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DownUndaCanuck

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Everything posted by DownUndaCanuck

  1. Got to get better at closing out games, especially against a slumping team, but regardless this is a great road win against a decent team and defensive style. Quinn is getting better and better and it's great to see, his game is ramping up over the last 10 games even. I'm excited to see what he'll be like in 2 years time because even by the end of the season he'll be a better player than he is now. 5 big wins in a row and we've been on a absolute tear since the losing streak. Time to put some distance between ourselves and the rest of the Pacific who are keeping up.
  2. These empty net goals are really obscuring the stats. Sure it's nice, and they're not easy goals, but they don't give an indication of sustained offensive pressure. Come playoff time we're basically going to go in with one top line to score, a 2nd line to defend, a 3rd line to try a bit of both but mainly score (if Boeser's still there) and a 4th line to hit and try not to get scored on. Honestly I don't mind, whichever approach Green wants is fine, but take away the ENGs to really assess how they're producing because they certainly don't produce a hell of a lot of sustained offensive pressure. I'm happy having a line that can finally defend and close games out (as we've often been scored on with a goalie pulled) but you can't deny that Loui is one of our least skilled, speedy offensive players on the team. I'm glad for him that he's found a role on the team though.
  3. I would certainly not think about trading Brock any time soon. Sure he's playing on our 3rd line, but he's still playing 17ish minutes a night, is a big part of our PP and is still hovering around a 70 point pace. Not bad for a slump year. If we make the playoffs I'd watch Brock because he's lethal and playing him on our 3rd line against 3rd defensive pairings is a matchup dream. When the top two lines are checking each other to death, it's the 3rd and 4th lines who always come through in long playoff series, especially in the final two rounds, that makes the difference and if we've got a 30 goal scorer going up against a tired 3rd defensive pairing we'll win loads of matchups, especially with home ice.
  4. I'm really hoping Jake's time on the first line teaches him how to use his physicality. In junior and in his first few NHL games he was trying to hard to go out, hit guys and play through them, whereas now he's forced to play a skilled game on our top line. I hope he can learn something from Miller about how to play hard and physically along the boards, and win puck battles instead of just run guys. He's evolving as a player and if we can get him to evolve into a J.T Miller copy I think we can be happy. Currently on pace for around 50 points is great but hopefully it's not the limit.
  5. Like to see him take his game to the next level, he's making some skilled plays out there now and to be honest deserves to be on the top line over Boeser. I'm still certainly on the "should have drafted Nylander" camp, was from the get-go and probably always will be, and as he's scoring at a point-per-game pace there's no denying he's the more prolific scorer, but I'm hoping Jake can ramp his game up in the playoffs. We haven't seen much physicality from Jake to be honest, I think mainly because he's ao focussed on scoring and contributing to our top line rather than being caught out of position, but I'd like to see him learn a thing or two from Miller about winning puck battles and using his physicality smartly. Miller is the perfect mould for Virtanen so playing together will hopefully rub off on Jake.
  6. This back to back is going to be as good a test as we've seen. If they play like they did against the Sharks they'll get blown out again ala Tampa. We have the defensive holes to let it happen so let's hope everyone's focussed and they come out of the gates fast and surprise the Islanders, who are renowned for locking it down later on. 3-1 Canucks
  7. Intrigued to see what Bailey can do, hope he gets 8-10 mins, doesn't get scored and on and can generate some offence because the 4th line could use a point getter at the moment.
  8. I think we've got the personnel to play a gritty game. Most of our forwards are big and can play with physicality, the only ones who don't are really Petey and Boeser. I really expect a lot from Pearson, Virtanen and Roussel in particular and of course the 4th line to come out throwing their bodies around. I think Bo and Miller can, but will be focussed on defending when they're without the puck and possession when they've got it, but most of the guys on our team can play a heavy game. Of course on defence, I'd want Benn in there, and I'm hoping Myers uses his body a bit more. They may not throw big hits but Edler, Myers, Tanev and Benn can play a grinding defence against the boards and can hold their own against big forwards. I think Benning did a fantastic job this offseason of crafting a playoff-first team, we're just lucky we're having regular season success too.
  9. Hertl out long term now, the Sens have a good chance at 2 top-5 picks and two stabs at first overall. Speeding up the rebuild right here, this is how you do it.
  10. 3rd in the Conference now, 4 wins in a row. We played like crap the first 40 minutes but Marky bailed us out, can't get away with that in the next two games or we'll get blown out. Now's the time to put some separation between the rest of the pack.
