Brock Boeser and the Calder race.

[Viper007]

On 1/17/2018 at 5:44 PM, cory40 said:

 

This is exactly why Boeser will win this. He is doing it regardless of who plays beside him. And injuries have decimated the Canucks. Yet Boeser keeps putting up numbers. Boeser will have a couple more big nights the race will be cose. Barzel will have a cold spell also. When the Media look at Vancouver and what Boeser has done, Sign the papers but Barzal has to beat Boeser by 10 points to win. And if Brock gets 35 goals its his to lose. Why because Brock's line has not been flashy. He at times has played with who ever. He could still win it with 30 goals. 

I hope you're right, but unfortunately another disadvantage that Brock has is that he plays on the west coast.  Most of the voters are on the east coast and see Barzal a lot more often than they do of Brock.

[cbdoubleu]

Can we just be honest and admit that Barzal has been exceptional? He is now in elite company in hitting 50 points in 50 games or less. Ladd was horrible until he got put on a line with Barzal. Eberle was demoted to Barzal's line and now look at the year he's having. Beauvillier was having trouble staying in the lineup and now look at what he's doing. All because they have had an opportunity to play with Barzal. Not the other way around. All homerisms aside, the kid from Coquitlam deserves it if the season ended today.

[Tyndall2]

Have to agree that Barzal is the favourite barring any injuries or major breakdown.  He is playing with better players, playing loads on the power play and as mentioned noticed and covered by East Coast media.  Brock will have to light it up for the second half of the season to even come close.  

[cbdoubleu]

1 minute ago, Tyndall2 said:

Have to agree that Barzal is the favourite barring any injuries or major breakdown.  He is playing with better players, playing loads on the power play and as mentioned noticed and covered by East Coast media.  Brock will have to light it up for the second half of the season to even come close.  

Stop making untrue excuses. He's having a better rookie season, bottom line. Also Brock plays PP Unit 1 too, and has 16 PPP to Barzal's 14.

[yes we can nucks]

11 minutes ago, Tyndall2 said:

Have to agree that Barzal is the favourite barring any injuries or major breakdown.  He is playing with better players, playing loads on the power play and as mentioned noticed and covered by East Coast media.  Brock will have to light it up for the second half of the season to even come close.  

 

7 minutes ago, cbdoubleu said:

Stop making untrue excuses. He's having a better rookie season, bottom line. Also Brock plays PP Unit 1 too, and has 16 PPP to Barzal's 14.

Both are having great rookie seasons.  But Brock has a greater challenge to keep producing when he's keyed on by opposing teams.  There's no other consistent threat on the Canucks. That's not the case with Barzal.  The Islanders have a guy named Tavares who is their top threat and gets most of the attention.  That frees up Barzal to do his thing... and to his credit, he has been very consistent.  The easier matchup is no small matter. 

Now that both Horvat and Baertschi are back, Brock will have better finishers on his line.  And hopefully he'll start scoring again because the other team can't just key on him anymore.  This horse race ain't over yet!

[Tortorella's Rant]

It's over; Barzal running away with it. Boeser won't catch him unless Barzal gets injured or hits a cold streak and Brock racks up the points in response to that

[The Great Canucks]

Screw Barzal! Boeser all the way!

[yes we can nucks]

8 hours ago, Tortorella's Rant said:

It's over; Barzal running away with it. Boeser won't catch him unless Barzal gets injured or hits a cold streak and Brock racks up the points in response to that

Far from over.  Brock is only 7 pts behind Barzal after today's game.  And he's got 24 goals vs 16 for Barzal.  There's lots of games left to be played.

[867-five-309]

On 23/01/2018 at 3:08 PM, Tortorella's Rant said:

It's over; Barzal running away with it. Boeser won't catch him unless Barzal gets injured or hits a cold streak and Brock racks up the points in response to that

7 points or whatever is not a huge obstacle to overcome with 30 games remaining. There are a lot of things that could happen.

[oldnews]

Barzal has played 4 more games than Boeser.  Really, the gap is more like 3 pts.

 

Where I'd give Barzal the edge is 5 on 5, where he has 36 pts to Boeser's 25.  Also has somewhat better underlying numbers, but there are contributing factors.

 

However, Barzal hasn't had to suffer through stretches with Sam Gagner (no disrespect intended to Gagner)  who, needless to say, is not a 1C - although Vanek has been very good.

