[PGT] Arizona Coyotes at Vancouver Canucks | Feb. 21, 2019

[kanucks25]

2 hours ago, Darius said:

Brock seems to be the focus of some criticism in here.  I get it, players get scrutinized, especially after losses. 

 

*snip*

100%

 

Not every player is going to be Crosby or Bergeron or Toews in his prime. Not every player is going to be able to put up 1st liner production and be great defensively, on the boards, etc. You have to take the good with the bad and with Boeser, there's a lot more good than bad.

 

Once in a while he's going to make a play that costs us but overall he produces at a clear net positive. Stars players that actually produce offense (and he does it, a lot) need to be given some leeway. 

 

Between 2013 and 2016 Canucks fans were dying for players that have some skill and goal scoring ability, and now that we have one, they just complain about how he's not strong enough or fast enough, it's a joke.

[BlueDragon23]

2 hours ago, Darius said:

Brock seems to be the focus of some criticism in here.  I get it, players get scrutinized, especially after losses.

 

But I chuckle at the "slowest skater" and "one dimensional" comments.  If Brock was a rocket on the ice do you really think he would have fell to 23rd in the draft?  He does very well even with this deficiency.

 

His play making skills are really under rated by some.  Even last night, on the tying goal, he was involved in quickly transitioning the puck to the opposing blue line on Gaudette's tying goal. 

 

He has his share of brain farts, where he gives away the puck....but according to the stats he is 7th in give aways on the team, behind guys like Pettersson and Bo.

https://www.foxsports.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks-team-stats?season=2018&category=DEFENSE&time=0 .  He is also 4th on the team in take aways.

 

Yeah, i get it, he looks aloof in the defensive zone sometimes....do you really think that this is unique to Brock?  Ever watch some of our greatest offensive talents (in Canucks history) play in the D zone?  Or how about other snipers around the league?

 

We are blessed to have this kid in the lineup and producing at the rate he is producing at, considering where he was taken.  How many players, in like the history of this org, have reached 100 points faster?  You have to look at players with franchise legendary status to be in that conversation.   All this is missed I think, because he plays beside what could arguably be the best player this team has had in 50 years - the shiniest of shiny toys.

 

To add to all this, he is 21 years old.  Where were guys like Hank, Daniel, Kesler, Naslund , Bertuzzi, in their 21st year?  Were they almost point per game players?

 

Finally, what frustrates me the most is that Brock and Pettersson are producing despite having one of the most horrid offensively capable defense cores in the league behind them.  Passes are never in their wheel house on the PP (look at how many times they have to handle the puck and get it into position after a pass from the point man).  They cant depend on the d to rush the puck and make a nice play.  The D's no 1 goto move is to dump the puck out instead of transitioning the puck.  The D is not good at holding the line.  When the top line gets possession of the puck in the O zone and they pass back to the blue line the play dies way more often than it is kept alive.  Basically EP and Brock have to generate everything on their own.

 

Imagine if these guys had a Giordano, Burns, Doughty, Keith, anybody with a friggen offensive bone in their body generating plays for them.  Instead, these guys got players like Biega on their blue line.

This. Honestly, our fan base expects too much from a 21 year old sophomore coming off a major injury

[ynwa]

11 hours ago, VancouverHabitant said:

Boeser is playing himself down into a 5 million contract. 

He's certainly not having an epic season that's for sure. Last season a lot of people were ready to run Hutton out of town for his lackluster play, but now, due to injuries, he's arguably the Canucks most reliable defenceman. I think Boeser also will come back with something more akin to last season's form.

 

It's also evident that EP isn't as effective offensively as he was earlier in the season, some of it is because teams are more aware of him, some perhaps because of the long season, but I think a lot of it is because he's amped up his defensive play, the guy is all over the ice—at times it looks like there's two number 40s out there. 

[appleboy]

Lets look at next year. The defense has been my biggest concern from the start of the year. The emergence of Hutton and Stecher has been a huge plus for next year. Lets say both Edler and Tanev come in healthy next year and they always start the year that way. Well not always. Anyway , we would be looking at decent top four or we can say we have four solid defenseman to start the year. Then we will have Hughes, OJ , Sautner, Brisebois, Woo and ………

Maybe we will land  a D man in the draft this year.

Zack , Lind and Dahlen will be kicking at the door for the forward group.

 

Who will Benning be able to move out?    

[48MPHSlapShot]

From a puck moving, offensive POV, we have possibly THE most horribly inept D core in the league. All the credit in the world to Hutton and Stetcher for taking on such huge minutes and not completely crapping the bed, but they just simply aren't top pairing blueliners. They're bottom 4 blueliners playing top pairing minutes. In fact, even with a totally healthy D core, it's arguable that we don't have a top pairing defenseman. I imagine Pettersson, Boeser, Horvat, Virtanen, etc etc etc would all have much better offensive numbers if we had someone a legit top pairing to feed them the puck.

[shad0w4life]

Every time we bench Goldy we seem to not score and lose to a bad team, although Granlund did make a very nice pass there's a few non offensive guys that should be pulled over someone that at least is top of the team for points :|

[mikkim]

14 hours ago, WalkWithElias40 said:

I cant handle the poo! 

