[Edited] Bottom 5 Finish Now in Reach!

[AV.]

I've been seeing this idea go around on Twitter that the Canucks would comfortably be in a playoff spot had they been playing in the Pacfic division.

 

While we're at it, we may as well say the Canucks would comfortably be in first place if they were playing against u14s.  That darn NHL, always screwing us over!

Edited March 17, 2021 by Alain Vigneault

[mll]

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Edited March 17, 2021 by mll

[spur1]

1 hour ago, Alain Vigneault said:

I've been seeing this idea go around on Twitter that the Canucks would comfortably be in a playoff spot had they been playing in the Pacfic division.

 

While we're at it, we may as well say the Canucks would comfortably be in first place if they were playing against u14s.  That darn NHL, always screwing us over!

Facts are facts. Could have should’ve would’ve. If my aunt had balls she would have been my uncle. 

[D-Money]

1 hour ago, Alain Vigneault said:

I've been seeing this idea go around on Twitter that the Canucks would comfortably be in a playoff spot had they been playing in the Pacfic division.

 

While we're at it, we may as well say the Canucks would comfortably be in first place if they were playing against u14s.  That darn NHL, always screwing us over!

 

13 minutes ago, spur1 said:

Facts are facts. Could have should’ve would’ve. If my aunt had balls she would have been my uncle. 

Comfortably? Who’s doing that math? LA and Arizona are just 2 points behind us, with 5 and 4 games in hand respectively.

 

Not to mention we’re 4-0 vs Ottawa. Don’t think we’d have a better record playing them less.

 

Canucks are almost out of it because they’ve played terrible hockey for long stretches. If Demko hadn’t stole some games (such as last night), they’d already be toast.

[kingofsurrey]

50 minutes ago, spur1 said:

Facts are facts. Could have should’ve would’ve. If my aunt had balls she would have been my uncle. 

Rumor is your Aunt has balls....... 

[IBatch]

6 hours ago, D-Money said:

 

Comfortably? Who’s doing that math? LA and Arizona are just 2 points behind us, with 5 and 4 games in hand respectively.

 

Not to mention we’re 4-0 vs Ottawa. Don’t think we’d have a better record playing them less.

 

Canucks are almost out of it because they’ve played terrible hockey for long stretches. If Demko hadn’t stole some games (such as last night), they’d already be toast.

I'm pretty comfortable playing SJ, LA, ANA and ARI - as are MIN, COL, St. Louis etc...for sure it's a weak division.  And will get weaker .. EK saying he didn't realize he was coming into a rebuild is fairly naive given Pavelski's age, Burns age, Coutures age etc.   Wilson has managed to re-tool for quite some time but eventually the too will be like we were, picking high for awhile.   ANA without Gibson would be quite a bit worse, doing his best Luongo impression.   Too bad Seattle is coming in and ARI is out.   LA isn't that good.   For sure the Pacific will be an easier division then the North is...bet OTT wouldnt have too much trouble against these teams either. 

[granpappy]

7 hours ago, D-Money said:

If Demko hadn’t stole some games (such as last night), they’d already be toast.

i just don't understand why they continually let him dress up in a team jersey

[IBatch]

16 hours ago, Provost said:

That seems about right.  I just wish I shared your optimism about being able to get close to that level of play.

I don't think anyone would be happier than me if Demko somehow dragged us into the post season with his play.

So far two CDCers have said they'd tattoo Demko's face onto their body parts if we made it .... wonder how happy they will be lol.

[D-Money]

2 hours ago, IBatch said:

I'm pretty comfortable playing SJ, LA, ANA and ARI - as are MIN, COL, St. Louis etc...for sure it's a weak division.  And will get weaker .. EK saying he didn't realize he was coming into a rebuild is fairly naive given Pavelski's age, Burns age, Coutures age etc.   Wilson has managed to re-tool for quite some time but eventually the too will be like we were, picking high for awhile.   ANA without Gibson would be quite a bit worse, doing his best Luongo impression.   Too bad Seattle is coming in and ARI is out.   LA isn't that good.   For sure the Pacific will be an easier division then the North is...bet OTT wouldnt have too much trouble against these teams either. 

