Darius

This team needs a legit PP qb and/or a legit 30+ goal scorer. They have practically everything else to get the job done... When Weber is on your top line PP and you have Zac Dalpe on your 1st line you know that you have some issues. Glad they actually pushed them around - the best part was seeing Brown and Nolan chickening out and then seeing Brown get his lunch fed to him for the first time against the canucks. This is the team toughness everyone has been asking for since 2011. Do they have any pure goal scorers in their system? Shinkaruk? then what? Gillis needs to address this - its hard watching a team of third liners + sedins and Kesler trying to get it done every night.

Kesler feeding Brown his lunch while his shirt was pulled over his head was worth the two points. That rat bag has been cheap shotting the Canucks for years. That LA team is a team of third liners + Kopitar, Carter and Doughboy - that goon coach sutter has them playing a 5 man box to perfection - add quick standing on his head and that is how they won the cup. This is the team toughness canuck fans have been calling for since 2011. Now they need a bona fide goal scorer and they need Burrows on the number 1 line. IMHO they should be shopping a combo of Hamhuis + prospect to get a decent return - a guy that can get 30+ goals and has a contract that wont expire in 2014. Why Weber is on the 1st unit PP and why Bieksa was chosen to stand in front of the net is beyond me - you have kassian on the bench, i think he would be a better choice in front of the net - he is a forward.

LA isnt tough, they have a bunch of big lugs that can play in the corners and play D. Sutters 5 man box around the net. Couple that with Quick's ability to stand on his head and that is how they won the cup. Sad part is a lot of teams are going to try and emulate them - say goodbye to the old days of speed and skill a la detroit. Glad Kesler fed that rat Brown his lunch. And their tough guy Nolan looked real tough chickening out with Sestito. They dont dress that goon for games and then they put him in against the Canucks so that he can run the Sedins. When Weise didnt fight Thornton even Hockey Night in Canada portrayed Weise as a coward - I doubt Nolan will be treated the same way. Canucks need a bonafied goal scorer - thats the bottom line. If all they can cup up with is Dalpe on the first line they have some serious issues in the offence department. Its time they part with a core piece to get a significant asset back. If I were them I would be shopping Hamhuis around - throw in one of their 3rd line center at best prospects (Gaunce? Schroeder?) and see if they can get a legit 30- 40 goal man.

A few points: 1. This team needs a face off man of Malhotra's calibre. I think most of the games they have lost in the last minute are due to losing possession of the puck right from the draw. 2. Not blaming the refs but if they had called 2 blatant Pittsburgh penalties in the last two minutes the game would have been over. NHL reffing is a joke, its the only pro league in the world where a penalty changes its definition depending on the team playing, the time of the infraction, and previous circumstances in the game. A penalty that is called in the first should be called in the third period too. 3. Kassian - if he can string together games like that he will be a force.

Kassian has been putting it together for a few weeks now. You could see glimpses of his passing abilities and his talent for reading the play on the fly. People who call him a goon or claim that he has no hockey IQ dont know what they are watching. Other than the Sedins I think this guy has the best ability to find the open man or to make a rink wide tape to tape pass. Goons and/or 4th liners do not have the talent to score the goal he scored last night. He put it all together last night, and he was given top 6 minutes. If he can manage to string together similar performances nobody is going to bring up the small and slow Hodgson again. Who would you want in a 7 game series against those big strong pacific division teams? Hodgson would be pushed around like a rag doll. Hopefully he can keep it up.

A few points: -This has to be one of the softest Defences to play against. Bieksa aside this is what we have: Tanev, Hamhuis, Garrison, Weber, Corrado - no wonder they are running Lu all night. All those guys have strengths but intimidation is not one of them. -That goon Sutter has figured out the Sedins - its easy...just do what Boston did. Play them tough and break the cycle on the boards and you pretty much neutralize them. It would be nice to see them score off of the rush. -Other than Sestito and Bieksa there was very little physical push back. Its a shame guys like Wiese, Kassian, Booth, Kesler dont punish their D. - Its frustrating to watch Kassian - he has the speed and the size to hit, but he doesnt. The guy is trying to be a playmaker and not a power forward....maybe thats what he is destined for....problem is Gillis thought he was getting a power forward when he traded hodgson. -The league is heading towards low skill goon hockey. Assemble the biggest and heaviest guys you can, put a 5 man box around the net, dump and try and kill the opposition on the boards. Have a couple of snipers and tada - you have a cup contender. The current canuck roster cannot counter this in a 7 game series. In 2011 they had the skill akin to Chicago and could out skill the opposition (until Boston ran them through the rink and they were all playing injured). The Edmonton oilers are polar opposite of what type of team is a contender today - all skill and all soft....

Yep, that guy just got owned.

Scrivens shut the door ...luongo did not when it really counted. However luongo would not be under the microscope if the canucks scored another goal. Too many third line guys playing over their heads. Most of the second pp unit are third liners. And hamhuis on the first pp.? Come on. These guys are a hard working team and they are a tough team but... A top 3 dman needs to be moved for a legit top 6 forward. I don't see any way out of it without sucking for a few years and building up the talent pool with draft picks.

Lou is a good goalie but he seems to have trouble making the key save at key times. If someone potted a goal on one of the other 7 power plays chances are Lou's save percentage would not be under the microscope. This team really needs a top 6 forward with hands. The only way, as I see it, to get a guy like that without compromising the future is moving one of the long standing top 3 dmen. Gillis can't wait around like Calgary management did for the team to hit rock bottom before moving some of the corner stones. This division is way to tough to get involved in a prolonged rebuild.

After they lost the scf in 2011 Gillis and the fanbase thought they had to build a team to beat Boston style teams. As shown tonight the team can handle any situation when the opponents try and take the game to the gutter. Unfortunately aside from the sedins and maybe Kesler the high end talent is not there. The only way they can improve the team this season is to trade a top 4 D for a legit top 6 goal scorer. I think that one of bieksa, ham hamhuis or edler can fetch a decent return. Tanev is showing he can step up and be at least as reliable as those three. Luongo seems to have an inability to make key saves at key moments. This is magnified by the lack of scoring. If someone managed to score one more goal on one of the other 7 pps the magnifying glass on Lou would go away.