 

He needs to go !

 

omg 

 

14 hours ago, Rindiculous said:

The good:

 

Roussel

Gaudette

 

The Bad:

 

Pouliot

 

The Ugly:

 

Boeser...such a bad game.

 

14 hours ago, Qwags said:

I missed all but the final 5 minutes. Why is Poo still here?

 

Sounds like special teams made the difference...again. 

 

14 hours ago, DarthMelvin said:

I would like to thank Derek Pouliot #5 for allowing the Yotes to get back into Playoff contention. 

I think I might have missed it, what goal against was Pouliot on for?

[appleboy]

43 minutes ago, 48MPHSlapShot said:

From a puck moving, offensive POV, we have possibly THE most horribly inept D core in the league. All the credit in the world to Hutton and Stetcher for taking on such huge minutes and not completely crapping the bed, but they just simply aren't top pairing blueliners. They're bottom 4 blueliners playing top pairing minutes. In fact, even with a totally healthy D core, it's arguable that we don't have a top pairing defenseman. I imagine Pettersson, Boeser, Horvat, Virtanen, etc etc etc would all have much better offensive numbers if we had someone a legit top pairing to feed them the puck.

Edler and Tanev are place holders for a couple of years. The D will be a work in progress for a while. We will see how Hughes does and then they will know what else they need. We have never had that number one guy but it is what we still need. That guy who plays in all situations and eats up a ton of minute. They don't grow on trees.

[Deets]

9 minutes ago, appleboy said:

Edler and Tanev are place holders for a couple of years. The D will be a work in progress for a while. We will see how Hughes does and then they will know what else they need. We have never had that number one guy but it is what we still need. That guy who plays in all situations and eats up a ton of minute. They don't grow on trees.

I think you're right about Edler & Tanev. We need them to solidify our D until the next generation is ready. Honestly though, I think our D prospects have a chance to turn things around quicker than we think.

 

Imagine if OJ comes in next year and plays a solid defensive game, plus Hughes comes in with sheltered minutes while really helping our on the PP? I would think we are only a Tryamkin returning away from having a real solid D core moving forward.

 

That would mean the stars would have to align for us Canucks, but you can see how there's potential for us to really turn things around in the next 2 years on our back end.

[-DLC-]

Despite the loss, I enjoyed the game.  We looked good in the first and outshot them by a great deal, however, did not sustain that pace or pressure...by the third, they looked noticeably more "on" than we were.   We looked gassed and like we were chasing a lot. Coyotes came out with intensity and their passes were, to me, noticeably crisp and dead on as they took over.  But, again, LOVE our resilience and the ability to stay in games that we're falling away from.  Tied it up (Gaudette's got dragon slaying potential).

 

Nothing negative to say.

 

Brock didn't have a great game but that just reinforces how I feel about "tanking"/losing...that players can start squeezing the stick (he whiffed on a few shots and I think he's thinking about scoring rather than ... just scoring).  The mental game stuff.  He'll be just fine.

 

Petey's amazing...just does not shy away.   Stech too.  Warriors.

[AlwaysACanuckFan]

15 minutes ago, debluvscanucks said:

Despite the loss, I enjoyed the game.  We looked good in the first and outshot them by a great deal, however, did not sustain that pace or pressure...by the third, they looked noticeably more "on" than we were.   We looked gas and like we were chasing a lot. Coyotes came out with intensity and their passes were, to me, noticeably crisp and dead on as they took over.  But, again, LOVE our resilience and the ability to stay in games that we're falling away from.  Tied it up (Gaudette's got dragon slaying potential).

 

Nothing negative to say.

 

Brock didn't have a great game but that just reinforces how I feel about "tanking"/losing...that players can start squeezing the stick (he whiffed on a few shots and I think he's thinking about scoring rather than ... just scoring).  The mental game stuff.  He'll be just fine.

 

Petey's amazing...just does not shy away.   Stech too.  Warriors.

 

[xereau]

Pouliot made some good D plays. Had a little offense too.

Still has a really bad habit of chipping the puck to the middle of the ice. 

And he did take a dumb penalty there. I think he is gone this off season.

 

I don't like the Canucks D system.  There isn't enough close coverage.  The 5 on 5 Canucks team D system seems to be: Push the play to the outside, form a 5 man box and knock down passes or shots, but rarely force the guy with the puck.  Go get it on the boards, 2 man support unit. Give up possession if all you have is a chip it out play.  I don't like it.  They need to chip and carry in the game.  Make stabs at the puck more.   And go get it.  The system as is, is very passive.

 

Stecher plays like this on D.  He goes and gets the puck. Guess it's why he is +15.  An actual puck possession D emerging as a strong 3/4 D, atm playing like Top 1, for the past 2 weeks.  Eager to watch him grow into his pro career.  Now we need some forwards that have the skill to poke that puck lose.  EP does it.  Bo a little.  Jake does it. Roussel does it.   The Canucks should play this punchy (not fists) style D. Sure, collapse, but from there, attack that puck.  We have enough punchy, stick chop D type players, than actual big bruisers.  They should be poking at pucks and trying for quick breaks more often. Its defensive pinching, but if you are good at you can get lots of odd man breaks.  The peak transition game of The Sedins. Higgins.  Burrows. Kesler. Bieksa. Forcing turnovers.  I used to complain about Bieksa's gun and run style.  Its exactly what this current team needs.

