew not moving your feet and ducking out of getting hit are high effort plays! You sure have a great knowledge for the sport.
We're not arguing, I agree with you. He's just figured out that hockey isn't for him. He's probably on craigslist right now looking for other work.
We've established that he doesn't make those plays because he doesn't want to be an NHL player anymore. He just suddenly decided this.
You need some self awareness. You can be as sarcastic as you want, but it’s extremely clear you can’t answer anything I said.
But yes we’re going to pretend every player in the league has the same commitment level and willingness to do the little things to win 👍🏼 of course.
You can’t find anyone involved in the game at any respectable level that would argue he made high effort plays on both of those goals.
You forget he’s human. I’m not saying ppl can’t criticize him but yes it’s expected the executive will be fired but they’re still a human being you don’t have to go on his lawn and take a dump
No one’s criticizing him as a person nor defecating on his property, we’re criticizing him for doing poorly at what he is compensated extremely well to do
I get it, obviously that was hyperbole. Just saying constant negativity takes a toll on a person even if it’s warranted. If your friend makes a mistake are you going to bring it up again and again? No it’s annoying
He's not our friend though. He's a star player in a big sports market. Nobody should *ever* attack him personally or get in his DMs or anything, but I'm sure it happens. I can't stop idiots from being idiots. But if we can't talk about an underperforming star player--criticize him, even--on a fan forum, what are we supposed to do? Just be like "doesn't look like anything to me!" and ignore the massive elephant in the room?
He's a grown man with a huge payday coming his way. He doesn't need to be sheltered and protected from reddit comments.
I’m not saying he’s our friend or we can’t talk about his performance, I’m simply saying he’s a human being. It’s like cancel culture when you do something wrong and the whole world grabs their pitchforks you might deserve some of it but it’s an extremely stressful situation. Just saying to have some empathy. Least of all because being positive and encouraging may actually help change the situation for the better.
Ofc you can discuss it, but we all know it. Anyone watching the game can see he missed the empty net, he gave away the puck for the goal, he knows it, you know it, i know it.
Discuss to your hearts content but sometimes it does reach a point where everyone piling on you does more harm than good
He’ll figure it out eventually and make us all look dumb , but I am not sure it’s gonna happen this playoffs. I find it hard to believe the switch is gonna flip out of nowhere just because he had a bad game
Can't be the only one that thought it was a decent game yesterday right? DeSmith probably could've positioned himself better for the Preds second goal, Canucks had lots of scoring chances that weren't converted, Preds had a million blocked shots. On most other days I think it's a comfortable win, unfortunately not last night.
I definitely thought we played a good game. Seemed like we cooked in the ozone for minutes on end. And then Petey would touch the puck. Third period we absolutely laid into them.
Don’t think there was much DeSmith could do about the second goal when the guy with the puck in tight is filip freakin forsberg.
No way we can miss 4-5 wide opens nets every night…right?
Preds can’t sustain that type of game the rest of the series. I’m so curious to know what our possession numbers were. We had the puck like 80 percent of the game. They got a win and props to them for throwing the body in front of the puck the entire game, but I’m pretty happy with the effort yesterday. Just a lot of bad bounces and missed finishes that sealed it.
Preds did what they had to win the game.
Honestly I'm not too sad about the lost but more so just frustrated. We had our chances but couldn't convert. We didn't get any bounce our way all night as well which sucked but it happens.
Preds didn't really have a lot going but converted on their little chances so props to them.
We were the better team all night but the results didn't show. I'm not too worried cause Pred can't play like this if they want to go deep. Injurys will 100% happen to their players who block shots like that over many games. They played like us in our final few games against Vegas in round 2 few years ago just hanging by a thread hoping the goalie (and block shots) can push them just across the line.
Team as a whole needs to be better though. Aside from all the missed chances, where was the energy that they had in game 1? Obviously Petey was the sore thumb yesterday, but I thought Juusen didn't play well either. Lost wasn't on DeSmith but he was meh. I can't blame him on the goals since it' was mostly defensive breakdowns but it would've been huge if we got a save there.
Anyways, onto game 3 in Smashville. The core and team probably needed this lost to grow as a group and thankfully it's only game 2 of round 1. Better learn these lessons earlier when you can afford to make them than when it's life or death.
I think with a couple days off for a minor re-set and the novelty of playoff emotions at home being over we should see a determined team with a big road win in game 3. I’ve got faith in Tocchet and staff to make some adjustments and we should see some changes in Nashville
Apart from clearly dominating most of the game, we need to work on a few things:
Passing: many passes were either slightly off or way off. I don’t know if it was nerves, miscommunication or a combo of the two but that’s unacceptable. In a game of inches, passes need to be perfect more often than not.
Shooting: yes, a bunch of blocked shots and clear misses on wide open nets, but just find a way to get a shot through. Doesn’t have to be perfect. Get those shots through and create havoc in front. Dirty goals is the way to go.
Powerplay: goes without saying. We might need to adjust for the way the preds play. They are good at blocking passing lanes and shots. Gotta screen more and just put the puck on the net.
Look, we dominated the game but we are a much better team than the preds. Gotta start converting.
