herb wrote:If we see Booth-Lapierre-Kassian next game I might cry.
Lapierre is a good 4th liner when he shuts the hell up and concentrates on the defensive side of the game, but put him with a couple of talented players like Booth and Kassian and he looks like a total passenger. Not even a passenger really, more like an anchor that is holding that line up.
Booth-Schroeder-Kassian seems like an obviously superior alternative to me.
Agreed. I don't understand AV's logic here. Schroeder is good defensively and has a lot more skills to offer than Lapierre but is still stuck with two grinders.
herb wrote:
The Canucks PP is garbage and has been for more than a calendar year now. FFS, it's time to try something different there Newell Brown. Park Kassian's ass out front and bank shots in off him or something. The second unit should be the "pass the puck to Garrison" unit.
Agreed. When things don't work, it is time to change a bit, even just a tiny little bit. Kassian could be a better choice than Burrows on the first unit, mainly due to his size and toughness. Kassian could at least take more beatings than Burrows.
herb wrote:
Hansen, Raymond, Higgins and Booth have had excellent effort levels the past two games, which is the way these players need to play. Kassian has been better, and I think having him with some consistent and skilled linemates will help (see above), but I'd like to see him play a bit more like David Booth, who skates confidently and goes to the net with authority. Booth is a fucking fantastically strong skater. If the coaches could get Kassian to carry the puck with authority a bit more like Booth and get to the god damn dirty areas with the puck more often, we could have a real gem.
The Sedins look great. Burrows fits them like a glove.
Better defensive coverage this game, but still a work in progress. I thought Barker looked OK until he gave the puck away in the third, but then he made that amazing save in front of the net. I'll count that as a wash and continue evaluating!
Read an interesting 30 thoughts article yesterday where Friedman mentioned that Boston has completely evened out the number of right and left hand players they have. All left wingers and defensemen use left sticks, all right wingers and defensemen use right sticks. They have two right and two left handed centres. Made me think of how desperately we need another righty defenseman.
You just gotta love Hansen. He is just like a junk yard dog when he forechecks. He had 3g 2a and a +6 in the last 3 games. Higgins, the journeyman from Florida, has been very good in the last 5 games with 3g 0a +4.
Barker is defensively okay except that brain fart in the third. Luckily he made up for it with a great save. For the last two games ONLY, I will actually rate him over Alberts because Barker seems to able to put the puck on NET.
Agreed that the Canucks desperately need another one or two RH defenseman to balance out the backend.