Post-Game Talk: [EX6] Canucks defeat Flames | 3-1 (Myers, Blueger, & PDG)

[Play]

Cole is noticeably better than Soucy.

He’s also 5 years ahead In the development process

 

[biturbo19]

Tocchet is a good communicator. He speaks very thoughtfully and honestly. He commands respect naturally. Tocchet is firm but fair, almost like a father figure. I guess that’s why he has a good relationship with Phil Kessel, a guy who has issues with communicating with people.

Personally i can't stand his style of communication. At least, as far as we see it publicly. But it's absolutely on point for an NHL head coach.

I prefer the other version of it. I'd respond a lot better to an AV/Boudreau style of communication.


But hey...at least there's something. Unlike Green's bullshit.

He’s also 5 years ahead In the development process

Soucy isn't a young player though. He is what he is. There's tweaking from there and maybe Soucy eventually picks up enough of those little details to get there. But both of them are well beyond that "development" threshold. It's just a matter of what sort of veteran savvy and shortcuts they can figure out.

 

[VanJack]

Somehow it's appropriate that the Canucks third and fourth liners were the difference-makers against the Flames.

It's hard to judge through just six exhibition games, but seems to me this is the best collection of bottom-six players the Canucks have had in years. Guys like Suter, Blueger, PDG, Joshua and even younger guys like Studnicka and Aman have shown huge year-over-year improvement. Frankly they're a pain in the butt to play against.

Still think the Canucks are lacking size along the wall....and if Soucy is out for any length of time, their blueline will be stretched. But so far this team looks to far ahead in its shutdown play than previous editions of the Canucks.

 

[orcatown]

Best thing about this game was the way the Canucks were able to shut down the Flames late in the game late. Penalty helped but mostly kept the Flames penned in their end.

Good

Di Guiseppe - make an argument that he's been the most consistent forward in the pre-season.

Hronek - showed his class again. Needs, however, not to make the huge boo boo.

Cole - great reads throughout. He can really help playing like this

Demko - gave up very little. Critical factor in win

Myers - can be few complaints about this kind of effort. Showed a lot better mobility in this game. People saying he is not necessary for this defense need to give their head a shake. May not be worth his salary but right now, the way this defense is, they need Myers. People might find that sad but it is true.

Blueger - continues to look good on the pk and in his ice coverage. Looks like Aman but can do a lot more with the puck. Smart player

Not Bad

Beauvillier - not a bad game but doesn't seem cut out for a 3rd or 4th line role. Probably the most obvious trade bait (especially if Mikheyev ever returns) to get some defensive help.

Miller - some weak plays at his defensive blue line. Still prone to defensive lapses.

Boeser - no great fan and still question speed but his puck movement is improved

Joshua - OK but I don't think he's back to the level he was at the end of last season.

Suter - showing signs he can be of help. Not really connecting with anyone yet


Not so Good

Garland - did not complement Pettersson- Kuzmenko in this game. Just never seems to suit an upper level line when you think he would. Better in a lower line role it, seems, where he can go around creating some chaos and soemthing of an offensive threat.

Juulsen - doesn't have the quickness or overall skating to make space so that he can clear his zone, or head man the puck, more easily and more effectively. If Soucy is out team will have puck along with apparently

Studnicka - screams AHL. Skill level is not NHL level. Doesn't bring more than so many other players ( and some them give you more push back) and it is just too bad Podkolzin or someone hasn't shown more development. Just dead wieght in allowing a line to function in terms of any offense or cycle and not even that good defensively. Barely in the play at all in this game.

 

[BluesyShoes]

Hughes and Hronek were interesting together. Hronek looks a bit like a fish out of water at times, he isn't used to playing with a superior puck mover. He needs to think a bit farther ahead and learn how to offer a better option to Hughes. Seemed like he was starting to do that a bit more in the third, they were moving the puck up ice really quickly on some sequences. Pretty tidy in the defensive zone on retrievals as well. On transition, a few times he gets caught almost standing beside Hughes giving him a useless outlet pass when Hughes knows he can do it better himself. I think Hronek has some dynamic skills to leverage: skating, great passing, good shot, quick vision up ice; he just has to realize the new creative options available to him when he plays with Hughes. It looks very new to him, but he may be too stubborn to warm up to the idea.

