[PGT] New Jersey Devils at Vancouver Canucks | Mar. 15, 2022

[13231]

To be this offensively competent while missing Petey is a great insight into this team's strengths. We are also much better defensively than majority of people will ever give our team credit for, despite the apparent evidence.

 

Proud of this team and their formidable character. To climb back 1 point away from a playoff spot is incredible, especially when the entire league, media and your own "fan" base has written you off (and is incessantly bickering about trading everyone away). Beyond applaudable stuff imo. Knew since day 1 this is what they were capable of under a professional coach, damn proud to be cheering for this group. 

[bishopshodan]

Awesome to see what Bo is doing lately.

 

Also shows how nice it is to have centre depth with EP out.

 

Real good game last night. 

[grumpyone]

I truly hope the boys realized how much easier the game was to play being up 2 early, than being down. 

[JayDangles]

9 hours ago, Alflives said:

Hey!  Send me back!  

I like that you can go along with the jokes. You're a good sport Alf.

[grandmaster]

Among many other things, I’m liking how our PK is improving. Please tell me we are no longer last in the league for that!

[dminer]

Afraid they still are, in a game or two of holding teams off the scoresheet shorthanded we may pass detroit finally.

 

https://www.covers.com/sport/hockey/nhl/statistics/team-penaltykilling/2021-2022

[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[-DLC-]

Posted that one in the JT thread (wasn't sure about the swear word though so ripped it from The Athletic). Unlike Jake, seems JT took that to heart and has worked hard to prove himself rather than ignore the warning signs.  ^

 

This is kind of fun to read:

Letters to The Province, March 16, 2022: Vancouver Canuck Brad Hunt is a chess master

Author of the article:

Province Opinion

Publishing date:

Mar 15, 2022  •  14 hours ago  •  2 minute read  •   Join the conversation

 

Brad Hunt of the Vancouver Canucks fires a shot against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on March 5. PHOTO BY CLAUS ANDERSEN /Getty Images

Article content

It was my privilege to attend the NHL game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto on March 5. The physical aspect of hockey was present, but not overwhelming. The game was a chess match, a next-level chess match.

 

A traditional chess game has a board with 64 stationary squares, 16 known pieces, and a slowly developing attack. The chess game I saw on the ice was a game with moving squares and changing pieces. Pieces of various speed, physical size and talent interchanged rapidly to continuously set up a new game board. Numerous set attack plays provided another element to the already complex game.

 

One player on Vancouver was clearly in his element. Brad Hunt is a chess master. His instantaneous analysis of the rapidly changing game board kept him a step ahead of the play. It was a pleasure to see this chess master on the ice.

 

Eric Proctor, Peterborough, Ont.

 

[stawns]

2 hours ago, iinatcc said:

I think considering there's a goalie deadlock where we are scared to let Demko sit out a game in so Halak can't start and the team can't do anything about it because of Halak's NMC. 

 

Nah Benning had to get fired. Because for some reason Benning though it was a good idea to give a back up goalie (even if it's Halak) a NMC. 

Halak was clarks decision I believe and JB did what he had to to get the guy IC wanted

[-DLC-]

I want to say it was awfully refreshing to have fairly good officiating last night.

 

I prefer if they stay out of it rather than trying to be too involved and "keep score" by evening things out. They're not scorekeepers, we have those.

 

Anyhow, I think they did a pretty good job of it and the pace of the game, at least in the first half, really reflected that.

 

(stawns you reminded me about this)  

[Barefoot]

5 hours ago, aznmonk said:

If Benning fired green. He would of still had a job.  It was a new voice, that ignited the room. 

Not just a 'new' voice - a much better voice.  Hockey is supposed to be fun.  Work your ass off and want to win win win, but it's fun and excitement - whether on the ice playing or as fans - that gives it that thrill.  TG just sucked the joy out of it.  I saw it in his first interview when he was hired.  I felt impending 'ugh'.  Both personalities of TG and BB are contagious, for opposite reasons.  Plus, BB has them working together with better systems that complement them.  180 degrees different team to watch now in all three zones. 

[Mackcanuck]

 

[-DLC-]

28 minutes ago, Barefoot said:

Not just a 'new' voice - a much better voice.  Hockey is supposed to be fun.  Work your ass off and want to win win win, but it's fun and excitement - whether on the ice playing or as fans - that gives it that thrill.  TG just sucked the joy out of it.  I saw it in his first interview when he was hired.  I felt impending 'ugh'.  Both personalities of TG and BB are contagious, for opposite reasons.  Plus, BB has them working together with better systems that complement them.  180 degrees different team to watch now in all three zones. 

It's a bit of a contrast, isn't it?

 

I feel the same. I liked Green, let me set that straight (still do). I think he ran out of creativity and his sarcasm that he sometimes used to mask that wasn't well timed, well received or effective. Bruce brings a real likability and seems very humble. I'm sure he has his moments (we've seen him on the bench giving it to the players - rightfully so), but he doesn't appear to carry it over, which is important.

 

There's a fine line when you're trying to motivate people and when they've been beat down, sometimes less is more in trying to lecture them through that. Sneering sarcasm generally isn't a great motivator or gets people to buy in. At times, I saw glimpses of that with Green as he grasped at straws to provide answers. He just didn't have them. 

