Post-Game Talk: Canucks 1 @ Wild 0 | Nilsson trolls Markstrom + Bustanen plays like Rantanen

[orcatown]

Green must be thinking this is pretty easy. Coach them up a bit, get them out there , win. Canucks truly must be near the surprise team on the League. Tough to watch that prime time 2018 draft slip away but got to go with the flow.

Good

Tanev - best player like always.

Hutton - Looks so much more comfortable with situations. Not the dear in the headlights he looked too frequently last year in his own zone. Getting some heavy minutes and better at both ends of the ice

Del Zotto - competes hard in all situations. If there is one player who is responsible for the turn around in the team (at least among the new players) it is Del Zotto.

Virtanen - adds a dimension the team needs. Using his speed to create offense and, perhaps more important, to track back and shut off lanes on defense.

Sutter - long as he is skating and working in the trenches like in this game, he is really contributing.

Nilsson - can't ask more out of backup than to provide a shutout.

Not So Good

Gudbranson – looked like he was trying to do too much and got chasing around some. Over-ran or over committed to plays in his zone. Playing the high tempo game not really his strength. Sometimes doing less is more.

Vanek – maybe a little harsh but he needs to skate better. Don't know if that is possible.

Others

Sedins - maybe not great but they are getting better as the season goes on.

Canucks had a lot of good foot soldiers in this game. Lot of chipping it out, chipping it in and back checking. Kind of hockey players like Dorsett, Granlund, Sutter, etc, need to play. Thought Gagner was better in that role in this game. However, needs to show at least something offensively.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Can I start one of these?

Absolutely. That goes for everyone here, regardless of political leaning.

There used to be a signup thread, but it just petered out as interest faded.

If it's the day before or day of a game and there isn't a GDT or pre-game thread up, go ahead. Injury reports, line combos, the more the merrier.

 

[coolboarder]

Pretty hard to blame these teams for tonight's meh game......Canucks were wrapping up a five-game road swing and looked a little gassed at times in this one.....and the Wild are missing four of the their top-8 forwards and were just coming off a lengthy western road-trip themselves....and then for some reason the officials basically put their whistles in their pockets.....normally there'd be a lot more pp opportunities for both teams.....just one of those games.....glad I didn't cough up the money for tickets.

When you have Kelly Sutherland and Chris Lee refereeing in this game, they are known to shallow the whistle and makes a bad calls just to even things up or attempt to give a team a PP just to try and tie things up. They have a reputation, in a bad way. I will never understood how Kelly Sutherland managed to get assignment to ref in the cup final. They do not follow the rule book as instructed in the rulebook. They would just pick and choose penalties as they manage the game. That's a bad reputation. I think that this is the first game they are assigned to Canucks' game this season so there is your answer.

 

[DL44]

I'm starting to wonder if Sam Gagner actually exists, or if he's just a collection of thoughts, impressions, and criticisms of soft, kinda skilled, mail it in, should probably be playing in Switzerland, you'll forget he every played for your team player who's manifested into a physical form and put on a jersey.

You have look for him... did a lot of little things well.. him and Burmistrov..... and Vanek for that matter... they managed to get the puck up to the right side of the ice and get some shots. Not looking dangerous enough yet.. but not hurting us.

Would like tos see Granlund And Burmistrov switched to see what difference that would make.

Wasn't Minny supposed to no longer be an excruciatingly boring team to watch? Who said that? I know someone did somewhere on this site...

They have been fun to watch under Boudreau... only now they have Praise, Coyle and couple others out.. The Right Granlund was also not 100%... so they were greatly hampered tonight. This game wouldn’t be a great example of what they are capable of....

 

[DoubleTrouble]

Not liking the Horvat line.. Having 3 shooters on one line doesn't work.. Someone has to pass the puck..

 

[wonton15]

Not liking the Horvat line.. Having 3 shooters on one line doesn't work.. Someone has to pass the puck..

