Are the Canucks the Dark horse?

[Horse McHindu]

We have a good record against bottom teams. Please stop with this myth.

This recent behavior of the team still doesn't bode well for the future (i.e. playing well when only a gun is pointed at their heads, and then 'taking a breather' when they've build the slightest of a point cushion).

This is not good practice and I question the leadership of this team when it consistently "allows" it players to do such things. Furthermore, it conditions the players into taking 'breathers' as well.

We all saw what happened when the Canucks were up 3-0 on the Hawks, 1-0 and 3-1 against Nashville, 2-0 against the Sharks, and then of course, 2-0 against the B's in 2011.

It eventually adds up.

If the Canucks ever find themselves up 2-0 in a series this year per se, should we expect a repeat of 2002 or even 2011? (i.e. a Game 3 blow-out, followed by a major momentum switch?).

Taking 'breathers' during the season is never advisable. Unless you're the LA Kings of course.

 

[Virtanen2Horvat]

So the Canucks are lined up with LA right now. Think we can pull it off in 6 or 7 games?

 

[Horse McHindu]

So the Canucks are lined up with LA right now. Think we can pull it off in 6 or 7 games?

Unfortunately, I don't.

Even if the Canucks do manage to be up by 1 or 2 games, I think they've conditioned themselves so much to a point where they'll only give a 100% effort with a gun pointed to their head.......and even at their best, the Canucks aren't as good a team as the Kings are.

Worst case scenario - the Canucks lose in a similar fashion to how they lost in 2013 to the Sharks.

"Best" case scenario - the Canucks lose in a similar fashion to how they lost to the Red Wings in 2002.

Realistic Scenario - the Canucks lose exactly the same way as they did in 2012.

I can't see us getting past the Kings in any shape or form, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

Having said all that, I'm starting to think that Calgary's chances of catching Vancouver are very small now, and that Vancouver will in fact make the playoffs.

 

[bossram]

So the Canucks are lined up with LA right now. Think we can pull it off in 6 or 7 games?

Pretty much no.

They are simply a better team. No question.

If we manage to squeak by them, I feel it will be more or less by fluke.

 

[The Jesus*]

Pretty much no.

They are simply a better team. No question.

If we manage to squeak by them, I feel it will be more or less by fluke.

I honestly think the Kings will sweep us.

 

[vanuck]

So the Canucks are lined up with LA right now. Think we can pull it off in 6 or 7 games?

If we do beat them it probably goes to 7 games with the winner being scored in OT.

But I don't think we'll win in a series against them anyway.

 

[BluesyShoes]

I think the pressure is off for sure. No one's expectations are higher than those of the players. Even Benning sounds surprised with his "I'm excited to see what this group can do in the playoffs" attitude.

Though, darkhorse implies a quiet, maybe burgeoning contender. I'd say Vancouver looks a bit like Detroit in previous years, past their prime but a threat if all pieces come together.

 

[Virtanen2Horvat]

I think the pressure is off for sure. No one's expectations are higher than those of the players. Even Benning sounds surprised with his "I'm excited to see what this group can do in the playoffs" attitude.

Though, darkhorse implies a quiet, maybe burgeoning contender. I'd say Vancouver looks a bit like Detroit in previous years, past their prime but a threat if all pieces come together.

Yeah I think once some more young guns start coming up they are going to start building up again. Also at the same time Benning's culture will be rising with a mix of UFA's.

 

[DL44]

Heh...

So...the Canucks sit with the 2nd best PP of the Western playoff teams.

Best in the Pacific.

They sit with the 3rd best PK in the West...

Best in the Pacific.


Considering the thrashing we give our own team with the PP... thru 74 games, we happen to have the best in our division, and second best in our conference of playoff teams.

#allteamsareflawed

 

[Desai87]

Do people watch Kings play vs other teams?

They love playing Canucks and show up and play great hockey with not many mistakes vs Canucks.

Its like how Canucks play Blues. For past many years Canucks have been beating the Blues because they always show up.

I know beating the kings would still be though I actually think they are beatable.

Once Richardson and Kassian are back they will be 4 line team again.

many of you are so funny. Canucks are 12 points(6 Wins) behind Ducks, with 2 games in hand and Canucks lost to Coyotes 2x, Sabres, Devils, and all games vs Stars.

Also look at how many injuries Canucks had.

I am not saying they are as good just that they could be right there.
I am not scared of playing LA. I think they are beatable but playing Flames would be much better lol

 

[Jyrki21]

Exactly...

The criticism about 30 games ago was that all we could do was beat bad teams.

