Tom Sestito Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 ^ So when can we start getting excited then? Game 82? Well, we were doing okay until game 40 or so last season, then were the second worst team in the NHL second to Buffalo. (And it was actually close) So I'll say game 36 this season. Reason being, we'll have the big roadtrip in which we go seven games to the east, along with this upcoming cali road trip, and another three games against the cali teams in quick succession - two in vancouver, one in LA in late dec. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riviera82 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 I'm pretty impressed so far, especially after tonight's game. Like several others though, I cant get too excited until after this team goes to battle with the three-headed Californian monster. If we can chop two of those heads off then I will be very convinced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Fivehole0 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 1. Calgary 2nd in the conference. They have beaten play-off teams so far. CBJ CHI NSV MTL 2. Edmonton 3. Edmonton 4. Tampa Deserved a better fate that game, Bishop was the difference maker. 5. Dallas Bad Game 6. St.Louis 7. Colorado Bad Game 8. Washington 9. Carolina 10. Montreal 11. Edmonton 12. Nashville Pekke Rinne in old form with Weber shutting down the Sedins 13. Colorado Proof that the 1st one was a bad game. Not exactly a schedule of world beaters. I'd say the only true playoff contenders on there are STL, Dallas, Tampa, and MTL (Who mind you have been on quite the slump against the West so they might not be all they're cracked up to be). I agree with the reserve judgement statements. The Canucks haven't just beaten teams, they have dominated quite a few of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeefcakeBo Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Biggest difference is Jim Benning. He took the Kesler mess and fleeced the Ducks, and made big moves in free agency. Where as Gillis couldn't seem to pull the trigger on a Kesler deal and would have just gone for bargain depth players in the off season. We would have never gone for Miller or Vrbata. We would have ended up with Santorelli and Bryzgalov or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp79 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Im really excited about the way we have started. to compare this start to last year up until december is unfair. our record flattered us. we sucked on the pp we couldn't score 5on5 we wre like the preds or the yotes every game was 2-1 or 3-1 and when we lost we usually only score 1 or none. This year feels different this team rolls 4 lines that all are playing well. Last year we had one line that was good until september and that was the twins with kesler. I know peopl wanna be cautious but let's at least admit this team is nowhere near last years team in any facet. if you wanna compare us to a team based on stats special teams all that including edler being on pace for almost 50 popints. A much better comparison would be the 2011 team. Yes I said it but everyones thinking it they just don't wanna admit it. That so called closed window is been opened the fu** up. This win tonight would never have happened last year. ive been made fun of so much for believing this team is still elite well maybe I wasn't to far off. I hope I don't end up with egg on my face lol. Oh and how good and not out of place did Bo look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viking mama Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Classy move by Desjardins to put Bo Horvat out to take the face off at the start of the game. He obviously had some faith in the kid,.. but he also knows the value in doing things like this. So - do these players! The reverse of this would be the Heritage Classic snub of Lu by Torts. That slight didnt just bother Luongo,...frankly it bothered most of the Canucks' fan-base & the entire roster of teammates in VAN's dressing-room,..including the guy who was tapped to start instead. Gestures like the one observed tonight... will be long remembered by the player & his family (who were on hand at the arena)... & will certainly endear this coach & the organization to the Horvats for years to come. This is a very clever coach who understands all of the ins & outs of the social sciences. He's a dandy & a keeper! I can certainly see why it's been so widely reported that he manages to get the 'best' out of his players. BTW - Bo rewarded WD's faith in him by winning 2/3 of his face-offs that night. Faith well placed & the investment in people, well made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabatoge95 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Last season was just a bad season. I was a fan of the Torts signing at the time, but he just wasn't the right fit for this team. Almost every player on this team is a better player than they appeared to be last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
messier's_elbow Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 ^ So when can we start getting excited then? Game 82? They played amazing tonight. I havent gotten this vibe from the team since 2011. Having said that, this team was good last year too till Jan. Then burned out mentally... If we make the playoffs this season was a success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iinatcc Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 ^ So when can we start getting excited then? Game 82? I think once the team makes it to the playoffs then us fans can get excited Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HC20.0 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Usually I wait to reserve judgement... But damn dudes we are rocking!! This is genuinely the most excited I've been watching Canucks hockey since the Boston game in 2012! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bookie Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Almost every player on this team is a better player than they appeared to be last season. so .... who's the exception? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wai_lai416 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 regardless of how we do in the california road trip.. this version of the canucks is far more entertaining than last year's everyone block shot defensive canucks.. we did well last year for the first couple months coz both our goalie played well too.. it's not like we were lighting up lamp up every game.. this year.. we are scoring goals? so even if we lose.. it's far more entertaining and i'd say that's a turnaround already.. from what we've been watching last year.