GDT: Canucks @ Beantown - 10am - Snet / NHLN-US

[dbr]

"If guys start protecting themselves with the way Marchand did, maybe guys will stop taking runs at other guys because that's the consequences you end up paying for taking runs at guys, too. Who knows where we're going to going with this. I know we're all trying hard to fix that part of the game, but it's still there and it's still not fixed."

— Bruins coach Claude Julien on whether Marchand crossed the line on hit that send Salo head over heels.

Jesus Christ. Ya Claude, maybe if the league lets players sharpen their butt ends into shivs and stab each other hitting will go down too.

I get that coaches are supposed to stand up for their players by and large, but that's just laughable. Say what you will about AV, at least the guy has some integrity.

edit: that being said there is a tiny granule of wisdom to Julien's words - I can't help but think that this team could use a bit of the Mattias Ohlund mindset to deal with the Brad Marchands of the world.. break a guy's shin the next time he pulls a stunt like that. Honestly I don't know if I've ever hated a team like I hate the Bruins, and honour or not the next time things degenerate like they did in a regular season game I'd have no problem watching the Canucks lay the lumber on a select few of their players. If skating goons like Thornton make a team's players six inches taller, maybe it's time to go after the ankles and cut them back down to size

[Mondi]

Everyone, including Vancouver media, is picking Boston to win, and a lot of evidence suggests they will smoke Vancouver. But, my guess is that Boston will be groggy, overconfident and preoccupied with running a few Canucks. I'll say Vancouver gets a few PPGs and escapes with the win (and maybe an injury or two). Though, I won't be laying any cash down to back up that prediction.

Hello.

[Jovocop]

Some thoughts after reading this thread and other sources of commentary

As far as I’m concerned, Thornton is as much a coward and cheat as any that they claim we are. He tried to goad Weise into a second fight knowing he had just had a long fight minutes before. Weise would have been exhausted from that tilt and not in good condition it would not have been a fair fight and Thornton knows it, yet still tries to claim the high ground...what an ass.

The haters say the refs gave us the game, but sorry PP goals are part of the game and the Bruins had the option of not taking them. In the end they had to back off and go back to playing hockey in the third and didn’t receive one penalty in that frame, while the Canucks drew three, including one in the final minute that was dicey.

I guess GMMG proved his point about team toughness, they answer the rough stuff by scoring goals on the power play... it worked yesterday anyway.
The obvious problem is the refs like to swallow their whistles as the games get more intense and PP's are harder to come by. Last year our PP dried up as our personnel suffered through attrition, and if last night were the start of the Stanley cup final this June, it would have started with losing our best defence man and Ebbit. we cant afford to lose 2 players a game in a 7 game series...
If it were up to me I would have MG continue the great job he is doing, but i dont see why we don’t grab a Colton Orr of waivers and bring him and another body similar to sit in the press box during the playoffs. I know they are not skilled enough to take a regular shift or to take a spot on the active roster but someone to beat down Thornton and shut him up early in a series would be worth the insurance policy and as far as understand it, the rules surrounding rosters relax in the playoffs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6UvBmVd ... e=youtu.be
a little piece of extra bullshite from Thomas the sportsman

Unfortunately, like you just said, Thornton will not fight Orr... because he is simply a coward. Same could be said about Lucic. He will pick guys like Kesler and Burrows to beat up but refuses to fight someone his own size.

[coco_canuck]

Great game by the Canucks.

So much for a 10am PST time start making for a sluggish performance for the Canucks. The Sedins particularly were dancing around the Bruins until the melee broke out and gave the Canucks the early 5 on 3. After taking the 1-0 lead, the Bruins proceeded to draw the Canucks into a physical battle and got them slightly off their game and into fight back mode. Unsurprisingly, this played into the hands of the Bruins, and for a stretch through the end of the 1st and midway through the 2nd, it looked like June again. The Bruins were being nasty fucks, and the Canucks were responding to it.

But once Marchand threw the gutless low-bridge hit on Salo, the tables turned, and the Canucks made the Bruins pay and turned the game around from that point, controlling the pace with their speed, forecheck and strong team defense. As expected, the Bruins got a few late PPs, and of course they had to get a call going their way after the Canucks scored 2 goals on the 5 minute major...apparently they didn't want the Marchand call to put the game away.

When the Canucks have most their team healthy and play their game and avoid the after the whistle shit, the Bruins can't keep up. That game showed what Vancouver has to avoid and what they have to do when they play a team like Boston.

After watching Dan Hamhuis playing lock-down defense, does anyone seriously doubt the outcome would have been different last summer if he wasn't hurt in game 2?

For the talk that Edler was intimidated, watch game 5 from the Cup final last year, where he arguably played his best game in a Canucks uniform, and then come back and say the same thing again. Edler had a poor game, maybe it was nerves, maybe a lack of concentration or just a bad game, but it's nothing I would be seriously concerned about.

At the end of the day it was just a regular season game, and beforehand I wasn't really putting much into it. But, after watching that game be played with playoff intensity and a high pace, it's difficult to not be highly impressed by the Canucks performance.

[Uncle dans leg]

This line brawl from a Boston side of things

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YgVgSiU ... re=related

The Bruins were picked on!