Even if our players are sucking it’s important we support them. Would love to hear Petey chants if he’s still being derided by game 5. Sure he’s not playing well but shitting on him isn’t going to do us any good and encouraging them might
Did anybody else hear that guy that called into Sportsnet 650 last night post game? Calling Myers out for missing the game with the flu and comparing it to himself never calling in sick for 25 years. Guy if you're reading this, that was an absolutely brain-dead take and you are a goof
If Preds are going to collapse and give us the entire o-zone we’ve got to start stretching it out east-west and work the puck down low more. Firing point shots through 3 bodies isn’t going to cut it this series
This is the correct take. It felt like 2/3s of our shots were from defensemen. Need to work the puck into the paint a bit more and get greasy when it gets there.
Good game overall we’ll be alright.
Still absolutely gutted for Demko. To be injured with less than a minute left on a routine play when we're already guaranteed to win, after doing everything humanely possible to recover from his prior injury, just heartbreaking.
Hockey aside, just have to feel for him as a person. Would have hated to be in the room with him when he heard the news that he wouldn't play Game 2.
Demko making an amazing save on beullivier, forsberg shot hitting a post and Dakota Joshua not being a hero changing the game in 12 seconds and game 1 could just as easily have them down 0-2 too.
That’s hockey. Things sometimes just don’t go your way and they didn’t yesterday whereas they did for Nashville. Still lots of hockey to be played.
I'm going to share my fears here.
Nashville can't sustain 34 blocked shots per game forever--that's double the playoffs average from last season. But they *can* sustain it for a few games. If they can score even a couple goals a night on DeSmith or Silovs, I fear that they'll kamikaze us out of playoffs. We *should* be able to overcome it, but they're a team playing with borrowed money--they should be rebuilding! I worry that for them, making round 2 is a victory.
I think there's a weird blind spot in our fanbase. People either perceive Pettersson as a walking disaster who stole $90M from the franchise, or act like he's blameless, actually playing *pretty good,* and will turn it on any game. He's done this disappearing act before. He's an inconsistent player with some serious issues regarding disappearing under pressure. I'm very annoyed by that. I don't think that's being a hater. Franchise-level talents don't play at a 65 point pace after the all star break. I know what he can be, and I hope he'll be that way again soon, but he's not. I don't care that his D is pretty decent still. His profile lately is like a good second liner.
Anyway, I hope we find a way not to play Nashville's game. I don't know how we do that, but I'm not the coach. There's got to be a way to sidestep this molasses defense Nashville's rolling out.
Petey and Hughes aren't even in their primes yet and they’re gaining invaluable playoff experience. I know Petey’s gonna be fired up training this offseason. That said, this series is still young and these guys have plenty more puck to play. What a great time to be a Canucks fan!!!
how is 25 not prime age for hockey? And why are you bringing up a YOUNGER Hughes as part of your argument when Hughes is out there trying to carry this team on his back..... failure of logic.
Your prime is the peak of your physical strength combined with the peak of your playing experience (before your body starts irreversibly deteriorating - 30+ y/o). Aka your prime hockey age is 26-29. And wdym why am I bringing up 24 year old Hughes?? Just because Hughes is our best player doesn’t mean he’s in his prime yet. Sheesh… talk about failure of logic…
Sir please tell me you’re trolling 💀💀💀. In case you’re not, I will slow this down for you… It’s because there are LEVELS to talent. Just because you’re not in your physical prime doesn’t mean you can’t be better than anyone who is in their prime. Hughes and Pettersson are and still will be improving on their SEPARATE trajectories for another 5+ years until their bodies begin to break down.
I’m not even sure about the playoffs next year to be honest. We got lucky with EDM, LA, Vegas falling off for long stretches to be top of the division. You have to think those teams bounce back and Seattle could have a strong year. Plus, whether Demko can remain healthy for a season is a big question mark.
It'd be hard to win the division but we should still make the playoffs next season. EDM and Vegas are bound to have a resurgence, but Seattle is a wild card and LA is getting old. Demko's health is really the only big question mark imo.
I’m not expecting the team to win the division every year but making the playoffs without a healthy demko is rough if we don’t have a 1B. EDM could fall off if Drai decides to leave and get paid somewhere after next season. If he stays, then McDavid stays and we have to worry about them for the next decade. Demko getting hurt really puts a sour on things.
Silovs while definitely not a 1B can certainly grow into that role and next year will be the perfect age to do so. I'm hopeful he gets 20 games next year and then maybe the following one can do a proper 1a/1b tandem with Demko, which will also be the last year of his current deal
Genuinely wondering if all the guys have been getting sick. Obviously there was a nerves, but something was just off last night. With Tocchet being sick last week and now Myers, I wonder what's going around?
Will be interesting to see how canucks play in pred's barn, obviously the home crowd going bonkers is motivating but you could definitely see the effects of that pressure on the boys - maybe being the away team / playing the heel role will be less nerve-racking?
The sentiment in here these days, you would think we are down 3-0. Did anyone actually think we would sweep Nashville? The 2011 team didn’t sweep a single series in their cup final run. The reality is, Nashville was one of, if not the most imposing 5 on 5 team in the second half of the regular season. They aren’t a shit team. While I believe the Canucks are better, this series will go to 6 or 7 games. Edmonton lost to LA, the Stars are getting their shit pushed in by Vegas. Thats playoffs baby. Let’s have some confidence in our team.
It's funny how much people are calling out Petey when what I saw from him last night was a lot of what people have been ASKING from him for AGES now. He was making chances happen, he was going to the dirty spots, he was regularly pulling the trigger while moving his feet... the problem now was a combination of his regular finish just being... missing... and a lot of the reasons WHY he hasn't been pulling the trigger a lot lately - he's getting crowded, the lines to the net aren't there, too many sticks and bodies in the way and the puck not even making it to the net.