Barzal also gets to come in behind the Tavares line (who obviously eat the key matchups) - while Boeser has been the principle player our opposition has had to shut down.

 

For that reason I'd lean towards Boeser deserving the edge, athough it's close and would appear to favour Barzal.   Really like Barzal, but it'd be interesting whether he could produce at that rate here, in the context Brock has.

[flickyoursedin]

32 minutes ago, oldnews said:

Barzal has played 4 more games than Boeser.  Really, the gap is more like 3 pts.

 

Where I'd give Barzal the edge is 5 on 5, where he has 36 pts to Boeser's 25.  Also has somewhat better underlying numbers, but there are contributing factors.

 

However, Barzal hasn't had to suffer through stretches with Sam Gagner (no disrespect intended to Gagner)  who, needless to say, is not a 1C - although Vanek has been very good.

Barzal also gets to come in behind the Tavares line (who obviously eat the key matchups) - while Boeser has been the principle player our opposition has had to shut down.

 

For that reason I'd lean towards Boeser deserving the edge, athough it's close and would appear to favour Barzal.   Really like Barzal, but it'd be interesting whether he could produce at that rate here, in the context Brock has.

Barzal also seems to average about 1-2 minutes more ice time per game and on a team that averages 3.4 goals per game where Boeser on the Canucks with much less support (getting harder defensive matchups) and fewer minutes per game is on a team that averages 2.4 goals per game. Hope all these variables factor in some way.

[Kevin Biestra]

I think Boeser actually leading his team in scoring (and by a good margin) should be a decent X factor when it comes to voting in the end.  Barzal and Boeser are both impressive rookies, but Boeser has been the best player on his own team all season long.

[Ronaldoescobar]

While not what I would like to happen i think the voting will go along the lines of:

 

1 - Barzal

2 - McAvoy

3 - Boeser

[bobbyg43]

If even strength goals are a major hidden attribute, then it’s a home run for Barzel as winner. Being mindful of 30 games left it is still not over.

[Rush17]

I think Barzal has a crush on Boeser lol  https://www.nhl.com/news/calder-trophy-favorites-mathew-barzal-brock-boeser-q-and-a/c-295259488

 

Barzal, Boeser discuss Calder Trophy race

Islanders center, Canucks forward considered favorites for award given to top rookie

 

New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal and Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser are first and second in NHL rookie scoring heading into the All-Star break, and appear to be the favorites for the Calder Trophy, which is awarded to the top rookie in the League. 

Barzal, 20, was born in Coquitlam, British Columbia, which is about 30 miles from Vancouver; he leads NHL rookies with 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists). Boeser, 20, is from Burnsville, Minnesota. He leads NHL rookies with 24 goals and is second in points (43).

Their rookie scoring race has played out over social media, with Canucks fans and Islanders fans throwing their posts behind their hometown hero.

"That is definitely a weird one," Boeser said. "That I'm on his hometown team and they were his favorite team growing up. But I think this makes it more fun for him, for sure."

 

Said Barzal: "It's kind of funny, actually. I was up in Vancouver for a couple of days over the break. It's all you hear about up there. It's pretty cool, it's pretty funny. It's where I'm from and I grew up watching the Canucks, and for him to be on the Canucks … yeah, it's pretty cool the way it worked out."

Barzal and Boeser played against each other for the first time in the NHL on Nov. 28, a 5-2 Islanders win at Barclays Center. The only point scored between the two of them was an assist by Barzal.

Boeser will play in the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, SN, TVA Sports). The Islanders and Canucks will play for the second time this season at Rogers Arena on March 5.

NHL.com caught up with Boeser and Barzal to get their thoughts on the Calder race and each other.

 

How hard is it to not pay attention to the race?

Boeser: "I try not to focus on it but obviously when Barzal is putting up three-point games, it's hard not to notice. I know what I have to do to play my game. It's obviously a big award at the end of the year but I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about my play within my team game."

Barzal: "It's pretty hard actually, because it's kind of everywhere. But it's fun. Obviously, Brock and [Arizona Coyotes forward] Clayton [Keller], even [Boston Bruins defenseman] Charlie McAvoy, everyone's having a great season. It's pushing me, man. It's making me push myself just knowing they're having good seasons, and I'm doing the same. I think it's good for everybody, actually."