The Boston media perspective is very Calgary like. Horton doesn't even land his blow but they shout out Horton "flattens" Weise....but he pops right back up. Hilarious.
I don't think Boston likes when a team stands up to them and matches their crap hack for hack. They actually imploded and lost it big time.
If we had only been able to cash in on a few of those powerplays last year...

[Uncle dans leg]

Unfortunately, like you just said, Thornton will not fight Orr... because he is simply a coward. Same could be said about Lucic. He will pick guys like Kesler and Burrows to beat up but refuses to fight someone his own size.

Gotta argue with you on this. Thornton is a true heavyweight. I cant find any youtube fights where Orr does anything more than tie a fight with Shawn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubMIUMa6Cx0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3omW3VrcANg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMaqy-nPZzE
Even Lucic stood in against Orr. He got a broken shnoz from it ya but hes not all pussy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzecGFw2M_o

[LotusBlossom]

Unfortunately, like you just said, Thornton will not fight Orr... because he is simply a coward. Same could be said about Lucic. He will pick guys like Kesler and Burrows to beat up but refuses to fight someone his own size.

Gotta argue with you on this. Thornton is a true heavyweight. I cant find any youtube fights where Orr does anything more than tie a fight with Shawn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubMIUMa6Cx0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3omW3VrcANg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMaqy-nPZzE

I miss Aaron Volpatti. Enough said.

[Cornuck]

After watching that clip, I'm glad that NHLN-US showed the Sportsnet feed. What a bunch of over the top homers (complete with the nasally Bawstan accent).

[Uncle dans leg]

After watching that clip, I'm glad that NHLN-US showed the Sportsnet feed. What a bunch of over the top homers (complete with the nasally Bawstan accent).

When Mike Peca played in the NHL they used to snigger and carry on when saying his name. Enough said right there...

[tantalum]

Watching some of the game again and you can see how gassed the Bruins were in the third. All there running around and extra stuff after whistles wore them out. All they could do the back half of the third is ice the puck. When they did get the puck in the zone no one was getting to the front of the net that easily. Quite simply I don't think the Bruins can play that type of game and then keep up with a team that can skate...and with Kesler and Higgins healthy the canucks can skate a lot better than they did in the spring.

Personally the winds of change seem to be around and the in general the other teams in the NHL are tired of the Bruins. It really started to gain some momentum when Lucic ran Miller and the NHL failed in their duty to discipline Lucic. That pissed more than the Sabres off. It pissed everyone off. This Marchand hit as done the same thing as he hit the one of the few players in the league that has played the game honorably every shift of his career and hurt that guy. It hasn't gone over well at all in the hockey world. Hell even Boston based writers have commented how dirty it was.

[Tiger]

Looked like a playoff game .. except they called the penalties.. Our Goaltending, PK and PP units won the game for us ..
Marchands hit on Salo was despicable and deserves a long suspension - though I doubt it will happen ... The good thing is that Marchand being penalized 5 gave Hodgson and Sedin the 2 goals to win the game.. Marchand being a thorn in the side of the Sedin's up to then.. 5 on 5 the Bruins played well enough to win.. The stupid penalty lost them the game. The Sedins did play a bit tougher game than I expected though they were on the ice for the first 2 Boston goals..Good to see Weise and Lappy standing up to the big bad Bruins but tough to lose Ebbet and Salo to injury...

Maybe a preview of this years SCF? Lets hope they call the penalties the same as this game...

[Blob Mckenzie]

Loved that game ! That said the B's were playing their third game in three and a half days so I could understand if they weren't a bit gassed. Canucks need Bieksa to play a bit nastier in a game like that and maybe step up a weight class( ie Lucic) . I'd still like to see MG add a couple pieces at the deadline..... hello Tim Gleason and Tim Jackman perhaps.

Not sure if the refs will call games like that in the post season but I'll take the win against those punks any day.

Marchand is a cunt. Gutless piece of shit in the Bobby Clarke/Ken Linseman mold who plays tough because he has an army of apes behind him. All three of those losers played they way they did because they played on the toughest team in the NHL. None of them would have the balls to play as dirty as they did if they were on a passive team.

I'd like to see Marchand get Drapered. Maybe Cody can coax C Lemieux out of retirement.

[tantalum]

TIM Gleason, TIM Jackman and dare I say TIM Hunter!

Sure Hunter is old and all but if anyone can go nose to nose with Marchand it would be him.

[mathonwy]

We won the battle but lost the war.

Imagine if this was game 1 of the SCF. We lose both Salo AND Ebbett? Big deal, we won one game and proceeded to lose a top 4 defenseman and a 4th line plug (that was actually playing quite well).

The playoffs are a war of attrition and I don't think we don't have the genetics to compete.

Sure the Nucks could have beat the B's in a 7 game series if everyone was healthy. The reality is, the Nucks will NEVER be 100% healthy in the SC final based on the physical make up of the team. How close to 100% healthy we'll be is based on luck and based on how physically durable our players are. History shows, our team wears down.

[Fred]

Nice photo of Lucic leaving the ice

http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/sptusnh ... 96653.jpeg