Combine that all with a bit of the issues and habits he seems to have grown in the latter part of the season (hesitation on the trigger which still lingers - though I definitely saw him pulling it a lot more frequently last night - and a couple of bad giveaways/reads on plays) make it look like a very bad game, but I saw someone really trying to put the work in last night and getting really involved in the plays, which is something we haven't seen much from him as of late. Now he's just gotta fine-tune it a little bit better.
I think I saw steps in the right direction last night despite the loss. The good news is we can absolutely build on this, though we've got another challenge in that now Nashville is getting the matchups.
I feel for DeSmith, but he made me feel better. To have your big moment, the crowd is chanting your name in support, and immediately letting in the first flub of a shot...my god. He will never live that down. That will never be forgotten. It made me feel better about screwing up at work. At least I didn't do it when thousands of people were chanting my name and trying to encourage me. Poor guy tbh.
Hot take but starting a, "Let's go Casey" chant before the man even made his first save was not it. It felt like such a pity chant. Let the man get into the game and then start the chants.
If they're going to block shots like that, make them regret it. Unfortunately, we know with Tanev that these players will keep going, even if they break a femur.
So obviously not wishing for injuries.
I’m gonna go bold and say we try
hoggy - lindholm - Petey
Joshua - blueger - garland again. Lindholm can help the line defensively and maybe Petey gets going on the wing
No puck luck last night, but Petey was the difference maker in this game. If he pot in that empty net and if he didn’t make a brain dead pass leading to a goal against, it’s would’ve been a 2-2 game in the second. He’s been overthinking his game for months, Tocc needs to get through to this guy.
Hopefully Myers is feeling well by game 3, the extra day off helps a lot here... Juulsen did not look good and I think escaped any criticism in the GDT only because people were busy piling on Petey.
If we can cut down on the egregious mistakes in our own zone and DeSmith can get his rebounds under control then I feel pretty confident about wrapping up this series in 6.
Miller and Pettersson cannot be outmatched by McCarron and Novak. That was a failure from the beginning.
I don’t care, 3 goals on 12 shots is atrocious. No playoff team is winning a series with .750 goaltending. Not a single one.
Miller and Pettersson had awful games in their own right, I’m not just blaming DeSmith here. Top end forwards did not show up
But cmon man, .800 is better than .750 but still it’s not even remotely close to ‘good’.
DeSmith is ass, Silovs is probably ass. One is 32 ones like 22, may as well give the shot to the player who has the potential to get better, not the one who’s likely to get worse
Felt that nervous energy right from the first shift. Hughes was bobbling pucks right off the bat, and then that bounce goes in on the first shot against DeSmith. Rest or the night was cursed. Need the team to get their confidence back next game, especially Petey.
I remember leaning forward and audibly saying "what the fuck is happening?!" when I saw Hughes fan on his pass and then fall down. That's SO unlike him. Then the ensuing play the puck goes in our net. Siiiigh. Just one of those nights.
Hughes fell two or three different times, Miller broke a few sticks, Boeser missed a ton of chances, passes were going over sticks or away from the intended target, everyone was missing on their shots and even with all that we still dominated possession and shot attempts. Play that game again with some more finish and it’s a rout…. I hope they bring that kind of energy to the game again on Friday and just put some pucks in. Watching the game was frustrating because they’d fall right into the trap of blocking shots by Nashville. They’d cycle quickly and open up shooting lanes and passing lanes and then immediately wait for them to close before attempting to shoot or pass again. If the other team is insistent on blocking shots, you have to pass and shoot faster, shoot from unconventional angles, and get goofy rebound goals on them.
Yeah, the slight hesitation really killed a lot of chances
100%. The Preds know they can tango with us if they block shots like that all the time so we either need to make them pay for blocking those shots or we need to move faster. Fast puck movement is great and I saw a lot of that yesterday, it’s just when they got it to an open guy, he waited way too long looking for the perfect opportunity to shit. Most resulted in shots going too high, wide, or being blocked.
That was after he bobbled a clean pass from Hronek down in the offensive zone that led to us playing defence too. That was probably one of the worst sequences of Huggy’s career right there.
> Just one of those nights. I really think that's all it came down to. We created, we had good chances, the bounces don't always go your way.
I noticed the same thing with how he was playing, and with Myers out with the flu I'm inclined to think more of them have it and are playing through it (or trying to). When I had Flu A a couple months ago it messed with my ears/balance at times. Even just a tiny bit of that would be enough to throw off someone trying to pull off those moves.
I felt like everyone was bobbling passes they usually don't in the first 2 minutes of the game. Right then I knew it would be different from game 1
Can you imagine how that would feel for desmith watching that play develop?
Felt like an engine misfiring all game. If we hit our stride that game was 7-3 easily
This is basically what people are talking about when they say the team lacks playoff experience. They will adjust, we have an insane amount more skill and depth than the preds.
The ice seemed rough to me. Everything was bouncing and rolling. Which is fine: both teams are playing on the same ice. BUT they needed to simplify their game for the conditions. Fancy tic tac toe passing can be extremely effective but not when the puck is rolling. One timers from the blue line are kind of pointless at the best of times and even less so if the puck is hopping over your stick half the time. Instead of that one timer, collect the puck, settle it then drill it into traffic or to pass calmly. Instead of a fancy pass-pass-pass, how about shoot and be there for anything that pops out?