 

Bruce is definitely a top notch coach and he's done an incredible job. The players really needed some positive reinforcement and, from the start, he came in and said he had to find out about the players. He didn't start off with a bunch of what HE needed to do...he needed to assess them to know how to help them in finding out what to do. Insight. That speaks volumes to me of how he connects with his players.

 

You can see the "buy in" from the bench. 

 

Green was ok for awhile...until he wasn't. He grew stale and I'm sure that he forgot to use positives even during negative situations. I feel Bruce always finds something to tap into that's positive, even during losses. He doesn't just make it about that, he tries to find something good that the team did so they can focus there.

 

 

[Dazzle]

2 hours ago, iinatcc said:

I think considering there's a goalie deadlock where we are scared to let Demko sit out a game in so Halak can't start and the team can't do anything about it because of Halak's NMC. 

 

Nah Benning had to get fired. Because for some reason Benning though it was a good idea to give a back up goalie (even if it's Halak) a NMC. 

Well, considering that it's still Benning's roster that is on display, the same one that was considered "poorly constructed" (according to Craig Button), I think Benning left us with a pretty workable team. Button goes on to say that BB plays to the team's strengths, which actually implies that Benning had a purpose for the team to score.

 

Why is there so much slant against Benning when credit is due, but so much praise for Green when it's undeserved? (The latter situation is largely not the case anymore, but the former is certainly still true). The issue is and was obviously Green, which is also, to an extent, part of Benning's responsibility.

 

It's obvious that some posters can find the fault of a former GM much more so than the fault of other people. This bias is pretty sickening really.

[Barefoot]

So - are we still wondering if JT Miller might be a competent third line center instead of playing wing for Petey like we were at the beginning of the season? 

 

Ohhhh how times have changed!

[Dazzle]

2 minutes ago, Mackcanuck said:

 

Yes! Thomas Drance needs to be exposed for what he is. He ain't a fan. This dude just spews toxic, negative takes (not all the time), and then tries to justify it with "stats". Drance also praised Green when it was pretty undeserved. Pretty ironic that stats doesn't really support Green's tenure as coaching, considering he hasn't had a winning one. (Yes, he was also not a winning coach the year of the bubble rush, in terms of win to loss ratio).

[-DLC-]

3 minutes ago, Dazzle said:

Well, considering that it's still Benning's roster that is on display, the same one that was considered "poorly constructed" (according to Craig Button), I think Benning left us with a pretty workable team. Button goes on to say that BB plays to the team's strengths, which actually implies that Benning had a purpose for the team to score.

 

Why is there so much slant against Benning when credit is due, but so much praise for Green when it's undeserved? (The latter situation is largely not the case anymore, but the former is certainly still true). The issue is and was obviously Green, which is also, to an extent, part of Benning's responsibility.

 

It's obvious that some posters can find the fault of a former GM much more so than the fault of other people. This bias is pretty sickening really.

I think it really does become a matter of sheeple to some degree. Not here as much as on Twitter, where memes and planes and all the noise picks up steam.

 

Fire Benning grabbed hold and people ran with it. 

 

I mean, stalking him in grocery stores gave us all we needed to know. Some people just didn't get it.

 

He made an easy target for some. And he did do some questionable things that left us in a jam...but his job entails that. You take some risks and not everything works out.

[Dazzle]

1 minute ago, Barefoot said:

So - are we still wondering if JT Miller might be a competent third line center instead of playing wing for Petey like we were at the beginning of the season? 

 

Ohhhh how times have changed!

Are we still wondering if the 1st for Miller trade is still an overpayment? I thought fans here think that Benning sucks at trading/acquiring people? Benning left this team in a pretty good spot, but of course, the people who hated Benning will naturally praise JR for keeping the team intact. There's so much hypocrisy in the anti-Benning slant, that even someone who sees faults in both Benning/Green that we could be thought of as Benning bros. Truly dishonest takes from certain fans.

[Nucker 67]

12 minutes ago, Barefoot said:

So - are we still wondering if JT Miller might be a competent third line center instead of playing wing for Petey like we were at the beginning of the season? 

 

Ohhhh how times have changed!

If the Canucks re-sign Miller, he could very well be a 3rd line C at some point. A very expensive 3rd line C. I guess that's always a risk when signing a 30-year old player to big bucks - if that's the route they go.

 

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by NUCKER67

[-DLC-]

4 minutes ago, Dazzle said:

Yes! Thomas Drance needs to be exposed for what he is. He ain't a fan. This dude just spews toxic, negative takes (not all the time), and then tries to justify it with "stats". Drance also praised Green when it was pretty undeserved. Pretty ironic that stats doesn't really support Green's tenure as coaching, considering he hasn't had a winning one. (Yes, he was also not a winning coach the year of the bubble rush, in terms of win to loss ratio).

He's a Toronto boy, through and through, and doesn't hide it well at times.

 

I'm pretty sure he has his Auston Matthews super hero costume on underneath his suit.

 

I've tried to be unbiased with him...but he doesn't always try to be. I'm tired of his takes and always taking jabs at "our" team.