*Buzzsaw*

And I will be the first to admit I thought letting Gaudette go was a mistake. Although I have to wonder if Gaudette might have performed better under Boudreau. I still think Gaudette is a better choice than Chiasson.

Man, Winnipeg has really fallen off a cliff. Most of that is a result of Connor Hellebuyck completely losing his confidence... but I think maybe it is also the fact Blake Wheeler is a year older and has really lost a step... not the same player he was a couple years ago. Didn't help tonight that Josh Morrissey was missing... he is their best D. Not sure they did the right thing in firing Paul Maurice.

As others have said, the Canucks need help on the D... not in the forward positions.' I doubt Edmonton would trade one of their better D for Halak. We should look elsewhere to a team who has lots of young D prospects.

One of the key changes I am seeing since Bruce Boudreau took over is the emergence of Mathew Highmore as a real shutdown forward. Not sure if it was Boudreau or one of the assistant coaches who put the bug in his ear, but Highmore has suddenly started to model his game exactly on Motte. Maybe he doesn't have the same speed, but his forecheck/backcheck pattern is now nearly as good as Motte... he is applying pressure at exactly the right moments and being a pest to boot. When you can annoy the hell out of your opponents, you are doing the right thing. Meanwhile Lamikko is improving his faceoff percentages, applying his weight and reach to opponents and complementing the other two on the line so well the line has completely gelled. This is what was lacking at the beginning of the year... the fourth line was basically invisible under Green. Now it is a continual in your face relentless irritant for other teams... this is a huge difference. As everyone has observed, it has gotten to the point that the line is no longer referred to as '...the fourth line'.... it can play anytime, anywhere. Team defense was a crucial missing element of the Canucks when Green was running things... now this new revitalized '4th' line is changing the bottom line every game.

I hope all those screaming for JT Miller to be traded were paying attention. Why would the Canucks trade the guy who is the consistent driver of the offense??? Miller is not a Superstar but he is a Star player and every team in the league would want him on their roster. Maybe there are other guys the Canucks could trade if a real #1 D was made available, but not Miller. Obviously Miller was the key to this game... with contributions from Boeser, Martin and Pettersson. Boeser has been bashed for not putting up goals, but he is an underrated playmaker and his ability in this area was made clear this game... not to mention once again his hands in close showed why he is a special player. And Pettersson is building momemtum... every game getting more confidence... his line was dominant all game and set the tone... and his defensive play was excellent. Martin is cementing his place as a permanent backup to Demko... Halak is now unnecessary... Martin can deliver the same result at a cheaper price. Canucks may want to think about dealing Halak at the deadline for defensive help... but NOT to the Oilers please.

Actually Roussel was worth the money when signed... but his bad knee injury changed the situation... he was not the same player when he came back.

Size is relative. A team does not need big forwards to win if their forwards have speed and skill... it does need big defense. Tampa Bay is the prime example of that... they do not have a lot of size up front, they have small skilled forwards. On the other hand, their defense core in their last two Cup wins was big. You do need big D who can move opponent's off the puck, control the boards and prevent a cycle game. More than anything this team needs another one or two big D... no we don't want to trade Hughes, but we need a couple towers back there on the 5/6 pairing who can shut down opponents and intimidate.

Spencer Martin is proving to be a useful find... his play in the last two games has been exceptional. There is a good chance he might be the backup the team needs to replace Halak. Yes, he did let in one soft one, but the loss was not on him, it was the team reverting to its bad habits... collapsing to the net. The team did get another point, which is obviously something... but they will be in tough to make the playoffs if they continue at .500.

Nothing is wrong with Pettersson. He scored another goal versus Edmonton and set up Miller alone in front of the net for what should have been an easy goal. He is now back to contributing. He will never be a power forward who dominates the boards. Anyone who insists he play that way is trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. His strong points are his vision, his passing and his shot. He also has shown an ability to find his way through enemy defenses, good back checking, and overall hockey IQ. He should be an important part of the team for a long time.

Here's a short bio on her career focusing on the University experience: https://49-sport.com/2020/06/19/nemodoerrie/

Another great game by Demko... big part of this win. Also another significant contribution by Pettersson... once again he started the comeback. And his line was buzzing all night... they set the pace and started a period of Canuck dominance which the other lines followed. He just missed a second goal with one off the post... he is starting to get his range and confidence back... starting to become a threat the other team's cannot ignore. The PP had a ton of chances... even though they only scored one goal, they could have had more... overall I think they performed well. Another good game by the '4th' line... although a couple times they were on the ropes when the Preds put their #1 line out against them... but they pulled it out in the 3rd with Lamikko's goal. Burroughs showed his grit again... he is a good ole Canadian boy who won't back down. If he can work on his defensive judgement a little more he'll be a solid 3rd pair guy for a long time.

What I worry about with this team is they are backsliding a bit into some defensive bad habits over the past few games... including against Washington. These are the same bad habits they learned under Green and which were a huge part of the team's poor performance under him. Those are a lack of aggressiveness on the forecheck and in the neutral zone, and a tendency to collapse to the net in the defensive zone. There was a lot of running around in the D-Zone against Washington. The Canucks don't seem to know whether to play zone or man on man when they are 5 on 5 and it results in a lot of puck possession time for the opposition. I was watching them chase the puck a lot.... with 2 guys running after one opponent... leaving the inevitable open guy to take the cycle pass. I think they need to get back to man on man coverage when 5 on 5... and pressure a lot more. On the PK there is no choice but to go zone coverage when in the D-Zone, but at the same time, they need to work harder to disrupt the opponents in the neutral zone and stand up better at the Blue line. They were doing that in the first 7 game win streak of BB's tenure, but lately they have fallen off the wagon again, and are back to surrendering the Blue line and collapsing to the net just like during Green. This is really damaging to a team's play... it costs in a number of ways: - Gives the other team opportunities to shoot and score - Tires the team out, and kills their energy to carry the game to the opponent - Can cause injuries with all the shot blocking required to prevent all the shots the other team gets, from making it through to the goal. When a team's forwards are aggressive in the neutral zone in a smart way, and at the same time the defense stands up at the blue line, this works together. The forwards pressure the puck carrier and channel him towards the D waiting on the blue line... which gives the D the chance to hit and/or forces the opponent to shoot the puck in instead of carrying it in with possession. The team works together. Anyway, I am seeing some not positive signs that I hope BB kicks their a$$'s about.