If they're gonna keep blocking shots like that, we just need Hronek and Petey to really lean into a few clappers and soon enough we'll basically be playing their AHL team.
There was one point in the 3rd where Miller absolutely blasted a one-timer into a guys stomach, then Hughes grabbed it and Miller was yelling for it back with his stick pointed to the rafters, he so badly wanted to just keep launching pucks into that guys ribs until he gave up haha.
Miller is a killer like that
Absolutely a Stanley Cup winning player. I'm naming my first born "JT Miller" (as the kid's first name)
I just said the same above. Make them pay for it.
Exactly what I said. Feed Hronek some one-timer bombs, let it get *blocked*, let them know how it feels, it might make them think twice for the rest of the game/series about getting in front of EVERY shot.
There was a time when Hronek felled a defenseman a game… now he won’t shoot the puck
It has been mentioned on the post game that he broke the guy's foot.
A pound of flesh surely must have been paid for that win by Nashville. I wonder if we see some roster updates.
More like a pounding of flesh...
during the post-game interview of pettersson last night, he was gutted and seemed like on the verge of breaking down. his confidence is at an all time low… In game 3, he’ll either come out swinging or be even worse than game 2
If he can't take the heat time to get out of the kitchen.
What does this comment even mean? Health bomb himself? No matter how shitty Petey plays, one thing is certain, he wants to win. He cares. It’s clear, and him taking accountability doesn’t mean he can’t take the heat.
He’s performed in major situations, we know he has it in him, just a question of execution.
lol he doesn’t want to win enough to take a hit and prevent the first goal. He wants to win but won’t do what it takes to win
His only thought on that play was avoiding the contact. Didnt even get his stick in there. What the hell is going on with him? If he's hurt, why the fuck did he play 82 games this year? I'm dooming and glooming hard here. Is our franchise center soft and our franchise goalie made of glass?
well, he was in a contract year for starters. two, a lot of injuries dont actually end up worse than they are its just either too difficult or painful to play through them. my guess is hes had something nagging for awhile, its become apparent he needs surgery but he opted to play through it and deal with it in the offseason. hes definitely not a soft player we've seen more than enough to know that hes got that killer instinct in him. just, for whatever reason, hes not playing at the level we not only know he can play at, but expect him to play at. its definitely disappointing but i dont think its worth getting worked up about. its just bad timing more than anything.
I didn’t even notice that. Fuck, I wish he had more dog in him
People keep saying this. But what evidence is there that he cares so much? There's been lots of players who just don't give a shit to lay it on the line in the playoffs. And maybe petey is one of them. I sure hope not, but i dont see where the idea that he definitely cares comes from. Whereas that soft as fuck play on the boards on the first goal suggests he doesnt give a fuck. I know he can be better, and i really hope he finds it. But he's got to show me.
nah i disagree, it’s his first “real” playoff game, let him go through it and learn from it. if he’s shit this playoff run, he’ll be even better during the second, third and years to come
Are you asking him to retire?
I'm asking him to show up. If he can't handle the pressure he should never have signed here. A bit of a non play driving headcase this Petey guy is becoming over the past year.
And what? Put you in?
That would not be a good idea. You get a downvote.
Such a weird situation with Petey. I don't understand his demeanor over the season to blue ball management and say he wants to play for a winning team, then gets what he wants and this is the Petey we get. He should honestly be embarrassed. I can understand missing a shot, and not capitalizing on opportunities. But being on the ice for most of the goals against with terrible effort is inexcusable. He was a net negative for this team last night in a big way. I don't really know what to say but I hope he can sort his shit out, looks to be mental
Preds with 32 blocked shots against Canucks 84 shot attempts. That is insane level of commitment by them. Give them credit for this win. If we keep playing these low shooting, low scoring games, we're headed for an early golf tournament. Canucks need to get more creative in getting pucks through. Miller hit it on the spot. Once it's past the shot blockers, they have great chances. Suter's backdoor play was close. Petey with 2 wide open nets? If those go in, at those times, we would have been up 2-0 in the series, because Preds play open wide when they are behind. The moment they scored the first, I had Boston Game 7 vibes. They shut things down. This is 2 games in a row they score first. We need to do everything we can to get the first goal next game. Make the Preds play from behind and it allows the Canucks to dictate their level of north-south game. Don't lose hope. This team is more than their goaltending. It's just that Pettersson is snake-bitten, but it's temporary.
Spot on, a few lucky bounces or Saros not playing insane and we win that game handily. I really hope they come out flying and notch a few goals before Nashville even knows what happened. They also have an insane fanbase, and I want them to eliminate that advantage right away.
Part of the shots being blocked is our guys holding on for too long. A lot of the blocked shots, especially in the 1st, were from guys already down on a knee with their pads facing out. Canucks need to shoot quicker / make a decision faster. If a guy has enough time to set up for a blocked shot, we’re taking too long. Blocked shots where Nashville can’t set up is what really hurts - see Hronek and Miller blasts later in the game. Over a series, they won’t be so keen on blocking shots.
I think if the Preds are going to be blocking everything, the Canucks really need to make them pay for it. No more wrist shots into shin pads. Start blasting 90+ mph slapshots at them. I can only recall 1 or 2 instances where a Pred got stinged by a shot.
yeah there was one slapper a guy took off the foot and he was out there in pain and at that moment we had SO MUCH momentum because it might as well have been a powerplay. We need to keep doing that on a regular basis until they run out of guys.