I sorta agree. I think that's why Burmistrov played pretty well with Baertschi and Boeser

 

[Yossarian54]

Wasn't Minny supposed to no longer be an excruciatingly boring team to watch? Who said that? I know someone did somewhere on this site...

Boudreau did this on his last year with the Ducks. When the team started slow and had a few injuries he played the trap for the first half of the season. When they woke the f*** up he opened it up a bit

 

[Paulinvancouver]

Boudreau did this on his last year with the Ducks. When the team started slow and had a few injuries he played the trap for the first half of the season. When they woke the **** up he opened it up a bit

Say, are those cotton dockers? Boyyy do I hate THAT commercial!

Pants!... Pants!... Pants!... Pants!

 

[Megaterio Llamas]

I'm starting to wonder if Sam Gagner actually exists, or if he's just a collection of thoughts, impressions, and criticisms of soft, kinda skilled, mail it in, should probably be playing in Switzerland, you'll forget he every played for your team player who's manifested into a physical form and put on a jersey.

This is a very apt description of what we're witnessing in these early days of the Gagner experience. Or, rather, what we think we're seeing. We cannot be quite sure, such is the subtle, nearly imperceptible nature of Gagner's presence on the ice. Or lack thereof.

Greatly appreciated.

 

[brokenhole]

I more so mention January since it’s consistently where everything hits the fan.

NGL tho it’s fun to win for now.

Lahey told Bubbles about that big ....eating fan in the sky come January.

 

[Intangibos]

Didn't watch much, I've been busy moving and I'm just so unhappy with the Canucks after last year, but it's nice that we're winning. Pretty bad if the Wild were playing the trap. Honestly Minnesota sports media should say something, if they haven't already. If I had to watch the Canucks play the trap against a bottom team and still lose, and I actually had a voice, I'd write about it every week.

I always liked Dorsett and never understood the hate for him. Willie overplayed him for a reason and we're seeing why. I guess his contract isn't the prettiest but he's playing like he's worth it

People hate him because Benning overpays him and Willie overplayed him.
He'd be a fine 12F/13F making 1 or even 1.5m/year, and honestly I think most of the 'hate' you see around here are from people who acknowledge that.
Discussions just degenerate into defenders of Benning/Willie/Dorsett claiming he's a good tough as nails hockey player while the haters say he's just not worth what he's getting and he's not a very good hockey player (not that many fourth liners are, he just certainly isn't a cream of the crop 4th liner like say Lapierre was for us).
The one thing I can say about him is that he shows hustle which is great for the kids to see, much like Burrows/Hansen who had to claw their way into the league, Dorsett has to fight to stay in the league because he just isn't very good at keeping the puck from going in his net, which is one of the most important skills for a fourth liner to have IMO

 

[JuniorNelson]

Canucks dominating on the road would have been laughed at a week ago if predicted. This team is building a new identity. Soft sched helps them ease into it. November is a bear, though.

Defense is in the position of having guys that want to seize ops! An Edler injury that hasn't shown itself in the standings? This is awesome! I want Edler back but the push in the roster is great to see. Canucks might have eight guys that deserve regular status. Damn! Still early days but it looks pretty promising.

Goaltending has been a strength, really. Kudos. The question was never about short spurts, though. Longevity and steadiness through the ups and downs of a full season is still a mountain to climb. There has been a lot of talent shown by both men. I hope they can build on this trip and get some rhythm going.

 

[m9]

I don't think there is too much to breakdown in a game like this.

People can nit-pick the blueline, saying Gudbranson or Pouliot or others had a bad game.. but I thought the entire defense was good and did exactly what they needed to do. Limited high-end scoring chances and supported as needed offensively. Came up big on the penalty-kill. I noticed small, good plays from almost every guy out there.

Up front, not much going on. I thought the Sedins/Virtanen were noticeable in both ends, and not necessarily for good reasons. But great steal by Virtanen in the neutral zone & a nice goal. Good stuff. I actually noticed Gagner for the first time all year, though again not all positive.

