Was'nt a good game by the Canucks, but I'm also not buying the latest gospel that Vegas is in some completely different weight class than the Canucks...Vegas is a better team, but they're streaky and vulnerable just like everyone else.
Before this game Vegas lost to the Oilers and Flames, Penguins, and other middling teams..The season has many ebbs and flows, and after losing three in a row..Vegas was hyper focused on winning last night..They were the hungrier team..There is still lingering discombobulation in the Canucks lineup, which has been evident for a couple of weeks now.
It will be interesting to see the Canucks response tomorrow night.
Ever hear of the Stanley Cup hangover?
Every sports outlet, all of them, state Vegas' size and depth are dominating factors. Everywhere except video games.
I think fans here, up to very recently, have to consider that Vancouver came out of the blocks playing playoff intensity, which is very hard to sustain, they also had incredible luck and percentages in their favour.
That you point out the teams that beat Vegas recently has to bring a question of "Why didn't the Canucks win?" They have a superior record than those teams.
The Canucks did enough early to make the playoffs and Allvin just helped them more, they should make it easily now but IMO it isn't enough to have playoff success. They still need to improve forward size and speed. Boeser must be one of the slowest NHL players in the league. Decent size but almost totally reliant on his line mates for scoring.
I just watched last night's game.... its painful seeing EP play now when compared to earlier this year, please rest him. the groin/hipflexor can only get better with rest.
imagine if EP is healthy also.... Suter also very underrated. but yeah, this team is not Vegas level yet if they play well.
I am convinced it is concussion related. Daniel Sedin and Mats Naslund both had set backs like this after their bells were rung. It puts everything off just a bit, stick handling, hitting the target, skating, balance and he shakes his head quite often after hits. Sort of like clearing the cobwebs.
I am sure the team looks into this or monitors for it but if EP insists he is okay the team cannot force him to take tests and at that most tests can be beat if the player wants to.
Sort of like;
Do you experience headaches?
Do you feel like vomiting sometimes after exertion?
Are you sleeping okay?
Do you experience blurred vision?
Do you hear a buzzing sound or bells ringing?
Do you lose your balance?
Are you moody?
Do you tire easier?
Many of those types of questions that all could be answered negatively.
But on the ice I see loss of balance, shaking of the head, occasional hesitation uncommon for him, not shooting with the same accuracy, I mean velocity too which is a timing thing, kind of a lack of expression and the few times you can see the bench he is just sitting and not reviewing the tablet like he used to.
I am probably in left field here but this happened after he got elbowed in the head on a reverse hit a few years ago and it took almost a year for him to come back. And now he is hitting way more than he ever has.
It could be he is trying to emulate Peter Forsberg or over doing Tocchet's instructions on north/south, board battles, dump and chase, forechecking. He has moments where he looks like the dynamic Pettersson, like he did for most of Bruce and Tocchet last year, even at the beginning of this year but his play quite suddenly tailed off, one game was great and then multiple lousy games since.
At a guess he got a mild ringer on November 4th and another bigger one in Toronto November 9th or 11th. Each time it is easier to get another one with longer recovery time. First 9 games 20 points, since Nov 4th - 11 points in 15 games.
Sorry got carried away there but it was an observation of the game.
They just looked flat, dazed and confused.