This team can beat any team in a playoffs series with league average goaltending

[Billy Kvcmu]

Recently, consecutive three losses to LA x2 and Vegas has many fans doom posting and panicking.

Many claiming that this team can’t beat playoffs teams without elite goaltending.

That is simply not true, the main reason why they lost those three games was atrocious goaltending.

A save % of .80 .84 and .79 from DeSmith. not to mention the momentum crushing performance of always letting in a goal right after the team had pulled one back.

It's almost like beacase this team had been carried my Demko's elite performance in the past couple years for way too long. now people (esepically the meida) are afrraid to point out the obvious flaw during this stretch.

Hell, even Silvos who just beat Vegas yesterday, did not have a good game at all. I saw some people praising his performance which drives me crazy. Sure he had a much better second half but his save % of .87 does not lie about the fact that he had a bad game.

If the Canucks had at least league average goaltending for the past 5 games, the division would had been locked by now

Click to read more...

 

[F A N]

I think when we talk about not wanting to face certain teams in the first round other teams’ fans are saying the same thing about us. If Demko is healthy and playing at his best we do have elite level goaltending, offensive talent up front, and Hughes. Makes us dangerous.

 

[LordBacon]

Not that I agree entirely but do preach the positivity bro.
Vibe has been down right awful lately.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

Not that I agree entirely but do preach the positivity bro.
Vibe has been down right awful lately.

It drives me nuts sometimes that fans aren’t willing to point out the obvious

DeSmith has been terrible

 

[VanJack]

It seems to me, the possibilities of Silovs entering the post-season are just starting to dawn on Rick Tocchet. He was effusive in his praise for his young goalie in the post-game presser.

And what's not to like? He got off to a tough start, but battled through it and was solid in the third period. And although he just turned 23, Silovs was a national hero last spring in Latvia after backstopping his under-manned team to a bronze medal. So he's certainly used to big games.

It doesn't appear to me that any game down the stretch will be too big for him. In every Stanley Cup playoffs there's an unheralded goalie who seems to get on a roll and rise above their regular season numbers.

So even if Silovs ends up back in the minors with Demko's return. You have to feel pretty good about having him as the backup next season.

 

[Iron Mike Sharpe]

DeSmith = Spencer Martin 2.0

Does okay as a backup put in to play occasionally, craters when asked to carry the load for an injured Demko. If the Demko injury issues persist over the long-term, we're going to need a better option for the #2 slot, and hopefully Silovs emerges as a viable option.

 

[Hollywood Burrows]

OP is correct! The NHL is the coinflip league. any team can beat any other team. there are no favourites. enjoy the ride!

 

[F A N]

It drives me nuts sometimes that fans aren’t willing to point out the obvious

DeSmith has been terrible

DeSmith = Spencer Martin 2.0

Does okay as a backup put in to play occasionally, craters when asked to carry the load for an injured Demko. If the Demko injury issues persist over the long-term, we're going to need a better option for the #2 slot, and hopefully Silovs emerges as a viable option.

Ya it's no longer "one game" that ruined his saving percentage. On the whole he's a good backup. He isn't a good 1B. He's certainly not starting goalie calibre. Penguins fans said he sucks. He looked great here to start but has since dropped off (albeit along with team play). Somewhere in the middle is where DeSmith is at.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

Ya it's no longer "one game" that ruined his saving percentage. On the whole he's a good backup. He isn't a good 1B. He's certainly not starting goalie calibre. Penguins fans said he sucks. He looked great here to start but has since dropped off (albeit along with team play). Somewhere in the middle is where DeSmith is at.

He only looks good when he was a pure back up

Once he start so to consecutively, his weakness got exposed

 

[F A N]

He only looks good when he was a pure back up

Once he start so to consecutively, his weakness got exposed

Agreed and that should be the discussion if we're talking about re-signing him. He has shown an ability to go in and play well after sitting for a week or more. That's what we need. I think he is capable of playing the 23-26 games we need him to play behind a healthy Demko. But he's below average as a 1B type. $1.8M is probably too much. I would look to bring him back closer to $1.2M.

 

[Raistlin]

more than once its been flagged that demko has injuries issues, and this season did nothing to dispel that notion. If we are going to sign a backup goaltender, it should be a guy that can shoulder 30 games, not 20 for a pure backup. if desmith is our guy, looking at recent play, the team has to play a lot more conservatively to support him. hes a high quality pure back up. looking for a 1B will cost more, but Allen, Ingram or Copley seems to be the type to fit the bill.

