GDT: Canucks vs Habs - 7:00PM PST, CBC

[cjc]

So, when does the team realize they are getting into a situation where their play may not magically turn around?

Luongo is making the case for Schneider. Sorry, but his play is much too inconsistent to carry this team. As for the Sedins, when does the wake-up call happen? At what point do they feel the urgency to step it up, or can they?

[mathonwy]

We are in a slump and that slump started after the Boston game.

Since that game, our scoring has slowly gone downhill but the difference is back then, we were able win low scoring games. Now, nobody is scoring except for our 2nd line and that line only got put back together last game.

No scoring from top line. Sedins are getting destroyed. The opposition defensemen know EXACTLY how to play against them. The book is out on them and worst of all, they aren't getting the calls either.

No scoring from our bottom 6. Hansen, no goals. Lappy, no goals. Manny, no goals. (Does anyone know where to get stats of our forwards in the last 10 games?).

No scoring from our defense. Typically when the Nucks are going, you're getting scoring from Salo, Bieksa and even Tanev. Now...bupkus.

I'm noticing a very disturbing pattern. We typically start the game on fire and we toss it in the 2nd but we get it back in the 3rd. Recently, our 3rd is bad.

Luo..... shit man. I think this is a very good opportunity to give all the starts to Ginger. No more of this bullshit coddling. Give it to Ginger and make it HIS job to lose.

[newcanuckfan]

meh

bring on stanley

Yeah that's the problem with the Canucks attitude as well.

[Island Nucklehead]

Sedin's can wear the goat horns for a while. Did they even dress tonight?

I'm sorry fellas, start earning your 12.2M or fuck off. Honestly you couldn't find those two with a fucking GPS tonight. I realize we need to get to the playoffs healthy, but wake up. They were garbage, and they've been garbage for almost 10 games.

Kudos to Kassian for the tilt. Liked what the kid brought. Kesler line getting noticed again. Luongo deflated the sails with that awful goal. If I can score it, it's awful. I coulda scored that.

When will the refs wake up? A ton of non-calls (fine) followed by the garbage (must) calls. It's called the even-up call fellas. We were due and we didn't get it. A couple noticeable dives don't help. Oh well, we didn't deserve it tonight. Again, soft Swedes mailing this one in....

Ultimately it's the Sedins. These twins need to wake up. "Coasting" to the playoffs is one thing. Going your worst stretch in a decade is something different.

[Blob Mckenzie]

the sky is falling...

[mathonwy]

the sky is falling...

Shut it down Blobby.... shut it down.

[Island Nucklehead]

the sky is falling...

The skies been falling for about a month. Our goaltending kept us in a bunch, now our first line is MIA. Where's Cody Hodgson??

I'd be choked if i was at the Rog tonight, Blob. I was mildly torqued watching it at home (MTL fans at work).

We all know the Canucks have a playoff spot all but locked up. But they're now a better road team than a home one. And these original six/Canadian match-ups are ones you should show up for. We didn't show up tonight.

Garbage effort. I watched the "BLEH" Leafs vs Flyers game. We had about as much intensity. That's a bad sign.

[newcanuckfan]

the sky is falling...

Ok Blob, but this isn't CDC. Most posters here are pretty astute and mature enough to know the team is not imploding. Let them vent (me included).

It's about effort and process -- and playing to 100% of their capabilities as a team and as individuals just ain't there lately.

No doubt they'll bring it back up, but it is tough to see what the identity of this club is since the new year.

[Benjo]

What's with all this talk about the Sedin's needing to lose their cool and hit somebody? They tried that versus Chicago the first time with Bolland and it got them no where. Even if they did lose their cool and slash or punch somebody they would get penalized for it because it's out of character for them. The officials don't care if PK Subban does it because that's his reputation and if they called it every time he'd spend the game in the penalty box.
Besides, a punch to the face from a Sedin would result in little more than a smirk from the defender, it's not like they scare anyone.

[Hockey Widow]

We have no offence. So let me get this straight, we trade away a top offensive potential star in the making go to guy ready to replace Kesler AND the Sedins all at once and all we get back is a goon, a has been and a butt ugly skater. This team couldn't score if their life depended upon it and what does MG do? Fire MG, fire AV.

