*Buzzsaw*

I think the fix is in for the Leafs in this series... I have seen a lot of soft calls against the Panthers so far. Big surprise, Kelly Sutherland is the Ref, he usually is there to do Bettman's bidding.

Oilers are younger and stronger... I pick them to win this... although it will likely go 7. D is much better, and Skinner, although not top quality, is good enough to backstop a powerhouse offense. I don't see McDavid being denied.... he didn't play particularly well in the series vs LA, I think he comes alive against Vegas.

Leafs' defense is being exposed. Panthers have two really balanced lines... Barkov line and Bennett line... both are heavy forecheck lines. Leafs don't have enough quality D to matchup with both... Boston had the same problem. I predicted Boston was not going to get to the finals, and I was not surprised the Panthers beat them. Panthers finished top of the East last year, yes, they went into the toilet early this year after the big trades, but they started to find their feet again at the end of the season. They have a really strong D corps... and with the two top lines, and their size, they are going to be a really tough challenge for the Leafs. And Bobrovsky is better than Samsonov. Leafs have never finished top of the East... their team feeds off wins over lower ranked teams, but they don't do so good against quality opposition. Yeah, they beat Tampa, but that team was significantly older and slower than last year.... which was older and slower than the year before. Tampa never replaced Palat, Goodrow, Verhaege, (who plays for the Panthers) etc. And they were missing Cernak who was an absolute key player for them. I pick Florida to eliminate Toronto.

I am sorry it has come to this with Bo's relationship with the team. I understand he was angry at being traded, but he should have kept quiet. He might have returned some day if he'd kept his head down and just worked hard. I think he was unfortunate as Captain... being under Green most of the way... and then with all his decent defensemen allowed to leave by management. As a player, he had promise, but never lived up to his potential... he could have been an impact player with a higher level of compete... and more edge. Needed to display a little more meanness... he had the strength to overpower or whip just about anyone in the league... he showed that with his few fights... but it wasn't in his nature.

Have to disagree... McDavid didn't choke last year, he won the first series on his own... the rest of the team just wasn't good enough for the rest of the opposition. This year Colorado is not the same team and the Oilers are much better defensively and with goaltending... plus Nugent-Hopkins had a career year, Kane is healthy with a full year of playing with the team and Zack Hyman is red hot. LA is going down fast.

I believe this is the Oilers year. I do not think McDavid will be denied. Plus the defense is much better and Skinner is playing well. And I have that feeling the Bruins are going to get upset in one of the East series.

You are right... management and coaches basically shot themselves in the foot repeatedly this season... or maybe better to say, shot the fans in the foot. But I don't think the Canucks will miss the playoffs next year unless Pettersson or Demko get season ending injuries. They will finish in a Wild Card spot or maybe 3rd in the Division... then get eliminated in either the 1st or 2nd round... unless Demko stands on his head and the Defense has been improved... but I don't see a lot of room for high quality defense additions with the Canucks' Cap situation.

Salute to Cheech!

Nice ending to the season. Garland may not be worth his salary, but he tries really hard to be worth it.

When I was a kid my family had a female Siamese cat which was the best hunter I have ever seen. She specialized in bringing back her catches alive... and she would bring them to my sister's bed as presents. (she liked my sister the best) My sister said she didn't mind waking up to a little mouse or mole running around in her bed... but the time she woke up to a garter snake in the bed was the day she decided to shut the door at night.

Results of this game no longer matter. Blues lost so the Canucks are in 12th spot for draft pick.

That hit on Aman and the fight is why we need someone like Tryamkin.

I'm an ace wasp killer... my neighbours ask me to do it and I am happy to do so if they provide the can of wasp killer. You wait till dusk, dress appropriately, hit the entrance hole of the nest with the first shot to keep them bottled up, then move in for the kill, insert the spray tube into the hole and fill 'er up with the foam... don't stop. Wasps not only kill bees, they get inside your home's walls and chew away at the unfinished wood foundations... they are like termites. If you let them get under your eaves by leaving holes in the facia etc., then you will have issues.

Yes, kill the Black Widows... plenty of them and they are nasty.

Those big huge spiders are Wolf spiders... completely harmless, very mild poison, and don't bite unless you provoke them continually, i.e. poke them with your finger while holding them in your hand... if you pick them up with kleenex, they will sit there quietly as you dump them out the window... eat tons of crawly bugs which damage your home.

On a brighter side... it is a pleasure to have watched John Garret for all these years. Not the greatest goalie, (although anyone who makes the NHL is a extraordinary athlete) but his knowledge of hockey is huge. Plus of course, such a great guy. Sorry to see you go Cheech... you will be missed.

