Post-Game Talk: Canucks def. Flames - 3-2 (SO) (McWard, Pettersson - Kuzmenko SO Winner)

[VanJack]

Can't really argue with Tocchet on his assessment of this one. After the first period the rink was tilted.....lost track of the number of odd-man rushes they gave up only to be bailed out by Demko.

Tocchet is right.....this isn't 'winning hockey' when you win only because your goaltender performed miracles in the crease. But I guess you have to cut them some slack, given the makeup of their blueline, and the fact they were playing a desperate team.

 

[Breakers]

Hughes has been caved in defensively the last 3 games

 

[Aqualung]

Boeser vs Kuzmenko ice time is baffling. I get the coach has nonnegotiables for play away from the puck, but what exactly has Boeser done to hit such a huge ice time comparatively?

Just using Tocchet’s own standard for Kuzmenko with Boeser— it doesn’t compute.

I can only think management has stepped in and told Tocchet to give Boeser important minutes to ensure he retains whatever value he has regained going into the offseason to help offload him.

 

[604]

Hughes wearing that C next season

That’s what I said at the rink. Usually the captain does the speech and he was chosen to step up.

 

[DFAC]

Is anyone actually happy with these wins?

Get outplayed throughout the game, have Demko bail us out and somehow fluke out 2 points. It’s literally like the Bruce era all over again

 

[604]

I don’t think I liked a single deployment decision tonight. Weird stuff from Coach Tocchet.

I think he was trying to throw the game but Calgary sucked too bad to take it.

This was a highly entertaining game to be at. Maybe because they were giving away free crap all night.

Much better than the Hawks game.

 

[Nucker101]

A mediocre team like the Flames always dominate us, this team still isn't close to being a contender. Hronek isn't enough, unless they make a couple of homerun moves this summer, I expect mediocrity next year.

 

[Petey But Really Jim]

Is anyone actually happy with these wins?

Get outplayed throughout the game, have Demko bail us out and somehow fluke out 2 points. It’s literally like the Bruce era all over again

Rick! There it is! Bubble 3.0. Lap it up. Mmm so good. Mmm yum yum.

 

[Breakers]

Cam Fowler played 39 minutes tonight


I have a feeling Tocchet has a new benchmark for Hughes after seeing that.

 

[Knight53]

Hirose looks like a late first round pick that developed how’d you hope over the years and is dropped into the line-up. Really impressed by him, probably the 2nd best pro scouting find after Kuzmenko.

 

[DonnyNucker]

Just saw the Horvat clip. Disappointed that that’s the route he decided to take.

But again, has me wondering where the issue in the room may have truly lay. Miller has certainly looked like a new man since Horvat left. Hmm.

I have been telling you guys for two years he was a problem. Nice to see him show his true colors

 

[BoHorvat 53]

A mediocre team like the Flames always dominate us, this team still isn't close to being a contender. Hronek isn't enough, unless they make a couple of homerun moves this summer, I expect mediocrity next year.

I fully expect mediocrity as well next season, but I don't think it's fair to use the Flames as a litmus test. They're 3rd in xGF%, 2nd in Corsi %, and 2nd in Fenwick % over the course of the season - the results/finish hasn't been there, but they've been controlling play all season long.

 

[VanJack]

Hirose is playing big minutes; is actually accomplishing the impossible by bailing out Tyler Myers; and is now playing a prominent role in OT. What a find!

All year they've tried to find a partner for Myers and everyone, including Hughes, has flopped. Now in comes a kid from the college ranks, and is carrying his pairing and looking like one of the Canucks best d-men.

Beginning to think he won't play a single minute for the Abbotsford Canucks next season.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

A mediocre team like the Flames always dominate us, this team still isn't close to being a contender. Hronek isn't enough, unless they make a couple of homerun moves this summer, I expect mediocrity next year.

Bizarre..a prominent number on this board had them penciled in as SC contenders before the season started.?

 

[orcatown]

Any honeymoon with Tocchet is over. You have a tremendous offensive player in Kuzmenko and you are going to bench him for a clearance several players messed up??? Just dumb. Looks like we have another knucklehead coach. You should be planning your systems around what you have in players. Trying to ram players into a certain system and favoring players that suit your system isn't smart. Unless you think the Di Guiseppes of this league are going to turn you into a contender.

In the end, good players make good coaches. No one wins without elite players. Edmonton is becoming a very good team because they have star quality players through out their top 6 not because the coach is planning some brilliant system. And its not like McDavid and many other top players are always good defensively. What would Tocchet do if he was coaching McDavid and McDavid made a defensive error? Bench him?

In the end that is why the draft is so important. You win championships at the draft not at black board thrashing around with "x" and "o"s. If you don't have the studs you don't win. That's s why these meaningless wins do a lot more harm than good.

You also wonder if the treatment Tocchet is meting out will hurt their chances of picking up other Russians in the off season such as Gavrikov.

Lastly, as mentioned, Tocchet has seemingly two standards. Kuzmenko has been better in every category than Boeser but somehow it's Kuzmenko he makes the whipping boy.

History of the Canucks is they always find a way to screw things up . Not taking the long few in considering what's truly important for success and what's best in the treatment of players has always been a problem and I think the treatment of Kuzmenko in the last home game of the season was just another illustration of this limited viewpoint.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

Literally the worst result. Didn't really beat the Flames and f***ed up the tank.

 

[andora]

So to be clear.. anyone who is pro tank is not upset at benching kuzmenko right?

 

[David Bruce Banner]

The Tank is obviously not a thing and the Hockey Gods always frown on us anyway... so I'll just take some pleasure in beating the Flames and, hopefully, having a hand in spoiling their season.

 

[Vector]

 

[mathonwy]

Its like the coach expects one of those guys to be back next year and one not to be...

It’s exactly like that.

I don’t have any problems with Kuz being benched.

He’s 27. He knows better. He’s a big boy and can handle it. He’s here for two more years and he wants to be here.

Coach has to be consistent in his discipline and messaging and Rich has been consistent at both.

Kuz was very stupid trying to make a dzone play and then failing/turning it over and then trying and failing/turning it over AGAIN in a tight game.

That’s active stupidity versus passive incompetence from Myers or Boeser.

Also, benching Myers or Boeser actually doesn’t do anything because neither player wants to be here anyways so he doesn’t and makes an example of the guy that does.

Lol.

The Tank is obviously not a thing and the Hockey Gods always frown on us anyway... so I'll just take some pleasure in beating the Flames and, hopefully, having a hand in spoiling their season.

Tank is in your

Bedard is still in mine.

SCs are won by 1OA players.

 

[quat]

Teams strt winning people Bitch at Tochett. Team starts losing people bitch about Tochett. Somethings never change around here

Pretty lazy comment.

 

[Zippgunn]

Two good games in a row by Demko which is great. First goal was Martin-esque which isn't. The good news is that he's finally .900 for the season...

 

[VanJack]

What can you extrapolate from these games, other than when Demko is in his zone, he's virtually unbeatable? The answer is virtually nothing.

Canucks were out-chanced, out-hit and out-shot in the last two periods, but Demko held the fort. But because the Canucks roster is dotted with college UFA's; discombobulated lines and AHL callups, there's no intelligence that can be gained.

That's what makes these games so futile. They really do nothing to prepare you for next season; and all that is accomplished is a further drop down the draft board.