Ah, so you’re talking about the West division, not Pacific. I don’t think the top 4 (Vegas, Colorado, Minnesota, St. Louis) are worse than the Canadian top-4. In fact, I’m pretty sure Vegas is better than any teams in the North, maybe Colorado too.

 

It’s easier to make the playoffs in the Canadian division than anywhere else, because there are 7 teams in it.

[73 Percent]

3 minutes ago, D-Money said:

Ah, so you’re talking about the West division, not Pacific. I don’t think the top 4 (Vegas, Colorado, Minnesota, St. Louis) are worse than the Canadian top-4. In fact, I’m pretty sure Vegas is better than any teams in the North, maybe Colorado too.

 

It’s easier to make the playoffs in the Canadian division than anywhere else, because there are 7 teams in it.

One thing to keep in mind is how we were built. I agree with you that the Pacific division is a bit better than the canadian division. But we were built to play against the bigger teams of the west coast. Hence why the speedy east teams skate circles around us.

 

 

It's a weird year.

[CanucksJay]

47 minutes ago, D-Money said:

Ah, so you’re talking about the West division, not Pacific. I don’t think the top 4 (Vegas, Colorado, Minnesota, St. Louis) are worse than the Canadian top-4. In fact, I’m pretty sure Vegas is better than any teams in the North, maybe Colorado too.

 

It’s easier to make the playoffs in the Canadian division than anywhere else, because there are 7 teams in it.

Well....we did just beat Minni and St Louis last playoffs and took Vegas to game 7 so technically, we are better than 2 of those teams. 

[AV.]

12 hours ago, D-Money said:

 

Comfortably? Who’s doing that math? LA and Arizona are just 2 points behind us, with 5 and 4 games in hand respectively.

 

Not to mention we’re 4-0 vs Ottawa. Don’t think we’d have a better record playing them less.

 

Canucks are almost out of it because they’ve played terrible hockey for long stretches. If Demko hadn’t stole some games (such as last night), they’d already be toast.

That's precisely my point.

 

Many who support Benning and believe his conveyor belt of excuses for why the Canucks are bad this year are the same ones who are peddling this idea that we'd be a playoff team under normal circumstances.

[D-Money]

2 hours ago, CanucksJay said:

Well....we did just beat Minni and St Louis last playoffs and took Vegas to game 7 so technically, we are better than 2 of those teams. 

Minnesota has improved this season. Better goaltending, and Kaprisov has upped their forward talent. The numbers suggest they’re a better team than Vancouver this season, by a fair margin.

 

Most of the Blues were recovering from COVID. And on top of that, their goalie imploded. Not sure we win that series if they just let Allen play it. Vegas absolutely dominated us. Demko’s goaltending was in no way sustainable.

 

As well as the team did in the bubble, it is becoming clear that it was lightning in a bottle. The team was falling out of a playoff spot when the pandemic hit, and is back to being a non-playoff team.

 

I’m a big Canucks fan, and want to believe they are better than their record suggests, but the evidence suggests they’re just not a good hockey team...again. 

[CanucksJay]

4 minutes ago, D-Money said:

Minnesota has improved this season. Better goaltending, and Kaprisov has upped their forward talent. The numbers suggest they’re a better team than Vancouver this season, by a fair margin.

 

Most of the Blues were recovering from COVID. And on top of that, their goalie imploded. Not sure we win that series if they just let Allen play it. Vegas absolutely dominated us. Demko’s goaltending was in no way sustainable.

 

As well as the team did in the bubble, it is becoming clear that it was lightning in a bottle. The team was falling out of a playoff spot when the pandemic hit, and is back to being a non-playoff team.

 

I’m a big Canucks fan, and want to believe they are better than their record suggests, but the evidence suggests they’re just not a good hockey team...again. 

Yes Minni is looking better this year but their record could also be attributed to playing Coyotes, Ducks, Sharks and King's all season long. 

That is easier than our division bottom feeders which is pretty much just OTT (and us) 

The fact that the even the King's have a winning record shows that beating up on multiple lower tier teams can inflate perception. 

As for the Blues and covid, yes I did read reports that during stoppage, some players contracted it. 