We play shut down hockey but we can't even do that. And that Howden kid is going to be something let me tell you.

There it has all been said so we can all move on now.

[Zamboni Driver]

This is over. Spanked again in front of the nation.

next 4 Saturday Canuck games are all HNIC on CBC.

Let's hope that they don't get embarrassed by the Jackets on home ice next Saturday.

[Island Nucklehead]

What's with all this talk about the Sedin's needing to lose their cool and hit somebody? They tried that versus Chicago the first time with Bolland and it got them no where. Even if they did lose their cool and slash or punch somebody they would get penalized for it because it's out of character for them. The officials don't care if PK Subban does it because that's his reputation and if they called it every time he'd spend the game in the penalty box.
Besides, a punch to the face from a Sedin would result in little more than a smirk from the defender, it's not like they scare anyone.

Speak on it, Benjo. I don't think anyone (outside retard-central CBC) expected the Sedin's to step up and throw a punch at PK tonight. I thought they'd step up and throw a pass, or a decent stretch of them. Granted I was flipping back to the Calgary-Edmonton lacrosse game on Sportsnet (much better game, btw), but I saw nothing from the Sedins.

The sad thing is we have Henrik as the Captain of this team. It's obvious he and his bro are mailing it in. That's fine for star players, but it sucks for the fans watching the team. The guy paying $200/ticket last night got robbed, and the next time the Sedins donate money to a Childrens hospital, I would hope they donate some cash towards the games they play like absolute horse-shit at home.

Call it the, "Games we play like a sledge-hockey team" fund. $1.5M apiece could make those games go a long way for under-privileged (those that paid to watch you play like midgets) families.

[Meds]

Believe wot?!

Turned out to be the question of the night Spidey. Shit.

Amazing start to the game. Everyone flying, both teams hitting. The second period was pretty up-tempo for both teams and the Canucks got a really nice goal from kesler on a beauty play that he started with a smart tip pass in the defensive zone and then hustled up into the rush and was calling for it almost as soon as he crossed center ice. Good push by the Habs at the end and a goal that was the result of a pass that somehow found its way through Bieksa. Lucky goal. Nice to see Boom-Boom's grandkid pot his first as a Hab. Then it all fell apart. The team came out in the third period and Luongo shit the bed 13 seconds in on what was a VERY stoppable backhand. You could see the entire team just deflate on that one, and the Canadien's were all over us in a flash. The fourth goal was the final twist of the dagger, but you could tell that outside of the AmEx line this group had no desire tonight.

The Good.....

AmEx line. Only line going hard as a unit tonight. Busy at both ends and getting our only goal.

Tanev. This kid is impressive. Smart plays all over the ice, was a bit nervou when ended up below the Montreal goalline, but he seemed to make the right play and read the ice well.

Kassian. Flying around out there looking for a body to bang, good scrap, good energy. Like this kid alot right now.

Raymond. He went to the net tonight. He skated hard. He only made one bone-headed play at the end there where he curled in from the wing and followed Edler into the net. Had he stayed in his lane the puck would have been sitting there for him to simply put into an open net. His best game in a while.


The Uszhe.....

Hansen. Solid effort, wish he had a bit more vision and some better game hands.

Juice and Hammer. Decent both ways, nothing special, nothing terrible.

Lapierre. Shit disturber, yappy, hustling. Nothing new, nothing to complain about.


The Meh.....

Burrows. Kinda in whatever mode tonight. Although he has a bit of an excuse when you consider that he`s stuck on a line where he has to battle hard in front waiting for a puck to make it to the net, but his linemates won`t shoot the puck or even take the puck to a shooting position.


The Bad.....

Sedins. Invisible. Vigneault and Gillis have to be looking at game tape and seeing that Montreal simply setup positionally and waited for the puck that they knew the Sedin's were going to send their way. Nobody in a white jersey was fooled at all tonight by the Sedin "magic". Both got tossed around by Subban and simply skated away with their tails between their legs. Henrik in particular. Last year, and at the outset of this season, I figured that it wasn't a bad move to let the other team pay for their mistakes by scoring on the PP. In the playoffs that backfired because the refs put the whistles away. Now it is backfiring again because the refs aren't calling shit. Even Simpson and Hughson were shocked tonight, at one point Hughson even pointed out that it seems like the officials aren't calling much of anything these days. So now, what is the point of taking a beating and not responding? There is none. At least Kassian rumbled with somebody who was making life tough for the Twins, but that was a shift or two later.....Hank and Dank need to man up a bit and show the hockey world something other than the cycle. Everyone is ready for it and now they are 20 points behind last year's pace.

