Pre-Game Talk: 2020 Qualifiers - Game 2 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild - Aug 4 - 7:30PM PST - SPAC

[Orca Smash]

The problem is all year this team could not generate offense against structured defensive focused teams that dont take risks. Remember those games vs dallas when jim montgomery coached earlier in 2019? It was awful, green had no clue what to do and how to respond and our players did not either, someone in a now locked thread made a sarcastic comment its called being bad, and it is....those games against structured teams were hard to watch and completely lop sided, but I pointed out after one of those games during the year we play the avs next.... who have a better team, but it will be much closer game, and it was, the avs take chances and try to score. Dallas simply played defense and capitalized on our mistakes.

New jersey is another example, we played better against the caps this season then the devils, simply because the caps took chances trying to score, and the devils once again were terrible, but played a defensive structured low scoring game taking no chances.

The wild with their makeup and lack of scoring did the homework on us, and also have no choice but to play that style. Green was confused all season in these games and so were the players, so i dont have much hope. We will see. I dont mind this team losing, but at least score some goals and make it competitive. And hopefully someone helps green understand the team needs to get 3 forwards in on the forecheck and attack with speed (these teams make sure they have D and forwards back, we will always be outnumbered if we only send in two players), make quick passes, and stop passing up shots, they wont give you many opportunities. And maybe the refs can also call the game evenly as well.

 

[Brock Boeser Laser Show]

Scoring first is critical against the wild. That bad first ten minutes let the wild settle into their game plan. I have no faith the Canucks will start strong though considering green rarely has the team ready to go. I could probably count the number of times I was impressed by a Canucks first period this season.

canucks Need to score first and make minnesota feel uncomfortable playing a more wide open style. Otherwise this series will likely snowball in a hurry and be over before the weekend.

 

[Diversification]

Nerves might explain the slow start but it doesn't explain the complete lack of urgency in the 3rd period. No excuse for not turning it up for the final 20 minutes.

It wasn’t lack of urgency. The Wild gave them almost nothing and just shut it down. It will be critical- and a true test of coaching - the adjustments we make in game 2.

 

[biturbo19]

The PPs were 5-1. However...the canucks could have had 2 but they decided they were in warm up and everybody jumped off the bench when Markstrom left for the extra attacker on the delayed call. Then you had 2 braindead penalties by Pearson (Yes Stalock embellished but Pearson gave him that chance with his stupid play. The other Pearson call is made every single time). So really it's a 3-2 type PP game which seems fair given the balance of play. And really it could have potentially also been 3-3 if Ferland didn't spear Hartman as they did give the Wild a penalty on the play.

Officiating was fine...canucks lack of discipline was the issue.

Yeah. It was frustrating...but so much of PP imbalance was self-inflicted. You can't do the kind of stupid things Pearson did. Especially not in a series like this, where you know Minnesota are going to do most of their damage on the PP and play the rest of the game in a total shell. You especially can't do the kind of things they did with the botched delayed penalty extra extra man debacle. That's just not acceptable in "playoff hockey"...even if these are weird circumstances. That's on coaching to have details prepared. Unfortunately, i don't think preparation and attention to detail are things that Green necessarily excels at...and it showed up and helped to burn them.

Another thing. Canucks are trying to hard to get the perfect shot set up. Which won't work with how Minny defends. The weakness is their goaltending.

They gotta stop trying to find the perfect shot and just start firing everything they can in the direction of the goalie. Wont be pretty but it'll give the best shot of winning

To a degree, yes. But you have to at least find ways to get pucks through...and that means at least working their way into semi-reasonable shooting positions, which they generally struggled to do. You can't just go firing pucks willy-nilly from bad angles and into obviously plugged lanes just for the sake of hoping something funny happens. That's just a recipe for giving the puck away and giving up odd man rushes in droves.

A lot of it just starts with the way this team is so painfully predictable in the way it wants to move up ice. There's very little creative lateral neutral zone movement and a lot of the vertical stretching just ends up taking them to the edge of Minny's shell, but with limited momentum as a unit. Green needs to make substantial adjustments to the way this team plays in the neutral zone, to break through what Minnesota are doing. Frankly, in this kind of short, condensed series...i'm not sure how of that you can really do. That's a bad look on coaching, to come in with your team so unprepared for what a casual glance at the Wild's pre-break film would have you expecting. Your players shouldn't come into a series like this looking halfway bewildered by the structure their opposition is playing with, and how to counter it.

 

[VanillaCoke]

If Minnesota gets that type of goaltending I dont see how they dont win.

System, defense, bottom 6 all better. PP and PK could go either way.

 

[Kryten]

All we need is 1 goal - I'm telling ya if 1 goes in, this team is going to soar.

All they need is a little bit of confidence.

You naysayers really piss me off - WE KNOW THAT GREEN SUCKS, WE DON'T NEED TO HEAR IT IN EVERY THREAD. I'D RATHER HAVE 1 f***ING POSTER TO TALK WITH THAN YOU 100 NEGATIVE NANCY'S.

If our team can play well for most of the game instead of 15-20mins then we could come out ahead. Just gotta figure out how to open them up between the dots

 

[Bgav]

If Minnesota gets that type of goaltending I dont see how they dont win.