The GM said they only started to feel better after playing in the bubble but prior to that, they didn't get to work out etc. 

That sounds similar to the Canucks excuse that they haven't had enough practice time and days off to start the season to properly get ready yet we aren't acknowledging that as an acceptable excuse. 

[D-Money]

23 minutes ago, CanucksJay said:

Yes Minni is looking better this year but their record could also be attributed to playing Coyotes, Ducks, Sharks and King's all season long. 

That is easier than our division bottom feeders which is pretty much just OTT (and us) 

The fact that the even the King's have a winning record shows that beating up on multiple lower tier teams can inflate perception. 

As for the Blues and covid, yes I did read reports that during stoppage, some players contracted it. 

The GM said they only started to feel better after playing in the bubble but prior to that, they didn't get to work out etc. 

That sounds similar to the Canucks excuse that they haven't had enough practice time and days off to start the season to properly get ready yet we aren't acknowledging that as an acceptable excuse. 

The Blues had a lot less time to get their crap together in the bubble than we have this season. They had 9 games over 20 days. Canucks were in OK shape after their first 11 games. But they fell apart from game 12 through 24, when they went 2-9-2.

 

Kings are turning into a pretty good team. In their last 13 games prior to COVID, Kings went 10-2-1, including a win over Vegas, and going 2-0-1 against Colorado. Comparatively, Canucks went 6-6-1, including losses to Anaheim, Arizona, and Ottawa. Both teams are kind of picking up where they left off. Although LA is 2 points behind us, they have 5 games in hand - their .519 point percentage is far better than Vancouver's .469. San Jose and Arizona are also ahead of Vancouver by that measure as well.

 

Edited March 17, 2021 by D-Money

[mll]

12 minutes ago, CanucksJay said:

Yes Minni is looking better this year but their record could also be attributed to playing Coyotes, Ducks, Sharks and King's all season long. 

That is easier than our division bottom feeders which is pretty much just OTT (and us) 

The fact that the even the King's have a winning record shows that beating up on multiple lower tier teams can inflate perception. 

As for the Blues and covid, yes I did read reports that during stoppage, some players contracted it. 

The GM said they only started to feel better after playing in the bubble but prior to that, they didn't get to work out etc. 

That sounds similar to the Canucks excuse that they haven't had enough practice time and days off to start the season to properly get ready yet we aren't acknowledging that as an acceptable excuse. 

 

Minnesota outproduced the Canucks by 15 goals at 5v5 last season while allowing 5 less.  Canucks relied on special teams to make the difference especially their PP but were average at 5v5.  Wild had poor special teams especially their PK.  Other than the 1st game it was mostly a special teams battle which speaks to Vancouver’s strength and the Wild’s weakness. 

 

The Wild continue to be one of the better 5v5 teams.  They are deep which makes them harder to defend + they are one of the very best defensive teams.  Their PK is so much better now that they have goaltending (86%) but PP is horrid (last at 8%).  If the games are mostly at EV not really seeing Vancouver coming out on top.  The Wild are still in a retool.  

 

They have played Vegas and Colorado each 4 times and have 2 wins against each.

 

LA were one of the better teams to end last season.  McLellan says they are out of their rebuild and it’s time to climb.  

 

[oldnews]

On 3/16/2021 at 1:05 PM, CanucksJay said:

Super long shot but Canucks have 5 games VS Sens and Oilers and 4 against Flames (14 games) 

If we go 4-1 VS Oilers and 3-1 VS Flames and 5-0 against Sens, do you think we would make the playoffs? 

My belief is that Mtl is going to make it. That means I am cheering for Mtl to beat the flames and Oilers everytime they play. 

That leaves final spot between,.us,Oilers and Flames.

Its imperative that we either sweep them or come close. 

That leaves 10 games between Leafs, Mtl AND Winnipeg where we need to sport a winning record like 6-4

 

So remaining season we need to go 18-6 while beating Flames and Oilers in our series. 

 

I am optimistic but that means we need to bring our A game every night. Our effort level yesterday was puzzling but they eeked out a win. They really shouldn't be saving anything in the tank right now. 