Blues management understand what is important. They lose... that puts Canucks ahead in the standings... win or lose. Another drop in the pick order. Pile on the futility.

None of the GM's will sign him... Bedard will sit. Bettman can make sure that will happen.

Canucks offense looks good versus a lot of teams... including the Coyotes. But even against the Coyotes, the defense is not a good look. The sequence leading up to the Coyote 2nd goal was about as poor structurally as you can get.

You are delusional. No way Bettman allows it to happen.

I am not advocating tearing it down... I am pointing out that through a series of circumstances, the team underperformed. But instead of accepting the fact there is no way they'd make the playoffs and optimizing their drafting options, management/ownership decided to put the money on a futile chase of an impossible target... the playoffs. (so we are told... as I said, I think it is ownership being a bunch of money grubbers who can't see further ahead than their next set of box office receipts) Short sighted is the best description.

The way the Coyotes are being coached is exactly how a tanking team should be. They have their eyes on the prize... no messing around. Worry about team spirit and integrity in training camp... if they have Bedard in that camp... I am sure the player mood will be a lot more chipper.

I assume the OP is trying to compare the current Canucks team to last years Cup Champs. If so, the answer clearly is no. In 2022 MacKinnon was the 2nd best forward in the league, Makar was the best D-man. Plus Av's had Landeskog, Rantenen, Toews, plus a much better supporting cast. The only area where the Canucks might have an advantage is in goaltending, but Demko has to show more than a couple games in the Bubble season. The biggest deficiency for the Canucks is their D... with the exception of Hughes, who even for partisans, has to be rated behind Makar, besides him, there is no one on the Canucks who remotely compares to the Av's back line. Top six in forwards the Av's 2022 team is better than the Canucks, bottom six the Av's are better. This year the Av's are in tough... with Landeskog gone for the playoffs and Makar and MacKinnon both recovering from injury. Plus no Kadri. At this stage I think the Oilers may get past them. But last year... the team was a monster.

There is a really good chance the Canucks will pass Detroit if they win tonight... and compound the exercise in futility which characterised the last 1/4 season of 2023. Detroit is already losing to Tampa... and if the Canucks win, a tie will see the Canucks ranked higher in the standings. The fact the Canucks have a good chance of picking 12th is a excellent example of how this management has botched the season not just once, but TWICE for this team. Not only did they not recruit a decent set of D-men last summer, the key to improving the team's play, they then did not assess and accept the disastrous set of losses which resulted from Demko's injury and the inadequate play of Martin and Delia as replacements. Instead of realizing this season was a washout, they waited till it was too late to make the playoffs, but early enough to see enough improvement to squander a decent pick, and replaced Boudreau with Tocchet. The inevitable 'coach's bounce', plus the much better results from Demko's return has raised the team in the standings from the #6 position, where their chance at a really good pick was excellent, to either 11th or 12th, where their chance at any impact player is basically negligible. The rationale behind this second poor decision was apparently 'team building' and a 'new system', but in fact, it probably was more mundane... the owner wanted fans in the seats. Waiting another 10 games before firing Boudreau would have made no difference to team building or installation of a new system, there would have been enough games remaining to allow that. On the other hand, another 10 games of bad results would have firmly cemented the team in the basement and provided a guarantee of a good pick. For those of us who have been Canucks fans since the late '70's, and who have seen this pattern for quite a while, it becomes very frustrating to watch what management has done for the last 10+ years. Maybe we will get lucky and win the lottery, maybe some low pick will miraculously blossom, but right now things don't look good. We have some fine young pieces, but not the totality which is needed to be a real contender. And if the Canucks start to make the playoffs the next few years, the chance of finding those extra elements needed to put the Canucks over the top are remote.

I have to ask the guys on the board who are cheering that the Canucks have won a meaningless game: What exactly has the team won? - Bragging rights for a day? - Opportunity to say they beat the 2nd worst team in the league? - Team Building is one usually mentioned... but Tocchet already has his system in place... beating LA last night would have been the opportunity to show team building... not winning against a bottom feeder... Boudreau's team would likely have beaten Anaheim. Even if the team doesn't win the lottery, even if it doesn't move up, the fact is, drafting 8th instead of 11th gives a lot more choices. But at this point, looks like they are drafting 11th. Tocchet could have been playing Delia 50% of the games from the time he took over... and no one would have said a thing... the Canucks record would have been worse. Better yet, Boudreau could have been left in place another 10 games. Anyway, there is now left a chance pure dumb luck will give the team a good pick... but considering how Canuck luck has been... don't keep your hopes up.