steveRbarker
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Solid 2nd game from the Nuckers. I was a little worried during a couple of those push back shifts, but its nice to see the Canucks bend, but not break. A couple weak plays by Lou, but a huge win to get out of the way. Edler still looks amazing out there. Hansen also may be my new hero. -cheers
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Man, I am looking for a HUGE playoffs from Luo. 6 GAA in the last 7 games. He has been dialed in since mid november (a less then flattering loss to the Hawks at home) and looks to carry this through the playoffs. With a full compliment of D-men in front of him, I expect nothing less. On another note, how dominant did Edler look last night? WOW. He was both physically dominant and offensively creative. By far our best puck mover from the back end, and our most physically imposing player. Looking forward to a quick 1st round. -cheers
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Interesting read. I am not too scared in the first round. I would not be surprised with a Canucks 4-0 sweep in the first round regardless of opponent. What would suprise me the most is if the series reached game 6. If I had to pick a team I would "fear" in the first round though, it would be Anaheim with Hiller. Hiller has the ability to steal games on the road, while the line of Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry can bully wins at home. Moreover the revitalized Selanne and underrated Visnovsky make their pp pretty lethal. However even with all that being said, still a relatively easy series win for the Nuckers. -cheers
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Trade Breakdown, Part I
steveRbarker commented on Jason Chen's blog entry in Bleeding Blue and Green
I agree with that last point. If the ice conditions were bad enough to completely throw off the Canucks, then why weren't the Preds affected as well? The simple fact is that the Preds are the hardest working team in the league, playing for arguably the best coach since the lockout. No coach has gotten as much out of such slim rosters as Trotz has in Nashville. They are one team in the West that does not take off days. If you want to beat the Preds, especially in Nashville, you need to out work them. Plain and Simple. That being said, the lack of defensemen on the Canucks undoubtedly has an adverse effect on the forwards. Do you think the Sedins or Kesler are going to commit 100% to an offensive play knowing that Oberg and Sauve are currently on the ice? (Although Sauve has looked like a champ out there.) -cheers -
Trade Breakdown, Part I
steveRbarker commented on Jason Chen's blog entry in Bleeding Blue and Green
Boston vs Philly is going to be a barn burning conference finals, barring a ridiculous meltdown in the previous couple rounds. Boston definitely won in the short term, but it will be interesting to see how they maneuver the cap moving forwards. Can Philly beat Boston without a top tier goalie? Can Boston beat Philly's deep defense without more legitimate scoring threats? Hopefully the Nuckers pick up their s*%t because we are looking like a beer league team. Although the mental strain of seeing a d-man going down every game has got to weigh on the players. Guys up front are going to be feeling a lot more pressure to play defense than they used to. Outside of the PP I wouldn't be expecting any running and gunning until we get back at least a legitimate top 4. As of right now our starting 6 is 30/30 in the NHL. Could be a cold one for the Heritage Classic, looks like a balmy -27 is in the forecast. I guess its better than a +20 Chinook. -cheers -
I would be pretty surprised if T-bay made a big splash. They have a very good thing going. Shaking up their chemistry at the deadline could do more harm than good. Landing Roloson was their big splash of the season. I doubt any of the top teams will be making splashes. I look at teams like LA or SJ who are on the cusp, and 'expected' a playoff spot at the beginning of the season. -cheers
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Lol @ whoever thinks Samuelsson can stick handle. The guy ranks so far down the Canuck's depth chart in terms of "hands". I would take Sedins, Burrows, Kesler, Tambellini, and Raymond over him in terms of stick handling. I also agree completely about his missed shots. I have never seen a guy miss so many wrist shots in my life. They either sail 4 feet wide or 10 feet high. I think he has lost several steps over the last couple seasons, and really just benefited from some hot line mates last season. His second half hot streak was an exception, not the rule. Question, if you could go back to the 2003 draft and "re-pick" our 23rd selection, do we take Mike Richards or Ryan Kesler? -cheers
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What's Wrong With Swagger?
steveRbarker commented on Jason Chen's blog entry in Bleeding Blue and Green
Stastny is my hero. I respect what Omark did. I dont respect how whiny and terrible Dan Ellis is. Great he did a spin-o-rama at the blue line, that doesnt stop you from making a save 3 seconds later. Tbay needs to get on Nabokov asap, cause Smith and Ellis are costing them games. -cheers -
Interesting conversation guys. I would have to agree with Jason on the European thing. From what I have heard/read etc... European players generally consider the World Championships and the Olympic Games as the highest level of achievement. While I personally think the Cup is more important, I dont think that sentiment translates across the pond. To be honest I would have put the C on Kesler's jersey. He may not be quite ready for it now, but neither was Mike Richards when he first put it on. Kesler is the emotional leader of this team, and in a couple seasons it will become apparent that he should have the C. -cheers
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I agree completely. Whoever thinks this game is just about icing name players is clearly missing the point. That is why the game has been so bogus over the years, because the league insists on bringing "Name" players who arent playing very well. Also, guys like Callahan and Karlsson are not "flavour of the month" type players. Order NHL centre ice, and gain some knowledge! -cheers
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Vancouver @ Toronto Preview
steveRbarker commented on Jason Chen's blog entry in Bleeding Blue and Green
Nice predictions -
I could be wrong, but i dont think that there is still a minimum representation. I was under the impression that the current all-star ballot is for the fan-voted starters, but that the captains would have free reign after that. Either way, I would not include Kovalchuk on my all-star team. He is a joke, the Devils are a joke, Lou is a joke, Maclean is a joke, and Vanderbeek is a joke. One thing that I am a little more excited for (Stress LITTLE) is that the captains will now have the ability to choose who participates in which skill challenge. Hopefully this will make the challenges a little more relevant, as people who are actually good at said challenges take part, instead of some hack the NHL plopped in there. Sorry Rafalski, but your 86mph hardest shot was a joke. Regardless, this allstar weekend should be pretty interesting. -cheers PS. how about Niemi being ON the ballot while Sharp/Semin AREN'T on the ballot? WTF bettmen?!
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Vancouver @ Toronto Preview
steveRbarker commented on Jason Chen's blog entry in Bleeding Blue and Green
As always, good article. One thing I can add, Gillis was on the radio saying that Ballard, while able to play, is still dealing with some lingering injuries. Apparently his hip was bothering him during the summer, and his recent respite from physical training (forced by his recent concussion) served to aggravate the injury. In essence, while he was healing from his concussion, a previous injury flared up. I have no doubts that if one of our dmen was to get injured Ballard could step in and play; but right now, it seems prudent to let him heal up. -cheers ps. lets make a trade! -
Yea I read that somewhere as well. Bettman is a joke. I can't put it any other way. -cheers
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Like many problems I have with the league, it seems to come back to the guys on top. Just grabbing a couple random names out of a hat, but could you imagine how awesome our game would be if Burkey or Holland was running the show. I am not sure Bettman every played a game of hockey in his life, because he sure doesn't seem to understand what he is watching. This suspension was, in my honest opinion, Bettman seizing an opportunity to bully a tall person. He is pissed off at Thornton for being born 6-4, a full 3 feet taller then him, and is slapping him with a 2 game suspension for it. Pretty soon clean open ice hit will be completely eliminated from the game. What a joke. -cheers