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supermanbieksa Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 It's been a great start and I actually have a problem with the "wait for Cali roadtrip" until we make a judgement. So far we have more points than San Jose and LA, and we're one point behind Anaheim. And this is a "new" team were icing this year, so hopefully there will be even more improvements once everyone have built more chemistry. Because we're seeing improvements every week from players like Sbisa, Bonino, Vey and Mathias and there is no reason they and other players wouldn't continue in the same way. We have great depth this year, every line is contributing and we have players on the farm who is capable of filling a spot or two if injuries occurs. I believe this team will be a force come febuary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuck nit Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 There is no Olympic build up and deflation. There are no Luongo's and Kesler's providing distractions. There is no Gillis on his way out. There is no Tootsie dividing up his players into those who just hate him and those that are just putting up with him because they are getting playing time. There is no injury to Hank,who leads this team. There are no injuries to Burr,who led this team with Hank. There is no goalie getting worn down and another being berated by the coach. There is no hating 'going to the rink'. There is no 2.5 line shuffle. There is no lost season and team adrift on so many different levels it is in a rudderless state of imminent collapse. In short,the franchise has regained it's lost step through decisive management moves and veteran leadership. Personally,it is good to see a head coach and manager close to their players,positively supporting them forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldBrashear Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 1. Calgary 3rd 2. Edmonton 27th 3. Edmonton 27th 4. Tampa 5th - LOSS 5. Dallas 23rd - LOSS 6. St.Louis 6th 7. Colorado 26th - LOSS 8. Washington 25th 9. Carolina 28th 10. Montreal 7th 11. Edmonton 27th 12. Nashville 8th - LOSS 13. Colorado 26th Not exactly a schedule of world beaters. I'd say the only true playoff contenders on there are STL, Dallas, Tampa, and MTL (Who mind you have been on quite the slump against the West so they might not be all they're cracked up to be). I agree with the reserve judgement statements. I edited your post to add rankings. Gives a decent picture of where we are at. We are basically 3-2 against top 10 teams, and 6-2 against bottom 10 teams. This does make me concerned about how we are going to do in the next 3 games against the 1st, 9th and 10th ranked teams in the NHL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spook007 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Why all the negativity... So what if it turns out that we end up 0 and 3 in the next three games... This season has been great so far and all the doom and gloom, which were predicted before the season started has definitely not materialized as of yet. 4 months ago we went into a small rebuild and discussed, how long it would take before we could get into the playoffs again. (tanking for McDavid). I've been impressed as to how WD-40 has made the players work as a team again, and not called out anybody, neither during nor after games... Rolling 4 lines is a blessing, and will without doubt be felt as the season wears on. Probably help us not collapsing from January.. Special mention in this must go to Benning as well, as he brought in Millar and made, what now looks like some terrific deals in the off season... I also believe that the season under Torts made a few of the veterans realize how lucky they were under AV and that it can all vanish so easily. We'll have players coming up through the system over the next few years, that we all seem to be quite excited about so through my glasses the outlook in better than bright. Its a process... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honky Cat Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 I think that after last years disastrous season,this years expectations have been set considerably lower...Also,Mr Benning has divulged the team of all the players that don't want to be here,and replaced them with good team guys...Maybe this year,they're having fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdatb Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 John Tortorella = Best Canucks Coach Ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollumpus Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 I edited your post to add rankings. Gives a decent picture of where we are at. We are basically 3-2 against top 10 teams, and 6-2 against bottom 10 teams. This does make me concerned about how we are going to do in the next 3 games against the 1st, 9th and 10th ranked teams in the NHL. While this is interesting data I feel that it may not be that useful. A number of teams are having slow starts and key injuries at the start of the season. If you want to talk about levels of competition, Anaheim has played and beaten Buffalo (30th) twice, Colombus (29th), Colorado (26th), Dallas (23rd) and Philadelphia (22nd). They appear to be only playing .500 against any real competition. regards, G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canacks1970 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Its still early. Unfortunately we were really happy with Torts until December rolled around and then we went downhill. Hopefully Willie and the gang keep it up. Not all of us were happy to have Torts around. I thought of him as a Mike Keenan but much worse. Agree its still early. But there are a few changes to considered. There is comunication from Management and Coaches . You got players willing to play for Willie compare to last year they were walking on egg shells. The Sedins are not use for blocking shots and playing over 25 minutes a game to a point there burnt out by January. Management pointed out that playing the Sedins less minutes would make them more productive and learning from last year's playoffs that Rolling four lines are important. So instead of seeing a 4th line that only plays 3-4 mins a game to 9-10 mins a game makes a big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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