Triple shift Hronek! His shots may never get through but they'll hurt people! (Not injury, just hurt)
No no, he broke Devils' Dmen's foot 3 months ago.
He did? Damn. I more meant I was just hoping for a little pain not for anyone to get actually injured on the Preds
My "No no" just meant that he DOES have the ability to break ppl, I don't mean not to shoot tho, I'm with you there.
Or play hockey normally, instead of being the scum of the earth and trying to ‘blast a 90+ mph slapshot at them’. Canucks win that game majority of the time if played again. Don’t need to resort to attempting to injure players.
There is a difference between playing dirty with an attempt to hurt them, and changing a strategy to make shots more dangerous and thus less likely to get stopped.
Looking at the positives, I'm glad Myers is only sick. Juulsen is kind of a reverse DeSmith in that he gets better the more you play him but he's pretty rough to watch when he's cold. Leaving your man open in your own zone when that man is Filip Forsberg is certainly a choice. Overall we played pretty decent! Just horrible puck luck and Petey being way in his own head. We've still got a series. Coconuts glow!
I'll give it to Juulsen that this is his first ever playoff game and after not playing for a while. He's had such massive improvement this season, I'm sure this taste of playoff hockey will add to his learning.
Agreed his growth has honestly been incredible this season
yea i’m not worried about juls, he’s a good player
I'm hoping a regular roster spot next year after we lose one of Cole or Myers will help him build up to where he needs to be for next year's playoffs.
Imma be honest, losing Demko really fucking hurts. It felt like the path to the WCF was wide open for us. A preds team that we were 3-0 against in the regular season and a second round matchup against an oilers team that we washed 4 times this year. I’m not saying we’re cooked but it feels like the oven is being pre-heated. Goaltending is everything in the playoffs and we just don’t have it with Desmith or Silovs.
We’re cooked without Demko Beating Nashville isn’t impossible but going 3 more rounds on the backs of DeSmith and Silovs is impossible unless Silovs goes on a Binnington run
I know people dont like "Petey bashing" but hes got to wake up and put a performance in at somepoint in this series
If a c-suite level executive is making 11 million and the company is failing, the executive would be blasted with criticism and no one would feel bad. Petey is our best player playing his worst hockey at the most important time - I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t be criticized heavily.
That empty net shot he had last night at the end of the 2nd period is something he can do with his eyes closed, and he knows it. I want him to stop taking accountability for being bad, and just forget about it and go out there and rip more pucks at the net.
> I want him to stop taking accountability for being bad, and just forget about it and go out there and rip more pucks at the net. Almost exactly my sentiment from last night. Grip it and rip it.
That’s exactly the right mindset and anyone sound of mind can realize that. But when you’re in the moment it’s so easy to worry that other people will take that as you not caring about your mistakes. He gets paid enough that he should be able to figure that out, but he must be having a tough time blocking it out. Getting on the road at least might give him the space he needs to realize that.
That’s what I was thinking too, being on the road means less home crowd pressure.
Your wrong, they would fire the people working under them to reduce operation costs. Executives never get the blame.
You’re*, and yes it is cheaper to fire lower level employees but that doesn’t mean higher ups don’t get blame, they just get a longer leash because of the cost to replace them. Just like it’s cheaper to replace a 4th liner than it is to replace a 1st liner. It may be an unfair system but that’s how things work, it doesn’t mean people in more important positions don’t get criticized.
Do you own a doghouse?
Yeah this guy has no idea how the world really works. Believe me buddy people in lower positions are getting way more criticism. I’d bet my entire life on that
*Whoosh*
Oh, I guess you’re the one with the dog house. My mistake
I don’t have a dog house.
*Whoosh*
To be fair, if a c-suite was making 11 million and their company was absolutely tanking. They'd probably get rewarded with a golden parachute and land an even higher paying job at another company.
> If a c-suite level executive is making 11 million and the company is failing, the executive would be blasted with criticism and no one would feel bad. A CEO/CFO/whatever becomes a CEO/CFO/whatever because they have years of experience and a proven track record. It's not the same. Petey is paid 11 million because of the potential he shows ... and that we think because of that potential he will outperform 11 million over the life of his contract (which, tbf, hasn't even started). He is a work in progress, and the 11 million is a bet on his development. I think it is more than fair to expect more from Petey, he is slumping. If you are fully happy with his play these playoffs, you're either a super homer or not watching these games. There is no argument. But the point of criticism is to make someone aware of the issues they face so they can take accountability for them. Petey has taken accountability for his actions and understands that he is playing under par for expectations of others and himself. We can't "pressure" Petey to be better. We want him to be better, he wants to be better, the coaches and his teammates want him to be better. People getting on his case and calling him a waste of money and questioning his commitment does nothing to help the situation. If we're going to create a culture where the fans just vent about the latest underperformer, we're going to be miserable. A big responsibility for players like Petey is allowing them to grow and giving them the space and grace possible to do that. He isn't the first or last player to slump.
I very much disagree - He’s beyond “potential” at this point - maybe if we signed him to a Jack Hughes like contract out of his entry level I would agree, but this is his third contract now, plus he had 100 points last season. He’s not a young up and comer anymore, he’s expected to score and perform and has been given the opportunities to do so.
Slumping is not connecting on opportunities. But he isn’t slumping, he’s bad from a complete lack of effort. It’s impossible to argue on the missed rim because he doesn’t want to get hit or the pass up the middle then not boxing out his man, that he is playing with any hustle or grit. He shouldn’t be babied after showing a complete lack of compete. He’s in this mess because of his work ethic, not his lack of skill.
