dura_mater Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 As much as I have truly enjoyed laughing at all the panic on CDC lately (Raymond sucks, bench the Sedins, fire AV, will the Canucks miss the playoffs? etc etc) I thought I'd remind people of a few things before they start jumping ship. I realise a lot of it is trolling but there are a lot of respected posters going crazy on here. Standings: the Canucks have, for all intents and purposes, clinched 2nd place in the West. Don't believe me? Dallas is 3rd with 83 points and 71 GP, while Vancouver has 92 points in 70GP. Let's say Vancouver continues to play at their 4-4-2 pace (last 10 games) and Dallas continues to play at 8-1-1. That gives Dallas 18.7 pts over their remaining games or 102 points and Vancouver 12 pts or 104 points; leaving Vancouver 2nd in the West. If someone told you at the beginning of the season the Canucks would finish with at least 102 points would you care HOW they got there or just be happy they were in a good position for the playoffs? Importance of points: Zero importance. With the above in mind and the Canucks "gauranteed" 2nd place in the West, the games really don't mean a lot and I can't imagine the players really getting up for them. That and the fact that all the teams fighting for playoff spots are already playing "playoff hockey" just makes it look worse. How would you play if you had the option of saving yourself a little for the playoffs (games that matter) or tiring yourself down playing 100% in tough games against teams clawing for playoff positioning (games that don't matter)? Resting is important. End of the season: Remember how much of a grind last years playoffs were? Remember how important it was for Boston to go all out in the regular season and win the Presidents Trophy? Or how about how they excelled in their last 10 games of the regular season, going - 6-3-1 for 3rd in the East. How about the Hawks the year before - 6-3-1 2nd in the West. Or Pittsburgh the year before, 7-2-1 4th in the East. The Ducks in 07 - 5-3-2 2nd in the West. Carolina 2006 5-3-2 2nd in the East. The only exception to this is the 08 Red Wings 7-2-1 for first in the league and the Stanley Cup. Injuries: Have you seen how well some of the top teams are doing with all the injuries they have to deal with? Detroit is missing Howard, Datsyuk, Bertuzzi and is 3-6-1. NYR Callahan, Del Zotto, Drury, Frolov, Lundqvist 6-3-1. Boston, Rask, Pouilot, Bergeron, Savard, Horton, Peverly, McQuaid 4-6-0. Chicago was leading the league at the beginning of January but without Toews they've gone 5-4-1 in their last 10. Do you want the Canucks to play harder? Finish their checks, increase body contact, fight along the boards, all of which put themselves at increased risk of injury? The Canucks have learned from last year. The regular season means squat. MG knows this, AV knows this, and the players know this. Unfortunately a lot of the fans don't. So before you go hyperventilating and jumping off the wagon when the Canucks continue to lose over the next couple weeks, keep the above in mind and be thankful they will be well rested for the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jai604 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Pretty much. The Canucks have just learned to manage their losses much better this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Good post. I've said this all along. It's obvious they're not giving it their all. Every "big" game that's come along they've played stellar. But why burn yourself out against teams like Buffalo and Montreal? We don't need the president's trophy to do well. After all there's no guarantee St.Louis even makes the WCF, or that New York makes the SCF. So if finishing first is their only motivation left, I say don't burn yourselves out. As long as they ramp it up in the last 3 or 4 games, they'll be ready to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcholic9000 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 As much as I have truly enjoyed laughing at all the panic on CDC lately (Raymond sucks, bench the Sedins, fire AV, will the Canucks miss the playoffs? etc etc) I thought I'd remind people of a few things before they start jumping ship. I realise a lot of it is trolling but there are a lot of respected posters going crazy on here. Standings: the Canucks have, for all intents and purposes, clinched 2nd place in the West. Don't believe me? Dallas is 3rd with 83 points and 71 GP, while Vancouver has 92 points in 70GP. Let's say Vancouver continues to play at their 4-4-2 pace (last 10 games) and Dallas continues to play at 8-1-1. That gives Dallas 18.7 pts over their remaining games or 102 points and Vancouver 12 pts or 104 points; leaving Vancouver 2nd in the West. If someone told you at the beginning of the season the Canucks would finish with at least 102 points would you care HOW they got there or just be happy they were in a good position for the playoffs? Importance of points: Zero importance. With the above in mind and the Canucks "gauranteed" 2nd place in the West, the games really don't mean a lot and I can't imagine the players really getting up for them. That and the fact that all the teams fighting for playoff spots are already playing "playoff hockey" just makes it look worse. How would you play if you had the option of saving yourself a little for the playoffs (games that matter) or tiring yourself down playing 100% in tough games against teams clawing for playoff positioning (games that don't matter)? Resting is important. End of the season: Remember how much of a grind last years playoffs were? Remember how important it was for Boston to go all out in the regular season and win the Presidents Trophy? Or how about how they excelled in their last 10 games of the regular season, going - 6-3-1 for 3rd in the East. How about the Hawks the year before - 6-3-1 2nd in the West. Or Pittsburgh the year before, 7-2-1 4th in the East. The Ducks in 07 - 5-3-2 2nd in the West. Carolina 2006 5-3-2 2nd in the East. The only exception to this is the 08 Red Wings 7-2-1 for first in the league and the Stanley Cup. Injuries: Have you seen how well some of the top teams are doing with all the injuries they have to deal with? Detroit is missing Howard, Datsyuk, Bertuzzi and is 3-6-1. NYR Callahan, Del Zotto, Drury, Frolov, Lundqvist 6-3-1. Boston, Rask, Pouilot, Bergeron, Savard, Horton, Peverly, McQuaid 4-6-0. Chicago was leading the league at the beginning of January but without Toews they've gone 5-4-1 in their last 10. Do you want the Canucks to play harder? Finish their checks, increase body contact, fight along the boards, all of which put themselves at increased risk of injury? The Canucks have learned from last year. The regular season means squat. MG knows this, AV knows this, and the players know this. Unfortunately a lot of the fans don't. So before you go hyperventilating and jumping off the wagon when the Canucks continue to lose over the next couple weeks, keep the above in mind and be thankful they will be well rested for the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcholic9000 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 hey today we were just putting Schneider in net away from winning.