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

[David71]

Pete - Miller - Ferland Jake - Bo - Boeser Roussel - Sutter - MacEwen (the wings have had chemistry as cyclers) Pearson - Beagle - Toffoli (give them some ice against weaker competition, and Beagle's also good with puck retrieval but his goal will be to pass to his wingers) how about this?

 

[Johnny Canucker]

Jake has the abilities to be a very impactful player. It’s not his skill level and talent that’s keeping him out of the lineup. It’s his commitment to being ready to contribute.

nope. It’s been 5 years.

 

[Paradise Circus]

If Green does not adapt to the Wild's 1-3-1 trap and Stalock stands on his head again, buenas noches Nucks.

I'm hoping for a big game 2 from the boys, let's go

 

[David71]

captain BO horvat needs to step up and lead this team. he was terrible in game 1.

 

[HockeyWooot]

The Game 1 play, really seems like a game plan issue. The Wild played exactly how we know they play, this isn’t new information.

That falls on the coach.

 

[biturbo19]

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.

Yeah. Exactly. It's inconsistent with Jake...but his whole purpose, is to be that guy who can break through shells like that with brute force and speed. Either he's tunneling headlong into someone and they're gonna have a bad day...or he's skirting around wide and doing his patented Jake-Loop (because teams have to respect that he could take the puck to the net). Either way...he's breaking that curtain wall the Wild are intent on putting up against every zone entry.

Jake has the abilities to be a very impactful player. It’s not his skill level and talent that’s keeping him out of the lineup. It’s his commitment to being ready to contribute.

If Jake is ready to play he should (and will be) 100% be in the lineup. Green wants to win, and he knows a ready to play at his best Jake helps with winning.

You seem to be very opposed to Jake Virtanen, in every respect. You also seem to be very convinced that Travis Green is making good decisions. I'm sure Green wants to win...but you've made a wild logical leap from there...to assuming that everything he does while wanting to win, is actually the right call, and not actively detrimental to the team's success. Dude's got his own "preparedness" issues to answer for.

 

[biturbo19]

Canucks are a union shop.

This is not how good unions are supposed to work. This is a bad union. Foreman Travis is a bad boss.

In fairness, a lot of NHL teams behave this way. It’s frustrating to watch but it happens. Even our best coaches had this sort of proclivity (Vigneault and his insistence on having guys like Glass and Oreskovich in the lineup over more skilled guys like Tambellini or Hodgson for example)

Vigneault definitely had his faults, and his soft spots for card carrying union members that made no sense to anyone. But man...watching the Flyers right now...i desperately miss watching a team that looked like they knew what they were doing and moved effectively as a unit.

 

[vanuck]

Need to add some speed an each line. Perhaps put Gaudette on the wing and move Miller to centre. Minny has a really balanced 4 line attack and game plan. I don't believe Gaudette is ready yet.

I would take these top 9 players and just throw into a blender.

Boeser - Pettersson - Virtanen
Toffoli - Horvat - MacEwen
Gaudette - Miller - Pearson

The other 3 forwards can PK and warm the bench.

Motte - Beagle - Roussel (I still don't understand why Roussel doesn't kill penalties. Wasn't that one of his "things" in Dallas?)

Yeah it would be interesting to put Miller back at centre and swap him for Gaudette at 3C. If they're going to do that I'd like to see:

Virtanen - Pettersson - Boeser
Pearson - Horvat - Gaudette
Roussel - Miller - Toffoli
Ferland - Beagle - Sutter/Eriksson

Hughes - Stecher
Edler - Tanev
Benn - Myers

 

[MikeK]

Not too sure what to expect. There are no excuses now. Either they show up and have a plan in place or our coach should go back to the minors.

 

[sandwichbird2023]

Hot take, Canucks becomes the first team to be eliminated from the play-in series.
1 goal in 2 games, even Hasek can't win like that. At least against the Jets you can say they generated enough chances to win. Against the Wild, Stalok faced maybe 2 grade-A chances? Cut down on the undiscipline penalties, get some more shots through traffic and (obviously) score some goals, or else this is going to be a very short series.

 

[ThatGuy22]

If Green does not adapt to the Wild's 1-3-1 trap and Stalock stands on his head again, buenas noches Nucks.

I'm hoping for a big game 2 from the boys, let's go

Sure would be nice if the Wild fired Lemaire so they stopped running the trap...

 

[VancouverJagger]

What's the over under here everyone on Jake playing tonight? Has anyone heard anything? If so who is sitting? My vote would be Sutter or Gaudette at this point.

Really hoping Jake draws in.........but at this point it's 50/50 in my eyes.

 

[dombrova22]

What's the over under here everyone on Jake playing tonight? Has anyone heard anything? If so who is sitting? My vote would be Sutter or Gaudette at this point.

Really hoping Jake draws in.........but at this point it's 50/50 in my eyes.

I hope Mac and Virt slot in - we need speed and vicious forecheck to make the Wild D hesitate.

Knowing Green - Ferland out Eriksson in lmao