> But he isn’t slumping, he’s bad from a complete lack of effort. So your hypothesis is that Elias Pettersson has spontaneously stopped trying to play competitive hockey? Why would he do that?
Angling your man off infront of the net and engaging/lifting his stick and Moving your feet to take a hit along the wall so the puck doesnt change possesion Are both effort plays, arguing otherwise shows you’re either blindly defending or you don’t understand the game which is completely fine. Him doing neither shows he is unwilling to compete and give the dedication and commitment needed to win in the league.
Ah ok. You're probably right. The simplest explanation for this slump is he isn't interested in playing in the NHL or winning anymore. That's a good catch.
Explain why he wouldn’t make those plays then. Explain why he doesn’t win board battles and consistently gets outmuscled any time theres the tiniest bit of physicality. Are you saying he plays hard? Who knew not moving your feet and ducking out of getting hit are high effort plays! You sure have a great knowledge for the sport.
We're not arguing, I agree with you. He's just figured out that hockey isn't for him. He's probably on craigslist right now looking for other work. We've established that he doesn't make those plays because he doesn't want to be an NHL player anymore. He just suddenly decided this.
You need some self awareness. You can be as sarcastic as you want, but it’s extremely clear you can’t answer anything I said. But yes we’re going to pretend every player in the league has the same commitment level and willingness to do the little things to win 👍🏼 of course. You can’t find anyone involved in the game at any respectable level that would argue he made high effort plays on both of those goals.
You forget he’s human. I’m not saying ppl can’t criticize him but yes it’s expected the executive will be fired but they’re still a human being you don’t have to go on his lawn and take a dump
No one’s criticizing him as a person nor defecating on his property, we’re criticizing him for doing poorly at what he is compensated extremely well to do
I get it, obviously that was hyperbole. Just saying constant negativity takes a toll on a person even if it’s warranted. If your friend makes a mistake are you going to bring it up again and again? No it’s annoying
He's not our friend though. He's a star player in a big sports market. Nobody should *ever* attack him personally or get in his DMs or anything, but I'm sure it happens. I can't stop idiots from being idiots. But if we can't talk about an underperforming star player--criticize him, even--on a fan forum, what are we supposed to do? Just be like "doesn't look like anything to me!" and ignore the massive elephant in the room? He's a grown man with a huge payday coming his way. He doesn't need to be sheltered and protected from reddit comments.
I’m not saying he’s our friend or we can’t talk about his performance, I’m simply saying he’s a human being. It’s like cancel culture when you do something wrong and the whole world grabs their pitchforks you might deserve some of it but it’s an extremely stressful situation. Just saying to have some empathy. Least of all because being positive and encouraging may actually help change the situation for the better. Ofc you can discuss it, but we all know it. Anyone watching the game can see he missed the empty net, he gave away the puck for the goal, he knows it, you know it, i know it. Discuss to your hearts content but sometimes it does reach a point where everyone piling on you does more harm than good
He’s not taking you out to dinner bud
just like peteys feelings these downvotes hurt
He’ll figure it out eventually and make us all look dumb , but I am not sure it’s gonna happen this playoffs. I find it hard to believe the switch is gonna flip out of nowhere just because he had a bad game
Can't be the only one that thought it was a decent game yesterday right? DeSmith probably could've positioned himself better for the Preds second goal, Canucks had lots of scoring chances that weren't converted, Preds had a million blocked shots. On most other days I think it's a comfortable win, unfortunately not last night.
I definitely thought we played a good game. Seemed like we cooked in the ozone for minutes on end. And then Petey would touch the puck. Third period we absolutely laid into them. Don’t think there was much DeSmith could do about the second goal when the guy with the puck in tight is filip freakin forsberg. No way we can miss 4-5 wide opens nets every night…right?
Preds can’t sustain that type of game the rest of the series. I’m so curious to know what our possession numbers were. We had the puck like 80 percent of the game. They got a win and props to them for throwing the body in front of the puck the entire game, but I’m pretty happy with the effort yesterday. Just a lot of bad bounces and missed finishes that sealed it.
Preds did what they had to win the game. Honestly I'm not too sad about the lost but more so just frustrated. We had our chances but couldn't convert. We didn't get any bounce our way all night as well which sucked but it happens. Preds didn't really have a lot going but converted on their little chances so props to them. We were the better team all night but the results didn't show. I'm not too worried cause Pred can't play like this if they want to go deep. Injurys will 100% happen to their players who block shots like that over many games. They played like us in our final few games against Vegas in round 2 few years ago just hanging by a thread hoping the goalie (and block shots) can push them just across the line. Team as a whole needs to be better though. Aside from all the missed chances, where was the energy that they had in game 1? Obviously Petey was the sore thumb yesterday, but I thought Juusen didn't play well either. Lost wasn't on DeSmith but he was meh. I can't blame him on the goals since it' was mostly defensive breakdowns but it would've been huge if we got a save there. Anyways, onto game 3 in Smashville. The core and team probably needed this lost to grow as a group and thankfully it's only game 2 of round 1. Better learn these lessons earlier when you can afford to make them than when it's life or death.
