Post-Game Talk: WCQF GM02 | Vancouver Canucks lose to Nashville Predators | 4-1 (Zadorov) | Stars Can't Score

[wonton15]

Kudos to Brunette for adjusting to a collapse set up and getting buy in from the team to block everything though

 

[Zanon]

I don't think anyone here predicted us to sweep so I dunno why everyone is in full blown panic mode that we lost a game.

Ah who am I kidding this is HFBoards Canucks. Of course we overreact!

No losing allowed, only wins please.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Petey is the lightning rod. Well deserved. What have JT and Boeser actually done in these 2 games? f***ing nothing, except looking less bad than Petey while accomplishing nothing. There's only 2 choices as line changes, and the most obvious one is to put the lotto line back together. If all 3 of them together can't get shit done, real changes have to happen in the offseason.

 

[Svencouver]

Also, I know the book on Saros is probably to shoot high because of his size, but you gotta balance those top corner shots with some lower rebound and deflection attempts to at least force a cover and an offensive zone draw. The problem with shooting high is that bounces off the glass are totally random and frequently go to an opponents stick or out of the zone entirely.

 

[kanucks25]

Not a great performance from some of our better players (we all know one in particular) but this loss shouldn't be discouraging.

Controlled play for most of the game, looked like it was a powerplay at even strength at times.

Players just have to execute better, it's as simple as that. Bounces won't go against this way for the entire series.

As long as goaltending holds up, we should be fine.

 

[arttk]

When the team has the same issues for the entire second half of the season, the faith and benefit of the doubt are kind of spent by the time you get to the playoffs.

I think getting 40 shots blocked is a new kind of issue. And still, it’s one game where all the bounces went against us on top of that as well. There is plenty of time left to panic if you want to choose that path.

 

[Kryten]

chill, it’s one game where we badly outplayed the Preds and we lost because we can’t f***ing get our shots past their D. They are going to make adjustments, they better f***ing make adjustments to counter that.

Sure there is also the possibility of Petey blowing up offensively after he gets 1 goal and those slamming him will also look like f***ing idiots.

Sick and tired of “fans” basically laying into our players instead of actually being supportive. It’s like they want to be right about our player being bad rather than support them and want them to be good.

Its a safe bet to say Petey will put it together eventually and its fair to call out how terrible hes been most of the year and especially now in playoffs. When you look around the league and see other teams top players being able to make things happen and convert compared to our guys

 

[Russian_fanatic]

Team looks so much less confident with Casey vs Thatcher.... difference between a franchise goaltender and a back up... damnnn this Thatcher injury is really going to be the reason why we get bounced early.

 

[WTG]

 

[Red]

everyone saying the right things

but need to show it on friday

 

[SillyRabbit]

Also, I know the book on Saros is probably to shoot high because of his size, but you gotta balance those top corner shots with some lower rebound and deflection attempts to at least force a cover and an offensive zone draw. The problem with shooting high is that bounces off the glass are totally random and frequently go to an opponents stick or out of the zone entirely.

I feel like Hughes almost always shoots high and hopes for a downward deflection on the PP

 

[bbud]

Both these things can be true. A goalie should save your team from defensive breakdowns. DeSmith, during the second half of the season and now, is not bailing out his team for their mistakes

If your star starter is out protecting the puck is more important and that was a fail on ep twice in his own end tonight.
Add his complete lack of finish on offense he's a bigger liability than DeSmith

 

[Angry Little Elf]

Game could have easily been 6-3 for us if we had some luck

 

[Bleach Clean]

But you just said they lack shooters because they missed the net a bunch. A strategy of taking lots of shots would then be about the opportunities, not what they manage to get on the net, no? I do agree the team lacks high end shooter, but I feel like if anything the team is taking too many low percentage shots. They’re cycling it around and taking perimeter shots and hoping for rebounds and tips, but they’re struggling to get open looks. They were playing more counter attack hockey earlier in the year and that’s one of the reasons they had a high shooting percentage on lower shots because they were actually generating off man rushes and open looks at the net

Well it's both isn't it? They miss the net because they lack high end shooters. I would expect even middling shooters to get better than 21% of their shots on net. That is absurd, team wide.