 

Do you know each other?

Boeser: "I know him a little bit. I met him at the [NHL Scouting] Combine. I played against him growing up, in summer tournaments and stuff. He's been that good of a player since he was a little kid."

Barzal: "I actually did get to know him a little bit at the NHL Combine. I remember twice we hung out. He's a good guy."

 

Do you watch his games often?

Boeser: "No, I honestly never get to see any other NHL games."

Barzal: "Yeah, I do. I watch everybody. I keep a pretty close eye on the NHL."

 

Give me your scouting report on him.

Boeser: "I'd say he's probably one of the best skaters in the League. He's a two-way guy and he competes super hard. He's super-skilled and I think he loves winning. He's had that attitude his whole life and just playing against him growing up, he's always been one of the best in the whole world for our age group, so it doesn't surprise me to see the success he's having."

Barzal: "I mean, the first thing that comes to mind is his shot. His release, he probably has one of the better shots in the entire League. But I think the biggest thing about him is his positional IQ. He puts himself in the right spots. He's always in areas to shoot and get good passes. That's how he creates a lot of his offense. That's how I see it; he's always in the right spots and always looking to shoot. He's just a big power winger."

 

If there's a significant difference between you two, what would it be?

Boeser: "I think we are different players. Obviously, he's a better skater and he can really use his speed well in the game. I'm not as good a skater as him and I think I have to make plays in different areas where he can stickhandle through guys, stuff like that. I rely heavily on my shot when I have a chance to use that."
 
Barzal: "I think our styles are a little bit different. I'm a centerman, he's a winger. I would love to play with him. I feel like our games would fit together on a line pretty nicely. I'm a skating centerman, he's a winger, he's a sniper. You need both."

 

How much more comfortable do you feel now as opposed to opening night?

Boeser: "I think I've come a long way on the confidence side of things. Just looking at last year, I think that experience helped me a ton and just learning from that, it prepared me for the summer, so I knew how to prepare for this year. Once I got into this year, it's been more about maintaining my body, making sure I'm strong and working on the right things and then it became about the confidence, once you're playing good hockey with good linemates, it started going well … and that made it a little easier to play the game."

Barzal: "Much more comfortable. Just getting back to stuff like how I used to play in junior a little bit offensively and having that comfortability on the ice. I'm playing minutes with special players I get to play with here in New York and learn a lot from. It's been a great ride so far and I feel comfortable every day."

 

How important is it to you to win the award?

Boeser: "I try not to worry about it, honestly. I just focus on what I can do within our team and if I have a chance to win at the end of the year, then great. If not, I'm not worried about that side of things. My play within the team game is more important."

Barzal: "Honestly, it's something that's just there because it is an award. There's a lot of talk about it, but at the end of the day, I'll take being in the playoffs and playing in big-time games over winning the Calder Trophy. I'm here to win. I may be just a rookie, but my goal at the end of my career is to have a Stanley Cup, not a Calder Trophy. I'm just trying to help this team progress and hopefully we work towards that."

[Rush17]

Barzal huge lead on bob's mid season trophy leaders. 

 

Boeser way down with 4 votes. mcavoy right behind with 3 votes.  Believe they said there is like 31 voters. (coaches I think vote).   ie Barzal likely has the remaining votes which is around: 24.

 

talk about some east coast bias.  i know boeser has slowed up some but 7th in league scoring on a bad team? hes kept us in many games.

[Rush17]

double posted somehow.

[peaches5]

Quote

Barzal: "I think our styles are a little bit different. I'm a centerman, he's a winger. I would love to play with him. I feel like our games would fit together on a line pretty nicely. I'm a skating centerman, he's a winger, he's a sniper. You need both."

[flickyoursedin]

Really wish the Canucks would bring in that North Dakota announcer for a game or maybe just cut and paste his “BROCK BOESER ON THE POWERPLAY” and the “YES SIR BROCK BOESER” and we play it after every goal Boeser scores before the goal music comes on. For those that don’t remember here’s the highlight video and it’s his first two goals of the video! The guy just gets me pumped up! I’m sure Brock would get a kick out of it!

 

 

 

 

 

[IBatch]

Congratulations Brock, on winning the accurate shot skills competition and to the fans that got to hear all the nice things they said about him and the future of the franchise.  Go Canucks!