 

[theguardianII]

There is the easy season and the real season. Been a long time but fans will see.
Demko is the cornerstone of playoff hope. Demko has 4, FOUR playoff games. True they were outstanding but that was also 5 years and two operations ago.

Defence wins championships.

I think Rutherford and Allvin have constructed a real season defence group, they just have to get to the time when whistles are not in the mouth for game management all the time.

People baulk at the thought of Zadorov being paid 5.5 to 6 mil. Just wait until the playoffs and he flattens everyone and has a dance. He already seems to be ramping up his game, rushing the puck and then being the 2nd back checker. But Tocchet HAS to get these guys playing as partners so they get some chemistry.
Did anyone notice how fast Myers is? Even Zadorov takes 4 strides per zone, he looks slow but pulls away.

This defence group is real season good, but could be better. Big question, how do they play without Hughes?

 

[Raistlin]

There is the easy season and the real season. Been a long time but fans will see.
Demko is the cornerstone of playoff hope. Demko has 4, FOUR playoff games. True they were outstanding but that was also 5 years and two operations ago.

Defence wins championships.

I think Rutherford and Allvin have constructed a real season defence group, they just have to get to the time when whistles are not in the mouth for game management all the time.

People baulk at the thought of Zadorov being paid 5.5 to 6 mil. Just wait until the playoffs and he flattens everyone and has a dance. He already seems to be ramping up his game, rushing the puck and then being the 2nd back checker. But Tocchet HAS to get these guys playing as partners so they get some chemistry.
Did anyone notice how fast Myers is? Even Zadorov takes 4 strides per zone, he looks slow but pulls away.

This defence group is real season good, but could be better. Big question, how do they play without Hughes?

Defence wins championships true, but it cannot with sub par goaltending. They stank when Demko played sub par last year, Kings sank when Talbot hit a rut, Canes become unbeatable now with Freddie in net. Desmith and Silov level goaltending will not win championships.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

another game where our goalie was bad

 

[theguardianII]

PRESSURE, although I would have thought Silvos could have handled better after last years worlds championship.

Both him and DeSmith seem to be over doing the pushes leaving one leg totally outside of the pipe and crease.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

more than once its been flagged that demko has injuries issues, and this season did nothing to dispel that notion. If we are going to sign a backup goaltender, it should be a guy that can shoulder 30 games, not 20 for a pure backup. if desmith is our guy, looking at recent play, the team has to play a lot more conservatively to support him. hes a high quality pure back up. looking for a 1B will cost more, but Allen, Ingram or Copley seems to be the type to fit the bill.

Unfortunately, we just don't have the luxury with OEL's buyout looming. I'd rather DeSmith or Silovs on a cheap deal than spending 3M on a guy who will spend the entire playoffs on the bench. To keep us competitive throughout that cap hit, we're going to have to cut some corners. Backup goaltender is easily one of them.

 

[Grub]

It's to bad Smith and Silovs will not give us average goaltending. Mcdavid and Mackinnon will destroy them. We need Demko if we want any chance of getting deep in the playoffs.

 

[F A N]

PRESSURE, although I would have thought Silvos could have handled better after last years worlds championship.

Both him and DeSmith seem to be over doing the pushes leaving one leg totally outside of the pipe and crease.

If you watched Silovs play at the WC he was frequently out of position for a potential 2nd save that rarely came. You see him basically diving over after making the first save. But he's big and a lot of pucks just end up hitting him at the WC. Silovs needs to be more economical with his movements (which is something Clarke teaches). Spencer Martin (who is more developed) was actually better staying in position for the 2nd save.

DeSmith is a smaller goaltender. He relies on his athleticism. He actually is able to go from side to side quickly but like you alluded to, he pushes hard and that often takes him out of position for a potential second save.

 

[kanucks25]

Goaltending hasn't been great, and our underlying numbers remain strong for the most part. So there are definitely reasons for optimism heading into the playoffs.

However the big red flag is the overall offense, both 5-on-5 and the PP; the PP has obviously been cold for a while now (albeit there are some signs of life recently) and a lot of our depth forwards have fallen off from where they were in the first half of the season. We're 7th last in the league in GF/G since the All-Star break, and all 6 teams below us are essentially bottom-feeders.