 

I'm talking as a hopeful fan when the odds of doing what I wrote above is very slim. 

Canucks need to take it one game at a time and play their best hockey to, have a chance. 

 

I think quality of competition for remaining games will be a huge factor in playoff outcomes. Oilers last 6 games would look disastrous if they didn't sweep Ottawa 3 in a row. 

I think they have the toughest schedule remaining. 

 

Oilers fans are worried because they watch every game and know how they play when not playing the Sens. (only 2 games left VS Sens btw) 

Oilers remaining games

Toronto x 2

Mtl x 6

Win x 4

(12 games VS playoff teams) 

Ott x 2 (2 easy games left) 

 

Flames have 

Tor x 5

Mtl x 5

Win x 4

(14 games VS playoff teams) 

Ott x 4 (4 easy games left) 

 

Canucks have 

Tor x 4

Mtl x 2

Win x 4

(10 games VS playoff teams) 

Ott x 5 (5 easy games left) 

 

Remaining games are VS each other. 

 

When I look at this, Canucks have the easiest remaining schedule when not facing Oilers or Flames. 

That alone should shave a few points. 

 

And then we control our own destiny when playing  flames and Oilers. If we lose to them, we don't deserve playoffs anyway... 

 

Final thought. Oilers and Flames play each other 5 more times. Best case scenario is no 3 pt games and a relatively even record  with flames edging Oilers 3-2. This ensures one team doesn't run away in the standings and we are relying on us and the remaining teams (Tor, Mtl, Win, Ott) to beat them

 

Hopefully battle of Alberta heats up and bodies get banged up in the process

The last bolded part is a big factor imo.  I don't necessarily think it's a matter of "effort" though - I think the effort is probably there, it's the energy that is debatable.

A young group and a brutal schedule has been one thing - but now they're facing overlapping center injuries...they're winning without EP - and now Beagle - but that puts an awful lot of pressure on Miller, Horvat and Sutter.  Thankfully - they have that 2nd natural center on the top line (Miller was, in part, such a great acquisition because of his ability to handle the harder aspects of the center position / that hybrid relationship with EP) - but now he's also paying off in EP's absence.  His energy this season, though, has been spotty (since the covid outage = better recently, but is the group's energy as a whole sustainable?   At least their schedule slows a bit - they really need that week off with all of LE, Michaelis, Hawryluk (and Mac) in the lineup recently.  I'm also not optimistic if they have to run with Gaudette for too long at center - it's difficult to win consistently when you are hiding a line from exposure..

 

Very tall order to go 18-6 - but as it is in sports - you never know -particularly when you get great goaltending.  One of the huge factors this season was going to be the extent to which Demko could handle stepping up to the starting role / to what extent he could effectively replace Markstrom - and after the first month (which was shaky) - he has done exactly that.

It's a bizarre season, no doubt.  Until recently almost all the teams in the North have had wild swings of inconsistency / unpredictability - and recently Toronto has joined the mix with six straight games without a regulation win (1 and 5, with an OT victory).   So the bandwagon, fluffing, assumption that they were on  a fast track to a Stanley Cup - might be meeting a healthy amount of skepticism at this point - and they are certainly beatable - by any team in the North - as Ottawa just evidenced - beating Toronto for the 3rd time this season.  Ottawa is playing better hockey recently - if they can win at a decent clip vs the rest of the division while continuing to lay an egg against us, they could be helpful...

 

 

18--6 is fairly daunting - but not impossible.  I would almost have considered that recent loss to Montreal borderline fatal - where almost every game has to be perceived as a 'must win' to some extent - but stranger things have happened.  For me, they really need guys like EP, Beagle and Motte if they stand a realistic hope....but they have done a great job of harm-reducing/gutting out wins in the interim, so I won't be writing them off until the writing is actually on the wall.

Edited March 18, 2021 by oldnews

[IBatch]

Provost as we approach .500 (just kidding BTW but i couldn't help myself)

[FijianCanuck]

I'll comment on our playoff chances after the next 4 games

[Mustard Tiger]

#LOCK

Counting ourselves out while chasing the AHLberta teams is pathatic. It's possible till the math says its not my friend.