Primus099 Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 We're missing Salo more than Bieksa imo, ESPECIALLY on the powerplay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opmac Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 The Canucks appear to be missing Keith Ballard as well. Hamhuis - 24:50 Garrison - 24:54 Tanev - 24:32 Edler - 26:01 Barker - 13:38 Alberts - 13:19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canucksnihilist Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 You know how I miss? Christian Ehrhoff. The teams offence has never been the same since he left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronning4center Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Me too. He sucked defensively, but he was really a key member of the way the nucks played. Should we have paid him 40 million? probably not... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicky Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Cum hoc non propter hoc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkeeterHansen Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Wow, our defence is pathetic. Best top 6 in the league. What a joke. The worst top 4 defensively in the league, now that I buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.DirtyDangles Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 I was a huge basher of Kevin 4 seasons ago, but you need to look at his numbers again. He has been one our best all around D man the past 2 seasons. His physical play and points over the last 3 show he has learned and changed his game. This is not the first year he has been playing this way. I agree without KB the team lacks major bite. He is one of if not THE team leader in the room and on the ice. He deserves the C with the way he defends his team mates...but the rest of the team including him need to come to play for 60 minutes. This is the true reason why this team is floundering right now. I do think a major trade or coaching change is in order to shake out the cobwebs that seem to set in for 5-6 minutes every period. The system feels stagnant and the players actually look bored out there at times. With the emergence of Tanev and the fact Ballard has looked like one our best we need to just plain step it up and play smarter, faster , harder hockey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownUndaCanuck Posted March 8, 2013 Author Share Posted March 8, 2013 The Canucks appear to be missing Keith Ballard as well. Hamhuis - 24:50 Garrison - 24:54 Tanev - 24:32 Edler - 26:01 Barker - 13:38 Alberts - 13:19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everybody Hates Raymond Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 I'd love to see CANUCKLEON try to weasel his way out of this one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 The frustrating thing is, all of these guys are capable defenders. They've proven it in the past. But so far this season they have just failed to create any chemistry together. They're all discombobulated. Yea, I said it, discombobulated. It's taken Bowness this long to try and find the right mix. Now it's time to just let these guys work on getting in a rhythm. I don't care if we're losing games right now, as long as our D starts to tighten up, and get better and better every game. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to add another veteran to the mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salmonberries Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Always liked ol' Bieksa. You take players like him and Ryan Kesler out of any lineup; it's not gonna be the same team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray_Cathode Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 I'll admit I used to hate on Bieksa the last 3 seasons for some of his really stupid defensive plays. Sure he's always been a clutch scorer and big-time performer, but that never made up for his brain-farts in his own zone. This season though, Kevin is playing a much more physical, solid defensive brand of hockey while putting up career offensive numbers at the same time. He's really become a leader on this defence. I just wanted to highlight the effect his absence has on this team, particularly the defence that quite frankly looks lost without its only right-handed shooter. In the last 5 games without Bieksa playing, the Canucks are a perfect 0-3-2. No wins. Of course he came back for the L.A match, a game against a team that had won 5 straight, had the two hottest scorers in Carter (6 game goal streak on the line) and Kopitar (almost 2 points per game in his last 5 games) and Bieksa and co. throttled the Champs 5-2. Now in those last 5 games here's how our defence fared. We were outscored 10-20 and here were our defender's +/- ratings: Edler: -4 Tanev: -2 Hamhuis: even Garrison: even Alberts: -1 Ballard: -4 This team shouldn't depend on one guy so badly. If we can't deal with injuries right now, we won't deal with them well in the playoffs. Hopefully it's nothing worse, like the fact that the other defenders NEED a right handed defenceman for the lefties to be comfortable, or MG will have to go find one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bring_Back_Bertuzzi Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 canucks Dman aren't consistent salo was consistent (when not injured) but since him we haven't had one that consistent bieska has been playing good but injured just like salo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray_Cathode Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 The Canucks are missing alot of things. Leadership seems to be one of them. I think Bieksa is a huge part of that on the ice. This team needs a serious injection of talent though. Only question is does MG have the balls to do it? Or is he going to go shopping in the bargain bin come trade deadline? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canada Hockey Place Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Bieksa and Kesler probably have an effect on penalties drawn. ie team plays a bit tougher/agitation factor goes up. Really noticeable against CBJ. This team plays hockey wanting the ref to make calls. Wish they would just play hockey and leave the officiating to the wonderful qualified, handsome, trained professionals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jai604 Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Bieksa has played this way for a long time. Canucks fans just have a hate on for him. I find it hilarious that people are all over his nuts and are just now realizing what he brings to the team when many of us have known and seen it for a long time. At least people are starting to realize his value to this team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostsof1915 Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 It also shows how far away the Canucks are to re-stocking the cupboard in terms of prospects. The team has almost nothing in the farm in terms of ready to go prospects to fill holes from injuries. If we want to be like Detroit, we've got a long way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shazzam Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 we are missing defencemen that can play on the right side, just like we are missing centers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray_Cathode Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 we are missing defencemen that can play on the right side, just like we are missing centers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disisdayear Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Teams are attacking us with the left wing lock, exposing the weakness we have on the right side of the defence. Without Bieksa, we're all the more vulnerable to this. It's a three man attack with two along the boards above the Canucks d-man who is trying to play the puck, and one below. It cuts off all of the outlets for our d-men along the right side boards (going forward is a back hand for left hand d-man which is easily picked off, and the opposing high man cuts of the avenue if we try to reverse the flow). Once picked off on either side, one of the opposing forwards peel towards to the net with open looks, which is what is killing us right now. The only guys on the Canucks who can effectively counter act this on their own are Bieksa and Tanev. Among our left handed d-men, Edler and Garrison seem to be too slow to deal with this type of pressure; Ballard/Hamhuis always needs help; and oddly enough, Alberts and Barker seem to be handling this pressure fairly well when they are forced along the right wall. Without Bieksa in the lineup, our d-corp is not quick enough to combat this type of forecheck. We need to make a play for a guy like Tobias Enstrom (yes, I know he's injured) for a slow footed guy like Edler. A guy like Ian White (who has been a healthy scratch for numerous games) would also help us right now. Bieksa handles this pressure well because he's quick, which is something few give him any love for...he also gives the team identity and a personality that others (including the officials) seem to respect...hands down he is a bigger leader than any others on the team and the Canucks are infinitely better with him in the line up. Ya I've certainly gained more of an appreciation for him. His experience certainly is missing in the combinations we have out there but I'll say it again, alot of our defensive woes have to do with our defensive coaching and positioning. You should be able to slot guys in and not be 'running around' so much, or look so confused and messed up. Thats not bec of one player or two, its because of a poorly designed defensive system. If you have been watching recent games, EVERY team is putting two guys in deep on the puck. Why? because they know the Nucks are not positioning themselves for outlets for the puck carrier, no support, or if there is, its up the boards. Until this changes, no Bieksa, no Ballard will help. This was Chicago's strategy 3 years ago and it worked, then Boston did it, and it worked, then LA, and now every team that plays us has a book on us. Do it and you'll force turnovers, a poor break out and slow them down. It all starts in your own end. You break that press you have speed the other way and odd man rushes. You don't and you have an oddman in your own zone, and isn't that what we're seeing? I am not sure why the Nucks coaches don't get this, or why they aren't willing to allow their players to break out differently. But our own d zone coverage and positioning once we get the puck is atrocious. This is the same reason why one guy forechecking against our power play causes the pp to get stuck in its own end. I've never seen anything like this other than house league hockey and the fact our players are so confused in their own zone tells me one and only one thing. Its coaching not the players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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