My only real team takeaway was that although this team is still quite soft, it's nice to see some bite from a few guys. Dorsett, Virtanen, Biega and Gudbranson all are taking care of the physical side of things. Even Boeser threw a couple of hits.

 

[Catamarca Livin]

I don't think there is too much to breakdown in a game like this.

People can nit-pick the blueline, saying Gudbranson or Pouliot or others had a bad game.. but I thought the entire defense was good and did exactly what they needed to do. Limited high-end scoring chances and supported as needed offensively. Came up big on the penalty-kill. I noticed small, good plays from almost every guy out there.

Up front, not much going on. I thought the Sedins/Virtanen were noticeable in both ends, and not necessarily for good reasons. But great steal by Virtanen in the neutral zone & a nice goal. Good stuff. I actually noticed Gagner for the first time all year, though again not all positive.

My only real team takeaway was that although this team is still quite soft, it's nice to see some bite from a few guys. Dorsett, Virtanen, Biega and Gudbranson all are taking care of the physical side of things. Even Boeser threw a couple of hits.

I don't think there is too much to breakdown in a game like this.

People can nit-pick the blueline, saying Gudbranson or Pouliot or others had a bad game.. but I thought the entire defense was good and did exactly what they needed to do. Limited high-end scoring chances and supported as needed offensively. Came up big on the penalty-kill. I noticed small, good plays from almost every guy out there.

Up front, not much going on. I thought the Sedins/Virtanen were noticeable in both ends, and not necessarily for good reasons. But great steal by Virtanen in the neutral zone & a nice goal. Good stuff. I actually noticed Gagner for the first time all year, though again not all positive.

My only real team takeaway was that although this team is still quite soft, it's nice to see some bite from a few guys. Dorsett, Virtanen, Biega and Gudbranson all are taking care of the physical side of things. Even Boeser threw a couple of hits.

Yes I agree with us being more physical with Guddy Dorsett and Virtanen. Also Boeser, MDZ and Vanek are solid while previous soft players like Grandlund Horvat and even Gagner are finishing the odd check. Nice to see us compete.

 

[MS]

The hate is bc he is probably .65 mil overpaid and plays on the fourth line. But you know, he goes hard most every night, stands up for his teammates and can contribute a bit offensively, which are assets we really needed at the time and still do. I’m fine with him, but would really prefer someone else to be leading this team in scoring.

He was also complete and utter sub-replacement level trash for the past two years since signing his contract. If he would have played like he is now, nobody would have been complaining (as nobody complained for most of his first season here).

Now, it may be that his awful play was a result of his neck issue, but there was no way for anyone to know that at the time.

 

[krutovsdonut]

Not liking the Horvat line.. Having 3 shooters on one line doesn't work.. Someone has to pass the puck..

seems like horvat had better learn to do that if he wants to play with good players.

 

[MS]

Incredibly boring game. We played well defensively and looked well-coached, but again hard to judge because of the level of the opposition with Minnesota incredibly banged up and coming off a road trip. Nice to have a 3-game win streak but these last few games have been incredibly soft. Reminds me of everyone getting excited about some wins when we had a super-soft schedule around Christmas last year.

- as easy a shutout as you'll see for Nilsson. Crazy start for him here - two shutouts and a blowout the other way where he lasted 10 minutes.

- Tanev, Del Zotto, and Hutton were all extremely good in big minutes. Hutton has really taken a step forward the past few games.

- Gudbranson wasn't 'terrible' but wasn't great either and when there was a breakdown he tended to be the culprit.

- Biega again didn't put a foot wrong aside from the complete BS penalty and needs to be playing more. Pouliot was better but is still just getting by at best.

- great to see Virtanen playing so well and getting results. Speed continues to help the Sedins.

- Sutter line didn't score tonight but again played a strong defensive game. Better effort from Sutter and Dorsett continues to battle hard. Granlund needs to step up a bit.

- after a couple good games, the Horvat line looked a bit out-of-sync. Boeser's weakest game of the season.