So it's very possible that even if we receive good goaltending and play "well" in general, the simple lack of goal scoring could mean a very early exit.

 

[mossey3535]

DeSmith = Spencer Martin 2.0

Does okay as a backup put in to play occasionally, craters when asked to carry the load for an injured Demko. If the Demko injury issues persist over the long-term, we're going to need a better option for the #2 slot, and hopefully Silovs emerges as a viable option.

Martin actually did decently with Columbus to start but then fell off a cliff and has recovered nicely with Carolina.

18GP 7W 0SO 3.14GAA .896SV%

vs

29GP 12W 1SO 2.89GAA .896SV%

I agree that DeSmith started to look bad once he started getting consecutive starts. He's never shown he can be a starter.

 

[strattonius]

The misconception about our team is that we have a good PP and outscore our problems with players like Miller, Pettersson, Hughes, Boeser; but the reality is we are a defense first systems team with elite goaltending. That and our 5on5 play is good to excellent.

We will be a difficult out and our likely cause of elimination will be a cold PP and not enough scoring.

All that being said I'd rather play good defense and within a system than be a team like Colorado that outscores their problems on many nights. That won't be a repeatable pattern to win in the playoffs.

Can't wait for the playoffs. I see us dropping in the 2nd rd to LA or Vegas but wouldn't be shocked to see us make it further. The main board has us choking the 1st round and I'm all for that line of thinking. Keep sleeping hf.

 

[Nucker101]

The misconception about our team is that we have a good PP and outscore our problems with players like Miller, Pettersson, Hughes, Boeser; but the reality is we are a defense first systems team with elite goaltending. That and our 5on5 play is good to excellent.

We will be a difficult out and our likely cause of elimination will be a cold PP and not enough scoring.

All that being said I'd rather play good defense and within a system than be a team like Colorado that outscores their problems on many nights. That won't be a repeatable pattern to win in the playoffs.

Can't wait for the playoffs. I see us dropping in the 2nd rd to LA or Vegas but wouldn't be shocked to see us make it further. The main board has us choking the 1st round and I'm all for that line of thinking. Keep sleeping hf.

Spot on. 5v5 this team is solid, especially defensively. Special teams are the main concern.

My biggest fear is this team starts off slow in the playoffs due to special teams, on the flip side they profile as a team who should be well built for a game 6 or game 7 when the whistles get put away

 

[VanJack]

If you watched Silovs play at the WC he was frequently out of position for a potential 2nd save that rarely came. You see him basically diving over after making the first save. But he's big and a lot of pucks just end up hitting him at the WC. Silovs needs to be more economical with his movements (which is something Clarke teaches). Spencer Martin (who is more developed) was actually better staying in position for the 2nd save.

DeSmith is a smaller goaltender. He relies on his athleticism. He actually is able to go from side to side quickly but like you alluded to, he pushes hard and that often takes him out of position for a potential second save.

I didn't see any of Silovs' games last spring with Latvia in the World Hockey Championships, so I can't comment on his rebound control in that tournament.

But in Abbotsford, 'rebound control' has been one of his greatest strengths., His problems happen when he's trying to track the puck from distance, as we witnessed during the OT loss at home to the Coyotes.

But he's a big goalie--actually the identical size to Demko--and at only 23 he's got lots of time to iron out the kinks in his game. And he's working with one of the best goalie coaches in the business in Ian Clark.

 

[F A N]

I didn't see any of Silovs' games last spring with Latvia in the World Hockey Championships, so I can't comment on his rebound control in that tournament.

But in Abbotsford, 'rebound control' has been one of his greatest strengths., His problems happen when he's trying to track the puck from distance, as we witnessed during the OT loss at home to the Coyotes.

But he's a big goalie--actually the identical size to Demko--and at only 23 he's got lots of time to iron out the kinks in his game. And he's working with one of the best goalie coaches in the business in Ian Clark.

To be clear, I didn't say anything about his rebound control. I'm saying he needs to be more economical in his movements instead of being out of position and needing to scramble over for the second save. He has the size and length which is what Clark likes. I actually would be more concerned if he has issues tracking the puck.

Take Eddie Lack's development here. He was an athletic goalie who was told he needed to be less aggressive and use his size more. I think the challenge is the same for Silovs. He needs to use his size and length to learn to seal the net more and then when needed call on his athletic ability and instincts to make the more difficult saves.