  11. Got to show everyone that we can win on the road as well and it starts with this tough road trip, especially in Carolina. San Jose is just waiting to break out so we have to be careful, but we're confident right now. 5-0 Canucks
  12. Home teams always struggle a bit after a long lay off, let's hope that's not the case and they're focused for this. Big measuring stick game of course, the Blues have been on fire lately. Just hoping it's a competitive game but hopefully we continue the home streak. 4-3 Canucks in OT
  13. I would agree but do have to say that teams who win cups usually make a big push when they're in their prime at the deadline or through UFA even to bolster their quality depth, for example, by trading picks or prospects for top-6 forwards or top-4 defencemen. We're not there yet but in 3-5 years time we have to look at thickening up our quality leading into the playoff push.
  14. I'd do Juolevi and Baertschi for Brodin and Foligno/Fiala. Really boost our quality depth in a heart beat. Foligno is probably just a rental but if we're top-2 in the division it might be worth a bit of a push. Sure, at the expense of Juolevi but we get Brodin back who is absolutely solid on the blueline and will be for years to come.
  15. Eriksson is certainly carving a role for himself as a decent defensive forward at the moment. He's not fast anymore and not racking up any real 5-on-5 points, but he's turning Horvat's line into a shut-down line. I think this is nice at the moment as the top line is scoring and we're getting contributions from our D and 3rd line mainly, but long-term we need our 2nd line to produce. Whether Leivo or Virtanen is the answer, I think when we run into scoring problems the first move will be to put Eriksson with Sutter to make a solid shutdown 3rd line and maybe move Virtanen up to play with Horvat and Pearson.
  16. He's been heating up lately which is good to see, hope he hits 20 goals and 40 points on the season. If he can elevate that to 50-60 points in the next couple of years we've got a decent player on our hands going into playoffs.
  17. Forget about Dumba, Soucy or Brodin would be lovely. Both are solid + players on an average team (I think Soucy is +15), and are racking up some points as well. They're in their mid to late 20s and could contribute, would be a lovely complementary 6th defenceman to be honest. Up front Fiala and Foligno are tempting.
  18. These 4 Pacific teams are stacking up tighter than I can ever remember, going to be a wild finish to the season and crazy intense 1st round. If we can get 1st or 2nd in the division and home ice, who knows we might sneak into the 2nd or 3rd round at this rate... Going to be some huge games against the Alberta teams later in the season...
  19. We have the potential to be first in the division so not just make the playoffs, but have a win-able first round and make a bit of a push. We should be in no position to sell or down-grade the quality of our players now. I don't think this Canucks team is going to be a seller for a long time. If anything, make a smart hockey trade like Tanev + Gaudette for Ceci + Nylander....
  20. Everyone knows the importance of this game from both sides. These are playoff-like games and hopefully we have enough character in our locker-room to come out on top, especially after being shutout. We're a young team and confidence is a huge part of their success, so if we can get an early goal we should carry on well, whereas if we can't score in the first half of the game I'm sure they'll get in their own heads a bit. Need a big game from our top line, I expect Miller and Horvat to really shine in this matchup. 4-3 Canucks
  21. Importance of defensive depth right here, having a guy or two in your bottom-2 who can play top pairing minutes and having a strong 6th, 7th and 8th D-man. For the first time in years the Canucks have this and when teams run into multiple D injuries which they undoubtedly do over a season, if they don't have it they're screwed. Toronto's defence is going to fall apart and this stretch will make or more likely break their season.
  22. Another big game, Minnesota is going hard for the Wildcard spot and we're surprisingly close to them in the standings. Good to have Bo and Boeser on fire of late, hoping Boeser will have a monster game in front of his family. 6-2 Canucks.
  23. This is an important game for our psyche. If we win this and the Minnesota game then that's a pretty good road trip to be honest. If we lose this one and/or the next, we're in trouble again and the ground we gained on a 7 game win streak is gone. I think in terms of standings, the Minnesota game is a must-win. In terms of our teams mental state this game is a must-win. 2 game losing streak is nothing, 3 game losing streak is a proper streak. Eichel is going to be charged, you know he'll destroy our defence if he gets a chance so we have to be sharp. 3-2 Canucks.
  24. Every game is big but this is a particularly good measuring stick for our team to see where we really stand. Tampa have been solid lately but they have been letting in a lot of goals so if we've got a chance in this game, it'll be to score early, hopefully with some lucky early PPs. 5-4 Canucks in OT.
  25. Leads the AHL in defenceman scoring and is almost a PPG...we have to try and find a way to get him into our lineup. Fantenburg had a brutal game against Chicago so maybe swap him for Benn next match but as soon as we start losing, call up Rafferty.
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