The Switch and the plan

[dhabums]

Blake Price was on radio at lunch. I tuned in in mid-sentence.

I did not hear how he got the info, but he says he has direct info from a "highly successful, current coach" who said something to the effect he has been watching Vancouver play and it's clear to that coach that Vancouver is coasting at about 70% and they should be the team to beat in the West?

Anyone else hear this or can they give the info credit?

I heard the same thing, not that I add credit.

[mathonwy]

I am concerned about the lack of production from the top six in recent games and specifically from the top line, Daniel included prior to his injury.
..
I am not a fan of this reactionary hockey, I much prefer a team going out and dominating the opponent and making the opponent adjust and hope for mistakes.

So what you are saying is..

You aren't a fan of shut down hockey? I think RD feels the same way.

[coco_canuck]

I am not a fan of this reactionary hockey, I much prefer a team going out and dominating the opponent and making the opponent adjust and hope for mistakes.

Agreed.

But I think we'll see a lot of in-game transitions with regards to style of play once they get healthy.

AV does have a propensity to make adjustments during games, but I think we'll see him deploy certain postures more strategically than before, and it also creates a good fall-back option if the team runs into injuries.

[Nuckertuzzi]

I am concerned about the lack of production from the top six in recent games and specifically from the top line, Daniel included prior to his injury.

..........

I am not a fan of this reactionary hockey, I much prefer a team going out and dominating the opponent and making the opponent adjust and hope for mistakes.

Great post, Top.

The thing is this hasn't been going on in recent games, for me I started noticing the decline of our offense right after Christmas and it has since gradually gotten worse. We can chalk it up to a lot of factors...whether its' our top guys having an off year due to fatigue from playing too much hockey and a lack of offseason preparation,...or it's the officiating dragging the game back to the pre-lockout era,..or the deadline deals where the team mandatorily had to change their style of play,..etc, etc,.. I don't know, probably a combination of all those factors, but I agree it's pretty disheartening watching a team that's barely a shadow of the one we use to love seeing control the game at their will with puck possession, speed, pace et al.

It's possible this could be a temporary thing where all our core guys are just happening to go through droughts simultaneously and it's just a matter of time before they simultaneously come out of it..and if that's the case, is there a better time for it to happen?? I doubt it though..slumps don't last for half a season like it has for our top players. I don't think it's a descension issue either due to some of the factors mentioned above and maybe all they're lacking is a good long offseason for the Sedins to refresh and get their supreme conditioning back and for Kes to find his wrister again by taking 200 shots a day like he did the summer before his 41 goals. Problem with that of course is a long offseason means an early exit. But my feeling is if we fall anywhere short of hoisting the silver mug this year, the best shot for next year is to go out early. Unless it is just a temporary slump thing, or a flipping the switch thing, I don't see how this team can achieve their ultimate goal this year..not having see what I've seen the past three months.

[Fred]

You have to wonder if Vcr/AV are trying intentionally to show a different picture of the Canucks. I'm sure there has been a lot of pre play-off scouting been done by most of the teams. The PP in particular I'm hoping they have a new set ready for round 2

[Topper]

The thing is this hasn't been going on in recent games, for me I started noticing the decline of our offense right after Christmas and it has since gradually gotten worse. We can chalk it up to a lot of factors...whether its' our top guys having an off year due to fatigue from playing too much hockey and a lack of offseason preparation,...or it's the officiating dragging the game back to the pre-lockout era,..or the deadline deals where the team mandatorily had to change their style of play,..etc, etc,.. I don't know, probably a combination of all those factors, but I agree it's pretty disheartening watching a team that's barely a shadow of the one we use to love seeing control the game at their will with puck possession, speed, pace et al.

I agree that it is not a recent phenomena, though I missed a recent months worth of play so I was restricting my comments to what I have seen.

Note another factor in this is that opponents have started challenging the Sedin cycle differently. They apply great pressure on both players during the cycle and then instead of a winger/centre hanging out near the half boards and having the puck chipped past him off the boards to the point, the winger/centre drops back and attacks the point man keeping him honest and preventing the pinch. It was a big reason for the odd man rushes the Canucks began surrendering.

The other thing opponents were doing was challenging the breakout pass to Daniel on the boards at the opponents blue line. It was a set play with the puck almost always going cross ice through the centre dot.

Matty - Shut down hockey or reactionary hockey, call it what you will, it can not work in the long term because it involves waiting for the opponent to make a mistake. All teams play it late in the game with a lead, but fall behind and you do need to create your own chances (exactly what Hansen did in OT the other night).

That said, your top offensive weapons still need to be your top offensive threats when you go into shutdown mode. Your skilled players should be the ones creating those turn overs and exploiting them and Selke winners should thrive in that role.

[mathonwy]

Matty - Shut down hockey or reactionary hockey, call it what you will, it can not work in the long term because it involves waiting for the opponent to make a mistake. All teams play it late in the game with a lead, but fall behind and you do need to create your own chances (exactly what Hansen did in OT the other night).

That said, your top offensive weapons still need to be your top offensive threats when you go into shutdown mode. Your skilled players should be the ones creating those turn overs and exploiting them and Selke winners should thrive in that role.

I know. I'm just kidding around and poking fun at RD at the same time.

I have no problems with shutdown hockey right now. Shutdown hockey, for the most part, is safe and stifling.

I say, lean on the goalies. We got two of the best right now and the more shots they face right now, the better prepared they'll be for the post season.

I'm not even all that worried about the PP as I KNOW the guys have a second gear.

I will admit it is aggravating watching our top guys playing in a very pedestrian way but meh, regular season who-gives-a-damn hockey is almost over and the real season starts soon.

(It doesn't hurt that we're winning too.)

[donlever]

...at the end of the game, if the scoreboard reads us..more, them..less, I find myself far less aggravated.

[ESQ]

You have to wonder if Vcr/AV are trying intentionally to show a different picture of the Canucks. I'm sure there has been a lot of pre play-off scouting been done by most of the teams. The PP in particular I'm hoping they have a new set ready for round 2

I find this interesting, and something I have suspected as well. Ever since AV split up the twins a few weeks ago, I've felt like he's giving the team new looks, at the same time preparing for the inevitable injuries. This was particularly apparent when he started mixing up his defensive pairings.

I think AV has been trying to increase versatility heading into the playoffs, which is a sound tactic for arguably the most-scrutinized team in the NHL. The Bruins on the other hand seem to have stuck to the same script and their results this year, particularly since January, have been far worse than the Canucks.

[Cornuck]

I think AV has been trying to increase versatility heading into the playoffs, which is a sound tactic for arguably the most-scrutinized team in the NHL. The Bruins on the other hand seem to have stuck to the same script and their results this year, particularly since January, have been far worse than the Canucks.

The Bruins are a few points back and also have 2nd in the conference locked in.

[ESQ]

The Bruins are a few points back and also have 2nd in the conference locked in.

They're 9 points back of the Canucks, since the Vancouver game are 20-17-3. Canucks have gone 22-8-6 over that stretch. They haven't clinched the NE yet, though can clinch with one more win. Vancouver clinched with 7 games remaining.