System, defense, bottom 6 all better. PP and PK could go either way.

They also will get way more pp opportunities, we know that

 

[biturbo19]

Pretty clearly need to make roster adjustments for this next game as well, in addition to the other badly needed coaching adjustments. Some decisions were made that really feel like Green was treating it like preseason or at least a new season. Now is not the time to "send a message" to a guy like Virtanen, who is built to bull is way and shoot his way through a team like this.


I actually don't think it's Sutter who needs to come out though. Sutter, Motte, Beagle i thought were a lot closer to putting in a decent "4th line game". They had some actual positive moments and vague "chances" generated, or at least some occasional possession or energy. Motte did his usual "hustle hard and run into stuff but never threaten to actually score" but it can create a bit of a spark and it certainly sets a "hustle level" barometer for the team. Sutter and Beagle are at least useful for faceoffs, penalty killing, and just generally sort of mucking and grinding around and maybe generating the odd rush chance or getting to the net. I'd be fine with keeping them in there as a 4th line.


It was Ferland, Gaudette, and especially Roussel who did pretty much jack all, as far as i saw. Gaudette, i'll kinda give the benefit of the doubt. He is inexperienced and still really finding his NHL footing in the first place. Also still really the best option for that role right now. Just have to hope he can be better, with less dead weight around him. Ferland had that kind of silly and probably ill-advised fight off the hop, and put in his time finishing some checks early, but didn't look very on top of the rest of the game, or a big scoring threat.

Roussel though...what did he actually do? Anything? At all? He wasn't physical/speedy/energetic. He didn't really get under anyone's skin. He didn't get to the net or create anything dangerous offensively. Wasn't anything defensively. Didn't kill any penalties. What's he even there for right now? Waste of space on the bench.


Pearson is the other guy who should be in the crosshairs. If we're "sending messages" to players...he ought to have a big one coming. Looked completely rusty and totally off the pace of the game. Which he exacerbated with stupid undisciplined play that really cost the team. While adding nothing offensively. They really need offensive contribution from Pearson, and unfortunately that means playing him up the lineup...but that game was not acceptable. At least a temporary demotion until he's demonstrated he's better caught up to speed and has extricated his head from his ass, wouldn't be at all out of line there imo.

 

[Paulinvancouver]

Playoffs baby!!! Put Jake Zack and OJ in the lineup!!

Shotgun is at his best when he’s mad!

Go Nucks! 5-2 Nucks!!

 

[Pip]

Agreed with @biturbo19 that Roussel especially and Ferland were guys that need to come out or step up

 

[Brock Boeser Laser Show]

Agreed with @biturbo19 that Roussel especially and Ferland were guys that need to come out or step up

I think they are simply too slow to recover pucks and get to lose pucks/rebounds.

You can’t be a step slow or it will definitely show in the playoffs

 

[VanJack]

Canucks are getting a crash course on the difference between the regular season and the post-season. And technically, this isn't even the 'post-season' yet.

But any team relying on 20-something players to carry them through the playoffs, without any support from the veterans, isn't destined to have a very long run.

The best you can hope for is that Petey, Hughes, Boeser, Horvant and Gaudette gain valuable experience....but a three game sweep by the Wild wouldn't be of much help at all. So a tough give-game series is about the best you can hope for.

 

[Tonystretcher]

Our lack of speed on the wings was exposed in game 1. Most of our lineup simply doesn’t have the speed to break down the Wild’s defence. Virtanen is one of the few guys we have who brings that element. He needs to be in the lineup for game 2.

 

[Johnny Canucker]

All this hype and we have an 18% chance of even making it to the real playoffs now. What a joke.

 

[Fatass]

Our lack of speed on the wings was exposed in game 1. Most of our lineup simply doesn’t have the speed to break down the Wild’s defence. Virtanen is one of the few guys we have who brings that element. He needs to be in the lineup for game 2.

Yes, a fit and ready to play Jake makes us a better team. Who’s fault is it that Jake came to another camp not ready to play? Jake hurts our team by not being committed to sacrificing off the ice, so he can help the team on the ice.

 

[dombrova22]

Jake and Big Mac HAVE to be inserted.

I know Jake likely won't be, Mac probably will.

Not playing Jake will eliminate us from the playoffs - I get that we are moving on from him, but he's built for the playoffs. 1 BIG hit changes a lot.

 

[Fatass]

Jake and Big Mac HAVE to be inserted.

I know Jake likely won't be, Mac probably will.

Not playing Jake will eliminate us from the playoffs - I get that we are moving on from him, but he's built for the playoffs. 1 BIG hit changes a lot.

Who’s fault is it Jake’s not playing? How do you think his teammates feel about his lack of commitment to helping them win?

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Jake and Big Mac HAVE to be inserted.

I know Jake likely won't be, Mac probably will.

Not playing Jake will eliminate us from the playoffs - I get that we are moving on from him, but he's built for the playoffs. 1 BIG hit changes a lot.

I dont think that Jake will make or break us in the playoffs, but you have some very valid points.