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neutral-Zoned Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 woops, nevermind, morning brain lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 It's not Dallas who could bump us out of 2nd. Leaders of each division get spots 1-3 regardless. It is Colorado that could pass us, not Dallas (not very likely though) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dura_mater Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 you do realize that drury and frolov dont play for NYR nor in the NHL right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
لني Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 A good bit of perspective and frankly time for some to check their perceptions. We struggled in the first weeks of the season and the sky was falling people were saying it's inexcusable to struggle at the beginning of the season. We "struggled" for the past few months just "ekeing" out wins. No we have a legit losing situation yet we are still where we are. 25 years ago people would be gagging for these "issues". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners70 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 The Canucks dominated the game last night from bell to bell...the problem, odd man rushes. Not a big deal. Back up and reflect a bit on the past few years with this team. They are more than capable of playing defensive hockey and they will. I was worried about energy, but they brought it last night. AV will settle down eventually with the line juggling, the defensive systems and structures will be in place and we will be ready. Last night was the first time in a long time they looked rested. The was the first time I did not feel they were lethargic and now they have two more days at home before heading out. I GUARANTEE they will go 4-0 on the road trip and one of our goalies will get a shut out or two and then in our final home stretch before the playoffs we will be zoned in...quote me baby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners70 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Oh ya..Since I have my kreskin hat on...Randy Moss will be the NFL comeback player of the year in the NFL next season...Go Niners ; ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guyfromblackcreek Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Good post! I enjoyed reading it because you have a positive attitude about the team, thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-DLC- Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 A-men. Exactly what I've been saying, especially the injury part. We can't afford for the guys to risk it at this point and the lack of big hits, etc. is obviously strategic at this stage. Very well said, thank you. What people aren't remembering is that some of these teams that are playing us hard are still battling and jostling for their playoff spot...they HAVE to get the points. We, on the other hand, have to pick our battles carefully. Although we don't want the team sliding in on their rears and developing bad habits into the playoffs, they will kick it up a notch when need be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolan Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Good post, exactly. Most of the good teams are slumping right now. The difference will be those that can flip the switch. The goaltending really does have to be managed though as it's not his fault, but we know Loungo is a fickle creature and we don't want to be sending him into the playoffs with a broken confidence (because it is breaking again, you can see it) and there needs to be some lineup tweaks but hey, thats what the 12 point cushion is for. I was thinking about how successful Hank was when Daniel was injured awhile ago which makes me wonder if splitting the twins up isn't a bad idea as then it gives us an art ross winner on two different lines. Presidents trophy is probably all but lost but who cares about that anyways, get it once and that's a good enough experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire_Spiky Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Good read, points well made and I agree. Too much panic going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyoming Fan Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Good post (with one exception-see below); However, if this team continues to play like they currently are, for whatever reason, there is no way a Stanley Cup is in our future. As soon as we meet St Louis or Nashville, we're history. They both gave our guys a hard time this season, and both are ripping up the ice now. Compare them to the Canucks who get their bucks spanked by cellar dwellers! IMO, points do matter. Not because of the President's Cup...could care less about that...but because of playoff positioning. The last match up I want to see in the first round is with Nashville. End of post...let the band wagon and panic comments begin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erkayloomeh Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 How would you like to be a SJ Sharks fan right now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dura_mater Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 How would you like to be a SJ Sharks fan right now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dak72 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Good post...well laid out and stated. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanKeslord17 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Yeah, you summed it up pretty well, they pretty much don't care anymore, which is totally understandable. We, as fans, don't like losing, but we gotta realize, which do we want? Losing now or losing the cup again? Pretty sure you guys would wanna lose now. As for AV and Luongo..... I don't know what to say. It's time to give Schneider a legitamate chance to be a No. 1 goalie here. Who cares how much Lu makes? That's MG's problen not AV's. Vig has to play the best team every night, which is what he said. For that to happen: Luongo out, Schneider in. See how it goes. It's not a coincidence our only win in the last 4 games was with Schneider in net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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