Actually he is hitting more this season than others, and he gets in there on the forecheck regularly. But the opposing players know about his ability to turnover outbound passes with his stick, so they kick the puck around the boards when he is incoming so he doesn't get the chance.

All those who were screaming for Pettersson to be traded or sent to the minors need to man-up and admit their mistake. He sparked the comeback and was key to this win. He is working hard and he will continue to improve. Great game by Demko... after the first goal by Ovie, Demko went mano a mano with the big Russki and stared him down. Good to see Miller and his line score too... they were getting snakebit after the previous three games. Bo continues his strong play... he has been the most consistent Canuck, even over the losses. On to Nashville... lets hope they get some rest and are ready.

You are correct that his shot is Hughes' biggest weakness. But I am betting that is exactly what he will focus on to improve... and I am betting it will improve.

Well deserved Thatcher!

Don't see what you are seeing in terms of drive. I think he is trying hard... but needs to make more changes to his game. He is passing well, he is playing decently defensively, but he continues to hesitate when shooting. (although this game he didn't have a lot of shooting chances I saw) His passing is still well over the average... tending towards elite... he makes one look passes... sometimes they are hard passes which are hard to handle, but at least once or twice a game they give players real scoring chances. His linemates are on a learning curve, they all need to be ready for a pass to come to them and ready to one time it. If Horvat had one-timed the pass he got in the Lightning game he probably would have scored.

Exactly... these people are being mis-informed by their opinion leaders and they are paying the price for the lies and egotistical rantings. I would be happy if the Anti-Vaxxers suddenly saw the light and started preaching the need for everyone to get vaccinated. But unfortunately these are the type of people who will never admit they are wrong... they just go deeper down the conspiracy rabbit hole and more people die.

The Canucks played well... they lost to a Stanley Cup team who knows how to bury their chances. On the other hand, the Canucks did not take advantage of their opportunities... for their first two PP's were overly focused on making the perfect pass... they needed to shoot more. Only in the last PP did they start firing and they had their best chances. 4th Line had a good game, although they were overmatched by the Lightning's 1st line on that goal. But they fought back and scored the 3-2 goal which made it close. Big change for the positive in how this line is playing under Boudreau. There was no lack of desire on the part of the players, they kept fighting to the end... that is what we can take from this game. Now they have a break before the weekend back to back and a chance to get their composure back. There is still an opportunity to break even on this road trip... lets see if they can come back.

Pettersson set up Horvat alone in front of the net.... he set up others for excellent chances too. I didn't see many chances to shoot so I don't think we can dump on him for his shooting. We need to be patient... all this whining on the boards is doing nothing for his confidence. I think it was a good choice to put him back with Garland and to add Horvat as the center. I think he could also be tried again at center with Garland and Podz.

I'm gonna reveal some information which may explain to the readers here why I am so annoyed with the Anti-Vaxxers. --- My Niece graduated from Nursing School 3 months before the pandemic hit. She is a specialist in Pediatrics in Toronto, and her job is delivering babies. For those who don't have wives or don't understand how childbirth works, I will say its an understatement to say it involves a lot of fluids. All through the time before the vaccines were available, my niece and her fellow nurses put on their PPE and delivered babies, even though many of their patient mom's were Covid positive and even though their protective gear really didn't protect them. Several of her fellow nurses got Covid and one was extremely sick, approaching death, and has not recovered or returned to work. Another has long Covid. Some of the others still do not feel 100%. But... now the Nursing Staff have been vaccinated, they are mostly protected. But that doesn't stop the burn out from seeing Covid positive mothers come in suffering and in some cases, dying. Overwhelmingly, (90%) these infected Moms are unvaccinated. Some of them it seems because of pressure from others not to take the vaccine. Other Moms who have been vaccinated and who come in not sick with Covid have been infected in the hospital... because this virus now spreads unbelievably well. Almost every one of my Nieces co-workers wants to quit... they are that fatigued and depressed with the situation. My Niece also wants to quit. None of them have quit because they know if they do, there will be no one to replace them. This is what this Pandemic and those who refuse to get vaccinated are doing to our Health Care system and those who work in it.

I can see the deniers came out of the woodwork for this post. All I can say, I hope you guys get your vaccines soon, because you are taking a risk which you might find out too late is a steep one.

This is the kind of disinformation which kills.

So you think it is in good taste and alright for people to post on this forum false information which could lead to people dying? But somehow you find it distasteful when I link to a site which posts about the real loss of life that results from this type of misinformation?

When does the government force people to get vaccinated? They offer clear advice and warnings, but they do not force anyone to get a vaccine... unless they are health care workers... which is kinda an obvious one, who wants a nurse breathing Covid over them.... and even then, the Government haven't followed through on their warnings they will fire those who don't get vaccinated. If you don't want to get vaccinated, you don't have to. Which is really a selfish and stupid move, unless you have a legitimate health reason not to.... (a very small number of people) Not getting vaccinated not only puts your own health at risk, it puts the health of anyone who is around you at risk. And it means you are more likely to be infected and end up in the hospital, which means those who need health care for other reasons can't get it. Completely preventable.