They are shooting on the perimeter and are not getting open looks. Part of this having a good enough shot at distance to generate opportunities regardless, or move/deke in a way so as to create space to create an open look. Then chain events from there. Both come back to a lack of shooting talent beyond just Pettersson.

 

[biturbo19]

This game in summary...

 

[Nomobo]

Casey is all class.

 

[arttk]

Its a safe bet to say Petey will put it together eventually and its fair to call out how terrible hes been most of the year and especially now in playoffs. When you look around the league and see other teams top players being able to make things happen and convert compared to our guys

I think there is a diff between saying he is bad which he has been vs gaslighting the forum by saying see see should’ve traded him, that f***ing bum is going to be shit for the rest of his contract.

 

[bbud]

No losing allowed, only wins please.

Just don't lose on dumb f. K mistakes

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

EP can say whatever he wants. Play has been terrible for half a season.

Team will have no confidence with DeSmith in net. Have to play Sulovs next game.

Nashville played two great road games and could easily be up 2-0 if it weren’t for 12 seconds.

Preds just block everything and even when they don’t, Nucks can’t hit the side of a barn.

Brunette is clearly a better coach than Tocchet. I don’t expect anything to change that going forward.

Preds will come out gangbusters at home but will play a very similar style because it works for them.

Big boys on the Nucks need to get their shit together or they are done in 6 tops.

 

[Svencouver]

My largest area of concern with this series is the top end talent difference more than the depth or scoring chances or anything like that. ROR, Forsberg, and Josi are playing like they're significantly more talented and better acclimated to the playoffs than anyone sans Hughes and (maybe) Joshua and that's reasonably concerning to me. When things close up and you get low event games with few shots it's going to be the top-end talent that breaks through (this also goes for the PP). Right now, the Preds have that advantage.

 

[SillyRabbit]

This game in summary...

The thing that always gets me about this play is that Stefan was so greedy and wanted to get a goal or assist on the empty net that even after he falls, he shovels the puck backwards, and ends up helping the Oilers start the rush the other way.

Time would've ran out if he just held onto the puck in the corner.

It's not that he missed the empty net, it's what he did after.

 

[Jay26]

I think getting 40 shots blocked is a new kind of issue. And still, it’s one game where all the bounces went against us on top of that as well. There is plenty of time left to panic if you want to choose that path.

Volume of shots is absolutely not a new issue for this club. I mean yeah, tonight took it to another level of course but it's ultimately just a very extreme example of something the team already struggled with. It's a lack of killer instinct. The team is very talented but there's so much double clutching and whiffing. Almost no precision.

The Preds were blocking shots like maniacs though and that's not something the team can control.

 

[coastal_nuck]

First - F' Pettersson. Play like you care, you POS.
Second - F' the PP. Stop overpassing and just shoot the f'ng puck.
Third - F' Cassie Campbell. That is all.

Oh and I should stop drinking the whiskey tonight.

 

[VanJack]

Casey DeSmith was a nice story this year, but down the stretch he's morphing into the guy he was all along--basically a journeyman goaltender.

It's not that he was 'bad' tonight, but it's not how many saves you make, but when you make them. And that first goal was beyond awful and sucked the energy right out of the building.

Unfortunately Tocchet, like a lot of coaches, is stubborn when it comes to some players, so he'll ride DeSmith into the sunset. He'd rather sacrifice his first born than play a rookie like Silovs.

The Preds now have a huge edge in goal.....which could prove fatal if this series were to go the distance.

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

Also - don’t see how we can hang this on DeSmith. A complete fluke, an absolute goal scorer’s goal by Forsberg, and a good initial save with no D clearing up the rebound on the third. He didn’t have much to do, but those three weren’t exactly “OMG he sucks” goals. IMO.

Problem, in the playoffs, is you gotta get a save on a couple of good chances. If you get no real saves in good chances you are gonna lose.