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The Real Issue Here: Lots Of Facts, Numbers, And Discussion From Last Nights Post-Game Show.


jonnycanuck46

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Any criticism of the players after last nights display is shameful. Man up and get behind them. They are putting their bodies on the line and I have been proud of every one of them for their effort.

One thing I would say is having watched the game again 10 mins ago Lapierre has to button it and get his head in the game.

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Any criticism of the players after last nights display is shameful. Man up and get behind them. They are putting their bodies on the line and I have been proud of every one of them for their effort.

One thing I would say is having watched the game again 10 mins ago Lapierre has to button it and get his head in the game.

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They are putting their bodies on the line defensively, but do not do so offensively. It's painfully obvious that they are ducking the pressure and frustration of staying in the middle.

The guys who stays there the most are lapierre and burrows.

That said, they've raised their game in almost every other aspect and are clearly dominating those parts. If they sacrificed in the offensive zone, they could 3+ goals a game - and that's assuming LA and Quick remain perfect defensively. If they start to crack and we sacrifice at the front of the net, they could be lit up when shots are +20/game for the canucks.

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The fact is that the shot totals are not reflective of quality chances.  If the Canucks can't fight through LA's defense to get traffic in front of Quick or get rebounds then most of those shots are completely ineffective.  LA's defense has been good but if the Canucks wanted it badly enough they would get there.  

It's very frustrating seeing them get boxed out on every play, including powerplays.

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And somehow you've come around to my argument. I agree that the players need to put more effort into getting to rebounds and bearing down when they do.

My original point was that the coach can't do that for them. Still, he is being blamed for "not making the right adjustments" to a team that has a 41-20 shot advantage and IMO, it's just dead wrong.LA was able to capitalize on one of the few mistakes the Canucks made. Vancouver was a goal post away from doing the same....

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Well I didn't mention the coaching in my post, but I certainly blame them as well. Not changing the entry on the PP until they had allowed two shorties in game 2 is on the coaches. The PP had been anemic for months, they had plenty of time to address it.

I agree the game yesterday could've gone either way. Our forwards have to be more creative and determined though.

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To be fair JJ, the drop pass caused one goal. The other was either a bad pass back to the point once entry to the offensive zone was already made, or an unfortunate loss of balance by Hammer.

I understand people's frustration with the play, but is it really a bad tactic, or just a poor use of it by Eddie? Looking around the league, I see other teams employing it as well.

Anyway, if the result of one ill-conceived play by a defenseman that consensus has playing the worst three game stretch of his career, leads one to opine that coaching is the problem, then I don't know what to say but that I wholeheartedly disagree.

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To be fair JJ, the drop pass caused one goal. The other was either a bad pass back to the point once entry to the offensive zone was already made, or an unfortunate loss of balance by Hammer.

I understand people's frustration with the play, but is it really a bad tactic, or just a poor use of it by Eddie? Looking around the league, I see other teams employing it as well.

Anyway, if the result of one ill-conceived play by a defenseman that consensus has playing the worst three game stretch of his career, leads one to opine that coaching is the problem, then I don't know what to say but that I wholeheartedly disagree.

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The drop pass that led to the goal is the glaring example, and I agree it was mostly Edler's fault.  But the PP in general was very ineffective due in part to them not being able to enter the zone with possession.  And it took them until the third period in game 2 to change the entry.

It is the responsibility of the coaches to have their team prepared to play.  The team was not at all ready to play near their best when the playoffs began.  I would like to see a coaching staff that is more effective at motivating the team when they are just going through the motions like they were for the final three months of the season into the playoffs.

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You sound about as fed up as I did on Friday night... but I have since calmed down and accepted what appears to be an inevitable early exit. Sorry the team lost last night, though. They pressed hard and showed some grit. But, their inability to score goals is inexcusable.

The frustrating points were the D's inability to keep the puck in the attacking zone, and every single shot at Quick was aimed at his legs, straight into his gloves, or right at his body. It doesn't matter if a thousand shots are fired at the guy. If they are scrambling low quality shots, he's going to make the stop every time.

On goal tending, both Lu and Schneider are looking good. In fact, this playoff debacle has highlighted where the real issues lie. All of the team are loose and sloppy on the puck, at times showing terrible puck handling skills for supposed top-flight professional hockey players. More often than not, when they cough-up the puck, it leaves our goal tenders facing unstoppable shots. And, when you consider how many unstoppable shots both goal tenders have kept out, it shows how GOOD that BOTH of them really are. They are a true credit to the Canucks organization.

The "D" needs to be overhauled. Salo is too old. Edler too unpredictable. Hamhuis too small. I'd keep Bieksa, because he is an animal, and will continue to ramp up his game.

On the forward lines, there's a lot of talent that is going nowhere. About the only guy who has consistently shown any grit is Higgins. The Sedins have also ramped up their grit, but are mis-cast in the lineup. They should be used as a #2 clutch scoring line, supporting a #1 line of big, heavy hitting natural goal scoring forwards. Time to ditch the big-name, smaller forwards, who have a hard time staying upright on their skates whenever Vancouver faces a tough physical opponent.

Coaching: Obviously time for a change.

Suffice it to say, to all intents and purposes, this team, as it is, is shot as a legitimate playoff contender. Better to recognize it now and start a wholesale rebuild for the future.

However, the reality of what will happen in the off-season will be quite different. AV will keep his job, and MG will make a couple of low key trades in an attempt to paper-up the cracks. Which is unfortunate, because right now the Canucks have a high-enough profile to attract some solid talent for the future.

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