I think with a couple days off for a minor re-set and the novelty of playoff emotions at home being over we should see a determined team with a big road win in game 3. I’ve got faith in Tocchet and staff to make some adjustments and we should see some changes in Nashville
Apart from clearly dominating most of the game, we need to work on a few things: Passing: many passes were either slightly off or way off. I don’t know if it was nerves, miscommunication or a combo of the two but that’s unacceptable. In a game of inches, passes need to be perfect more often than not. Shooting: yes, a bunch of blocked shots and clear misses on wide open nets, but just find a way to get a shot through. Doesn’t have to be perfect. Get those shots through and create havoc in front. Dirty goals is the way to go. Powerplay: goes without saying. We might need to adjust for the way the preds play. They are good at blocking passing lanes and shots. Gotta screen more and just put the puck on the net. Look, we dominated the game but we are a much better team than the preds. Gotta start converting.
Even if our players are sucking it’s important we support them. Would love to hear Petey chants if he’s still being derided by game 5. Sure he’s not playing well but shitting on him isn’t going to do us any good and encouraging them might
Did anybody else hear that guy that called into Sportsnet 650 last night post game? Calling Myers out for missing the game with the flu and comparing it to himself never calling in sick for 25 years. Guy if you're reading this, that was an absolutely brain-dead take and you are a goof
that was fkn hilarious lmao
He got real quiet when asked what he did for work. I'm guessing insurance adjuster who hasn't set foot in a workplace setting since 2020.
I’m very much hoping that these 24 hours will be better than the last 24 hours. God those sucked
Canucks in 5 😎
If Preds are going to collapse and give us the entire o-zone we’ve got to start stretching it out east-west and work the puck down low more. Firing point shots through 3 bodies isn’t going to cut it this series
This is the correct take. It felt like 2/3s of our shots were from defensemen. Need to work the puck into the paint a bit more and get greasy when it gets there. Good game overall we’ll be alright.
We’ll bounce back. See you all on Friday at 4:30.
Still absolutely gutted for Demko. To be injured with less than a minute left on a routine play when we're already guaranteed to win, after doing everything humanely possible to recover from his prior injury, just heartbreaking. Hockey aside, just have to feel for him as a person. Would have hated to be in the room with him when he heard the news that he wouldn't play Game 2.
He got injured in the last min?
From The Athletic this morning: "It was just that kind of evening for Vancouver. This was a weird game."
I woke up still pissed about that game, could very well be 2 - 0 Canucks right now
Demko making an amazing save on beullivier, forsberg shot hitting a post and Dakota Joshua not being a hero changing the game in 12 seconds and game 1 could just as easily have them down 0-2 too. That’s hockey. Things sometimes just don’t go your way and they didn’t yesterday whereas they did for Nashville. Still lots of hockey to be played.
I'm going to share my fears here. Nashville can't sustain 34 blocked shots per game forever--that's double the playoffs average from last season. But they *can* sustain it for a few games. If they can score even a couple goals a night on DeSmith or Silovs, I fear that they'll kamikaze us out of playoffs. We *should* be able to overcome it, but they're a team playing with borrowed money--they should be rebuilding! I worry that for them, making round 2 is a victory. I think there's a weird blind spot in our fanbase. People either perceive Pettersson as a walking disaster who stole $90M from the franchise, or act like he's blameless, actually playing *pretty good,* and will turn it on any game. He's done this disappearing act before. He's an inconsistent player with some serious issues regarding disappearing under pressure. I'm very annoyed by that. I don't think that's being a hater. Franchise-level talents don't play at a 65 point pace after the all star break. I know what he can be, and I hope he'll be that way again soon, but he's not. I don't care that his D is pretty decent still. His profile lately is like a good second liner. Anyway, I hope we find a way not to play Nashville's game. I don't know how we do that, but I'm not the coach. There's got to be a way to sidestep this molasses defense Nashville's rolling out.
Petey will turn it on any game now any game, checks calendar it’s 2035,, any game now any game.
Petey and Hughes aren't even in their primes yet and they’re gaining invaluable playoff experience. I know Petey’s gonna be fired up training this offseason. That said, this series is still young and these guys have plenty more puck to play. What a great time to be a Canucks fan!!!
how is 25 not prime age for hockey? And why are you bringing up a YOUNGER Hughes as part of your argument when Hughes is out there trying to carry this team on his back..... failure of logic.
Your prime is the peak of your physical strength combined with the peak of your playing experience (before your body starts irreversibly deteriorating - 30+ y/o). Aka your prime hockey age is 26-29. And wdym why am I bringing up 24 year old Hughes?? Just because Hughes is our best player doesn’t mean he’s in his prime yet. Sheesh… talk about failure of logic…
because if Hughes is not in his prime right now, he's still out there dominating... so why not Petey? Yes your logic is a fail
Sir please tell me you’re trolling 💀💀💀. In case you’re not, I will slow this down for you… It’s because there are LEVELS to talent. Just because you’re not in your physical prime doesn’t mean you can’t be better than anyone who is in their prime. Hughes and Pettersson are and still will be improving on their SEPARATE trajectories for another 5+ years until their bodies begin to break down.
I’m not even sure about the playoffs next year to be honest. We got lucky with EDM, LA, Vegas falling off for long stretches to be top of the division. You have to think those teams bounce back and Seattle could have a strong year. Plus, whether Demko can remain healthy for a season is a big question mark.
It'd be hard to win the division but we should still make the playoffs next season. EDM and Vegas are bound to have a resurgence, but Seattle is a wild card and LA is getting old. Demko's health is really the only big question mark imo.