I saw a heat map of where the Canucks were getting their shots on Stalock last night...Mostly around the edges of the circles, nothing in front of the net...That wont do.

When the spirit moves him,Jake is really good at crashing the net, usually dragging defenders along with him..May not score, but that does open up space in the slot.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Who’s fault is it Jake’s not playing? How do you think his teammates feel about his lack of commitment to helping them win?

I don’t know, truth be told. Shane O’Brien was a similar story with coaches and management - but a lot of his teammates were really very fond of him. It’s tough to say who he’s pissed off and how without knowing all the facts.

 

[PG Canuck]

No reason? This guy set the f***ing tone early that we won't take shit this year. Did you not see the benches reaction?! Those guys were f***ing FIRED UP! Whether YOU agree or not, the boys sure liked it!

They were SO fired up they got their asses handed to them. So inspirational.

 

[PG Canuck]

take Ferland out and foligno take runs at Hughes/Petterson. and we go back to watching our stars take hits.

canucks fans complain we don't have anyone to protect our stars, but complain about having physical players.

we scored 0 goals, and people on this board jump on the bottom 6.

Ferland wasnt' even close to one of the main problem of game 1.

Why single him out?

Dude, Pettersson and company are going to get hit regardless of Ferland. That’s playoff hockey. What’s Ferland going to do? Keep fighting until he’s concussed again?

 

[Fatass]

I don’t know, truth be told. Shane O’Brien was a similar story with coaches and management - but a lot of his teammates were really very fond of him. It’s tough to say who he’s pissed off and how without knowing all the facts.

Completely different circumstances and different players. OB was known as a party guy, but Jake isn’t. OB had limited skills, but Jake has the abilities to be a very impactful player. t’s Jakes commitment to being ready to play that’s the issue.

 

[MarkusNaslund19]

Markstrom made a lot of big saves, but that first goal was a killer. Minnesota is a team where the entire game changes if they get an early lead, similar to the Islanders.

Minnesota managed to keep us outside for the most part and blocked the few good chances we did get. IF they can continue to insulate their goaltending like that, we are done.

I'm still hopeful, but on the other hand, this series means something different to us than it does to Minnesota. If we don't win, it's still invaluable experience for our young core. In fact, even if we continue to get humiliated, that's the sort of thing that will stick in the craws of Petey, Hughes, et al, and they may point to it as their learning experiences that got them to have tremendous success down the road.

Tbh, I don't know why we got suckered in by the narrative that younger, more skilled teams would pick up quicker after the break. Defensive systems don't really slump. Our passing, puck control, and skating were training camp levels. If we get sharp, we may well win, if we don't, that's the end. We have 27 hours to figure it out.

 

[Cupless44]

Pretty clearly need to make roster adjustments for this next game as well, in addition to the other badly needed coaching adjustments. Some decisions were made that really feel like Green was treating it like preseason or at least a new season. Now is not the time to "send a message" to a guy like Virtanen, who is built to bull is way and shoot his way through a team like this.


I actually don't think it's Sutter who needs to come out though. Sutter, Motte, Beagle i thought were a lot closer to putting in a decent "4th line game". They had some actual positive moments and vague "chances" generated, or at least some occasional possession or energy. Motte did his usual "hustle hard and run into stuff but never threaten to actually score" but it can create a bit of a spark and it certainly sets a "hustle level" barometer for the team. Sutter and Beagle are at least useful for faceoffs, penalty killing, and just generally sort of mucking and grinding around and maybe generating the odd rush chance or getting to the net. I'd be fine with keeping them in there as a 4th line.


It was Ferland, Gaudette, and especially Roussel who did pretty much jack all, as far as i saw. Gaudette, i'll kinda give the benefit of the doubt. He is inexperienced and still really finding his NHL footing in the first place. Also still really the best option for that role right now. Just have to hope he can be better, with less dead weight around him. Ferland had that kind of silly and probably ill-advised fight off the hop, and put in his time finishing some checks early, but didn't look very on top of the rest of the game, or a big scoring threat.

Roussel though...what did he actually do? Anything? At all? He wasn't physical/speedy/energetic. He didn't really get under anyone's skin. He didn't get to the net or create anything dangerous offensively. Wasn't anything defensively. Didn't kill any penalties. What's he even there for right now? Waste of space on the bench.


Pearson is the other guy who should be in the crosshairs. If we're "sending messages" to players...he ought to have a big one coming. Looked completely rusty and totally off the pace of the game. Which he exacerbated with stupid undisciplined play that really cost the team. While adding nothing offensively. They really need offensive contribution from Pearson, and unfortunately that means playing him up the lineup...but that game was not acceptable. At least a temporary demotion until he's demonstrated he's better caught up to speed and has extricated his head from his ass, wouldn't be at all out of line there imo.

Virtanen should come in for Roussel. He is a better player and was all year.

He also brings speed and size and can blow a game open when he is on his game.

Roussel does nothing but yap after the whistle.

 

[Cupless44]

Who’s fault is it Jake’s not playing? How do you think his teammates feel about his lack of commitment to helping them win?

Enough of Green treating this like pre season and sending a message. Virtanen is better than some players playing ahead of him.