Edler. Just not a good game from him. He didn't contribute really at all.


The Horrible.....

The Officiating. It is getting worse and worse, and this is apparently all around the league. So many non-calls. Not even going to elaborate because most of us saw or heard it. I will say that when the ref's let everything go and the only whistles they blow are on mandatory delay of game calls that give a team a 2-man advantage in the last period, well they need a shit kicking.

Luongo. Untested through the first. Did a decent job in the second and I don't fault him on Montreal's first goal. Totally shit the bed to open the third, then rallied a bit and tried to keep the Canuck's close during the Hab's 5-on-3 PP, and I can't blame him for Subban's goal, especially after some of the saves he made, but the fourth goal was almost as bad as the 2nd goal. Salo's played it perfectly, there was absolutely no pass going through from Cole on that rush, and he made damn sure Lou only had to worry about the one attacker. His face seemed to say it all as he looked down at Luongo as he fished the puck out after trying to keep it from being poked in, it was like: "Seriously? You can't stop a fucking thing even when I do everything I can to make it as easy as possible for you? Shit." It's true too. Price was turning shit away left and right for the opening 40 minutes. Luongo absolutely HAS to have the 2nd and 4th goals. I know he`s human and all, but his head just hasn`t been in it the last few games.


All that`s left for me to hope for now that the trade deadline has come and gone is that the Sedin`s are holding back, and actually have something that we haven`t seen before. Some new look that is going to throw opponent`s for a loop and keep them guessing. Because honestly, everyone else who has already said this tonight is bang on, the Canucks are a one line team right now, and everyone knows how to shut the Sedins down. Maybe 2 days off will do them some good. I doubt it though.

[Zamboni Driver]

So, when does the team realize they are getting into a situation where their play may not magically turn around?

Somewhere in April.....

Luongo is making the case for Schneider. Sorry, but his play is much too inconsistent to carry this team. As for the Sedins, when does the wake-up call happen? At what point do they feel the urgency to step it up, or can they?

Luo..... shit man. I think this is a very good opportunity to give all the starts to Ginger. No more of this bullshit coddling. Give it to Ginger and make it HIS job to lose.

I'm thinking that Lu gets the first two home games in the playoffs, and if he stinks out the place then Schneids starts on the road.
I wish they would have done that in the playoffs.

When will the refs wake up? A ton of non-calls (fine) followed by the garbage (must) calls. It's called the even-up call fellas. We were due and we didn't get it. A couple noticeable dives don't help. Oh well, we didn't deserve it tonight. Again, soft Swedes mailing this one in....

It's everywhere in the NHL, not just Vancouver - we're drifting back into the clutch & grab style of play.

the sky is falling...

Yeah, it's just one game, there has been a bit of an over-reaction here.
Compare the 'Nucks to the 4 semi-finalists from last year and the SC champs since the lockout, Boston something like 5-6-1 in the last 12 games, San Jose is sinking like a stone, Chicago had a 9 game losing streak, while TB, the Canes & the Ducks all just suck.
The worst Vancouver has had was losing by 4 goals - 3 different times, (vs Wild, Hawks & NYR)
Detroit got bombed 7-1 vs the Caps, 7-2 vs the Habs and 5-1 vs the NYI, and they're still behind us in the standings.

We only need to play .500 hockey to clinch 2nd place (or better)
I'd rather see them rest Lu and a few key players to be ready & rested come april.
(Looks like the Sedin's took a maintainance day off yesterday anyways )

[Larry Goodenough]

Just like the Winnipeg game, Edler played more Rome style defence, having prominent roles in the first, third and fourth goals against. He chose to bring his Rome style offence and decision making as well to this game.

In defence of Edler and the Sedins, they have traveled across 3 time zones 10 times this season.

Boston has not done it once yet.

I say they all get Wednesday night off and don't practice until Friday. That's 5 days off without seeing the ice.