- Burmistrov line was the weakest. Weak game for Vanek, whose poor skating really showed. Disagree with the people saying Gagner 'isn't trying' or is just collecting a paycheck - to me the guy looks like he's battling but is just weak and ineffective, and is being used incorrectly on the PP.

 

[ahmon]

Like I said before I don't see Horvat C with Boeser on the wing as a fit.

Horvat has the speed/size but doesn't distribute the puck well enough.

Boeser right now doesn't have the speed to drive a line.

Its not like the gagner/burmi/vanek line is lighting it up.

Need to break up these 2 lines and see if other combinations can fit better.

 

[VanJack]

We're catching some of these teams at the right time....Detroit and Buffalo basically suck right now and Ottawa was just back off the road after a grueling trip out west....Minny is decimated by injuries. But they don't ask you at the end of the season how you won 'em and the teams you were playing....tough games at home with the Caps, Pens and Stars....and 15 games in November, with 10 on the road...yikes!

 

[Shareefruck]

People hate him because Benning overpays him and Willie overplayed him.
He'd be a fine 12F/13F making 1 or even 1.5m/year, and honestly I think most of the 'hate' you see around here are from people who acknowledge that.

Discussions just degenerate into defenders of Benning/Willie/Dorsett claiming he's a good tough as nails hockey player while the haters say he's just not worth what he's getting and he's not a very good hockey player (not that many fourth liners are, he just certainly isn't a cream of the crop 4th liner like say Lapierre was for us).

It's not even that complicated, IMO. People hated Dorsett because his first year looked like an anomaly and he's looked like a terrible hockey player ever since (even before he got injured)..... until now.

All of the criticism he was getting was apt at the time. The fact that he's playing well now doesn't suddenly change that and retroactively make the crap he used to get unreasonable.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

We're catching some of these teams at the right time....Detroit and Buffalo basically suck right now and Ottawa was just back off the road after a grueling trip out west....Minny is decimated by injuries. But they don't ask you at the end of the season how you won 'em and the teams you were playing....tough games at home with the Caps, Pens and Stars....and 15 games in November, with 10 on the road...yikes!

Caps game could be tough (first game back from a long road trip usually does not come up to snuff)...Why is it everytime we win these days,fans have to come up with an excuse why we won?...These road wins were no fluke (unlike last year).

What this last road trip does demonstrate to me, is the ineptitude of our previous coach who basically impeded the roster (this year its pretty much the same players).

 

[VanillaCoke]

Beating bad teams is not an accomplishment

 

[MS]

Caps game could be tough (first game back from a long road trip usually does not come up to snuff)...Why is it everytime we win these days,fans have to come up with an excuse why we won?...These road wins were no fluke (unlike last year).

What this last road trip does demonstrate to me, is the ineptitude of our previous coach who basically impeded the roster (this year its pretty much the same players).

This team had a 9-2-3 stretch last year in December-January in a really soft part of the schedule.

Not sure why that was a 'fluke' with 'bad coaching' but this is meaningful with great coaching. People were getting super-excited about this team during that stretch, too ... it just looks a bit different with the benefit of hindsight.

If this team gets wins against good teams, I'll give them major credit. Right now they had a road trip where they beat two bottom-5 teams and two beat-up teams coming off long western road trips.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Caps game could be tough (first game back from a long road trip usually does not come up to snuff)...Why is it everytime we win these days,fans have to come up with an excuse why we won?...These road wins were no fluke (unlike last year).

What this last road trip does demonstrate to me, is the ineptitude of our previous coach who basically impeded the roster (this year its pretty much the same players).

There is some merit to the fact that we have beaten some pretty lowly teams and benefitted from a favourable schedule. However, I also find you correct in your coaching statement - if Willie were at the helm, I see our record as being dramatically worse right now. Green is doing a solid job coaching this group and having them work hard and be prepared, and his deployment (PP strategies notwithstanding) has been infinitely superior to Willie's.

 

[David Bruce Banner]

Beating bad teams is not an accomplishment

Yes it is, because we are also a bad team... or at least we were supposed to be.