 

Want to see these lines:

 

Roussel EP Brock

Spooner Bo Leivo

Motte Gaudette MacEwen

Eriksson Beagle Goldobin

 

 

[TFerguson]

14 hours ago, MikeyD said:

Because without Petey inflating his stats, he would be having a rough season. Pettersson sets him up for great shots at least 2 times every single game. If he was playing with Horvat, he would probably have 15 less points this season at least. 

So you're down on Boeser because he's able to finish what Petey starts? Good call. 

[TFerguson]

 

All you guys sh*tting on Boeser need to give your heads a shake. 

 

I've been saying it since the beginning of they year and can't believe it still need to be said--Of course he has things to work on! It's his second year in the NHL oh and he broke his back at the end of last year. Think that might affect some of his overall development??

 

For a rebuilding team sitting where we are Boeser, who is almost a point per game and third all time in franchise history to a hundred points in the fewest games is the LEAST of our problems. 

 

The only reason I can find for why guys would be calling Boeser out at this point--with so many more obvious and pressing issues on the roster--is because you're starved for attention. Maybe try a selfie stick instead and let our young stars develop without all your idiocy. 

 

[Toyotasfan]

Darcy Kuemper sure prescouted the Canucks PP,  made that top corner save off Pettersson look like a peewee player shot. Too predictable Newell Brown.

[Tyndall2]

We sign Schenn and he is practising with the team, etc, etc.  Then they throw Pouliot out there???  

More puzzling is the overtime period.  Gaudette, who just scored the tying goal and has pretty decent speed sits on the bench to start the overtime.  Overtime is a crap shoot to say the least so why not see what some of these guys can do.  I would put Rousell and Gaudette out there for a least a shift and see what they can do.  Green is way too predictable with his line up when it comes to the overtime/shootout opportunities.

 

[MikeyD]

1 hour ago, AllWeatherFan said:

So you're down on Boeser because he's able to finish what Petey starts? Good call. 

Boeser was lights out last year. You gave him the puck, he'd put it in the net. He used to work hard off the puck to get to the good areas to score. Now, you give him the puck and he needs the longest drag just to release the puck off of his stick. He's whiffed on probably 50% of his one-time attempts this entire season and hasn't nearly had the creative offense of last year. He's overthinking the game. He's being gifted chance after chance because Petey's IQ is absolutely insane. He doesn't put himself to advantageous scoring positions, which is why his release is slow as molasses this year. He's getting shots blocked. He's missing the net a tonne. He's hitting the logos a tonne. He should be having a better year than he did last year, because Pettersson is feeding this kid biscuits and all he has to do is put them in the oven to bake, but he's consistently not making the most of his opportunities. Off the puck he looks like Louie Ericksson. 

He had a stretch of games, where he scored the majority of his goals, in which he looked like Boeser of last year. He was skating, he was moving to open ice and he was getting rewarded. The moment his shots don't go in, all of the other aspects of his game disappear with them. 

[GreyHatnDart]

16 minutes ago, MikeyD said:

Boeser was lights out last year. You gave him the puck, he'd put it in the net. He used to work hard off the puck to get to the good areas to score. Now, you give him the puck and he needs the longest drag just to release the puck off of his stick. He's whiffed on probably 50% of his one-time attempts this entire season and hasn't nearly had the creative offense of last year. He's overthinking the game. He's being gifted chance after chance because Petey's IQ is absolutely insane. He doesn't put himself to advantageous scoring positions, which is why his release is slow as molasses this year. He's getting shots blocked. He's missing the net a tonne. He's hitting the logos a tonne. He should be having a better year than he did last year, because Pettersson is feeding this kid biscuits and all he has to do is put them in the oven to bake, but he's consistently not making the most of his opportunities. Off the puck he looks like Louie Ericksson. 

He had a stretch of games, where he scored the majority of his goals, in which he looked like Boeser of last year. He was skating, he was moving to open ice and he was getting rewarded. The moment his shots don't go in, all of the other aspects of his game disappear with them. 

He’s scoring goals at about a 2% rate lower than last year lol. I don’t know what you’re talking about. 

[MikeyD]

3 minutes ago, GreyHatnDart said:

He’s scoring goals at about a 2% rate less than last year lol. I don’t know what you’re talking about. 

Yeah, playing with Pettersson. That's the difference. He's point% is nearly the same, the level of skill he's playing with consistently isn't even close. Analyze how many times he has a shot in the high slot every game. It's at least once a game. Last year, he scored on about 50% of those chances. 

It's the same thing as the McDavid effect. You play with McDavid, and suddenly points just appear. Same thing with Pettersson. Everybody who plays with the kid looks pretty decent out there. 

[MikeyD]

Boeser had 10 powerplay goals last year, because when we got him the puck, he put it in. He has 3 this year and he's being fed the puck a lot more this season.