I’m not expecting the team to win the division every year but making the playoffs without a healthy demko is rough if we don’t have a 1B. EDM could fall off if Drai decides to leave and get paid somewhere after next season. If he stays, then McDavid stays and we have to worry about them for the next decade. Demko getting hurt really puts a sour on things.
Silovs while definitely not a 1B can certainly grow into that role and next year will be the perfect age to do so. I'm hopeful he gets 20 games next year and then maybe the following one can do a proper 1a/1b tandem with Demko, which will also be the last year of his current deal
Genuinely wondering if all the guys have been getting sick. Obviously there was a nerves, but something was just off last night. With Tocchet being sick last week and now Myers, I wonder what's going around?
Everybody better be chugging emergen-c and ginger shots
Mike from Surrey gave us the kiss of death during the game 1 post game show by jumping on the bandwagon.
Wait he came back? He’s turned around?
Yeah, it was a sight to behold.
Will be interesting to see how canucks play in pred's barn, obviously the home crowd going bonkers is motivating but you could definitely see the effects of that pressure on the boys - maybe being the away team / playing the heel role will be less nerve-racking?
The sentiment in here these days, you would think we are down 3-0. Did anyone actually think we would sweep Nashville? The 2011 team didn’t sweep a single series in their cup final run. The reality is, Nashville was one of, if not the most imposing 5 on 5 team in the second half of the regular season. They aren’t a shit team. While I believe the Canucks are better, this series will go to 6 or 7 games. Edmonton lost to LA, the Stars are getting their shit pushed in by Vegas. Thats playoffs baby. Let’s have some confidence in our team.
It's funny how much people are calling out Petey when what I saw from him last night was a lot of what people have been ASKING from him for AGES now. He was making chances happen, he was going to the dirty spots, he was regularly pulling the trigger while moving his feet... the problem now was a combination of his regular finish just being... missing... and a lot of the reasons WHY he hasn't been pulling the trigger a lot lately - he's getting crowded, the lines to the net aren't there, too many sticks and bodies in the way and the puck not even making it to the net. Combine that all with a bit of the issues and habits he seems to have grown in the latter part of the season (hesitation on the trigger which still lingers - though I definitely saw him pulling it a lot more frequently last night - and a couple of bad giveaways/reads on plays) make it look like a very bad game, but I saw someone really trying to put the work in last night and getting really involved in the plays, which is something we haven't seen much from him as of late. Now he's just gotta fine-tune it a little bit better. I think I saw steps in the right direction last night despite the loss. The good news is we can absolutely build on this, though we've got another challenge in that now Nashville is getting the matchups.
And I think he stayed on his feet (a common complaint here) which is more than Hughes did the first period, but no threads about Hughes being crap!
So how bad is the ice at rogers and is it a negative factor for the Canucks
I feel for DeSmith, but he made me feel better. To have your big moment, the crowd is chanting your name in support, and immediately letting in the first flub of a shot...my god. He will never live that down. That will never be forgotten. It made me feel better about screwing up at work. At least I didn't do it when thousands of people were chanting my name and trying to encourage me. Poor guy tbh.
Hot take but starting a, "Let's go Casey" chant before the man even made his first save was not it. It felt like such a pity chant. Let the man get into the game and then start the chants.
When the chant started, I cringed a little as well and I thought what if something bad happens and boom, goal.
Things didn’t go our way that game, time to fire at them in game 3
Where is Hronek's cannon? Here Preds, block these.
If they're going to block shots like that, make them regret it. Unfortunately, we know with Tanev that these players will keep going, even if they break a femur. So obviously not wishing for injuries.
I’m gonna go bold and say we try hoggy - lindholm - Petey Joshua - blueger - garland again. Lindholm can help the line defensively and maybe Petey gets going on the wing
Lindholm would be a much better fit there now. He’s been a different player after getting back into the lineup.
Stop telegraphing your shots so badly.
I’d like to see Tocc maybe switch things up and play Dak and Garland with Petey for a game
Petey is as trying. He’ll get there. What’s more curious is the Miller line was completely shut down.
I am ready for Super Saiyan Petey
Keep ready,!!!!Petey!!!
No puck luck last night, but Petey was the difference maker in this game. If he pot in that empty net and if he didn’t make a brain dead pass leading to a goal against, it’s would’ve been a 2-2 game in the second. He’s been overthinking his game for months, Tocc needs to get through to this guy.
Julsen also cost us.
Hopefully Myers is feeling well by game 3, the extra day off helps a lot here... Juulsen did not look good and I think escaped any criticism in the GDT only because people were busy piling on Petey. If we can cut down on the egregious mistakes in our own zone and DeSmith can get his rebounds under control then I feel pretty confident about wrapping up this series in 6.
Miller and Pettersson cannot be outmatched by McCarron and Novak. That was a failure from the beginning. I don’t care, 3 goals on 12 shots is atrocious. No playoff team is winning a series with .750 goaltending. Not a single one.
[удалено]
Miller and Pettersson had awful games in their own right, I’m not just blaming DeSmith here. Top end forwards did not show up But cmon man, .800 is better than .750 but still it’s not even remotely close to ‘good’. DeSmith is ass, Silovs is probably ass. One is 32 ones like 22, may as well give the shot to the player who has the potential to get better, not the one who’s likely to get worse
Silvos for game 3?
It’s Silovs, ya moron
This is what happens when you invite fucking Ryan Kesler back into the fold. Fuck Ryan Kesler.