Yeah, with the way people blow a gasket on this board (I suspect it's the same in other fanbases too) it seems the Canucks are literally expected not to lose a single game. Not one. Either you "play down to a worse opponent" (in a league with high parity) or you get beaten by a way better team (in a league with high parity). Despite so many also saying they had no expectations for the team this year.

You would think the worst team goes 2-80 (the 2 victories against us, natch) and the second-worst 4-78 and so on in a perfect distribution the way many people judge the games here.

This recent behavior of the team still doesn't bode well for the future (i.e. playing well when only a gun is pointed at their heads, and then 'taking a breather' when they've build the slightest of a point cushion).

This is not good practice and I question the leadership of this team when it consistently "allows" it players to do such things. Furthermore, it conditions the players into taking 'breathers' as well.

We all saw what happened when the Canucks were up 3-0 on the Hawks, 1-0 and 3-1 against Nashville, 2-0 against the Sharks, and then of course, 2-0 against the B's in 2011.

It eventually adds up.

If the Canucks ever find themselves up 2-0 in a series this year per se, should we expect a repeat of 2002 or even 2011? (i.e. a Game 3 blow-out, followed by a major momentum switch?).

Taking 'breathers' during the season is never advisable. Unless you're the LA Kings of course.

To the extent that that's what happening (and I'm not convinced it is), it's obviously not conscious or something they're able to correct, otherwise they would have done it by now. When everyone calls a trap game in advance, and you still get trapped, I doubt it's because they weren't trying hard enough.

And the only reason the 2011 Chicago series turned the way it did, then turned so suddenly back, is because the team obviously had a physical ailment (reportedly food poisoning). This was pretty clear just from watching them, I don't buy narratives based on Jonathan Toews marshalling his Canadianness to suddenly make the Canucks the worst team in history.

 

[Huggy]

All ill say is we play like pansies without big kat

 

[BlamBlam]

Gotta get in first. I'm having a panic attack looking at these next 5 games.

 

[Alflives*]

Gotta get in first. I'm having a panic attack looking at these next 5 games.

If we don't get in, do we get a shot at McDavid? Do we get a ping pong ball? If our chances of winning even one round is zero (which it pretty much is) and we can even have a 2% chance at McDavid, then maybe we want the team to not win?

 

[Booshami]

If we don't get in, do we get a shot at McDavid? Do we get a ping pong ball? If our chances of winning even one round is zero (which it pretty much is) and we can even have a 2% chance at McDavid, then maybe we want the team to not win?

How do we have no chance of winning a round?

 

[Alflives*]

How do we have no chance of winning a round?

If we make the play-offs it won't be as the wild card. It will be as the 2 or 3 from our division. Hence we get the Kings. We are not beating the Kings. We need better draft picks, and more of them, so we can rebuild into a Cup contender. We need a #1 Center, and an elite D. Unless we find a stupid GM to deal with, we have to draft those guys.

 

[me2]

If we make the play-offs it won't be as the wild card. It will be as the 2 or 3 from our division. Hence we get the Kings. We are not beating the Kings. We need better draft picks, and more of them, so we can rebuild into a Cup contender. We need a #1 Center, and an elite D. Unless we find a stupid GM to deal with, we have to draft those guys.

there is a much higher chance of getting the Flames in the 1st round than of winning mcdavid as a 10-14 draft range team.

 

[JAK]

We're playing LA, the real dark horse.

 

[GPNuck]

I'm starting to think teams might not want to play us in the 1st round (except LA)

 

[McHortton]

I don't think we're "The" dark horse , but we are "a" dark horse. There will be a lot of Dark Horses imo: Calgary/Winnipeg (probably only 1 or the other), Minnesota (quickly leaving the "dark horse" category though), then probably a couple in the east in Washington and the Bruins (if they count).

 

[Alflives*]

there is a much higher chance of getting the Flames in the 1st round than of winning mcdavid as a 10-14 draft range team.

There is no certainty of any result. That's why the games are played, and there is a lottery. We will all cheer for the Canucks to win every play off round.

 

[McHortton]

I'm starting to think teams might not want to play us in the 1st round (except LA)

Honestly other than LA the rest of the teams are pretty much a toss up , personally I'm not afraid to play any other team. Most other teams seem like they wouldn't want to play Chicago though.

 

[GAT0R]

the fact that they keep playing well and beating the best teams is quite interesting. I just hate how they take the games off playing the non-contending teams. What is the point of working so hard against tough opponents and then letting points slip against a bunch of bums.

I get it that 82 games is a lot but come on...