 

[VanJack]

I guess they had to try it.....but seems to me that Hronek is totally wasted playing with Hughes. They need his vision and skating skill to anchor another pairing.

Will be very interesting to see who ends up with Quinn in the opener.

 

[Diversification]

Caroline Cameron

Rachel Doerrie

 

[LemonSauceD]

Wonder if we claim a power forward like Wade Allison from waivers. I’d be curious if we could just stick him on a line with Pettersson/Kuzmenko and see if it works.

 

[Hodgy]

Team defense looked much better last night, but Calgary also looked pretty poor and unengaged. Hard to evaluate.

Terribly boring game.

 

[Aqualung]

Very clear this game that the Studnicka I remembered last season hasn’t disappeared. He’s very much just “there” for large portions of the game. I’d rather replace Joshua on that line and find another winger for the third line if it isn’t Hogs or Pods.

 

[BWJM]

Wonder if we claim a power forward like Wade Allison from waivers. I’d be curious if we could just stick him on a line with Pettersson/Kuzmenko and see if it works.

I like the big right handed shot forward, but I believe he’s an injury prone player.

 

[sting101]

Hmmmn I thought the pace was good.

Hughes Hronek is a waste of resources. Same with Garland on the top line. Only so much puck to go around and both units just need simplicity with power to get the puck back. Obviously that simplicity has to have some talent to not slow them down.

Beauvillier McWard are my choices until Mikheyev comes back.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Mikheyev will make a huge difference when he returns and gets back into game shape. We have too many wingers who are smaller and play on the perimeter and need more puck hounds. He will also be a big plus for the PK. It looks like he’s close.

 

[sting101]

I thought Studnicka had a good game.... Forecheck puck retrievals zone entries and a couple good pick offs. My biggest issue with him is his shot is lacking but it's not like the other 4th liners have snipes.

Great camp and looks like he's gonna be an effective grinder for us this year.

 

[MS]

I thought Studnicka had a good game.... Forecheck puck retrievals zone entries and a couple good pick offs. My biggest issue with him is his shot is lacking but it's not like the other 4th liners have snipes.

Great camp and looks like he's gonna be an effective grinder for us this year.

Yeah, surprised to see criticism of Studnicka.

I thought he had a really good game. Didn't do anything flashy offensively but was terrific defensively, broke up a ton of plays in the neutral zone, won battles in the trenches. Calgary having only 18 shots and really struggling to move the puck was down to efforts like this from a lot of the role players, and that Blueger line did their job to a T.

 

[VanJack]

I thought Studnicka had a pretty strong game as well.......obviously he simply doesn't have the skill to play higher up in the lineup.

But he has above average skating skill, and as long as he uses his speed to get on on a physical forecheck, he probably has a future in a Rick Tocchet-coached team.

And there's a lesson there for some the players languishing in Abbotsford. There's actually a future for fourth line guys who can skate and hit. This thing with Studnicka is, can he keep it up?

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Calgary /Seattle/LA are going to be what were up against this season, to get to a playoff spot.

I expected more from the Flames last night, ..Other than the first shot, I thought Marky held them in there. He was their best player.

As I said, earlier in the thread, the Flames on paper, are a playoff team...In reality, they're struggling to find chemistry, which was an issue last season.

 

[Three On Zero]

Any updates on Soucy?

 

[Vector]

Any updates on Soucy?

It might be at the stage where we don't find anything out until official Monday and have to infer from the moves that they make leading up to roster finalization.

 

[arttk]

It might be at the stage where we don't find anything out until official Monday and have to infer from the moves that they make leading up to roster finalization.

If they need to make a trade it’s better to shut up and not update us on his status until they find someone.

 

[Vector]

If they need to make a trade it’s better to shut up and not update us on his status until they find someone.

I mean we'll guaranteed know if he's on IR or LTIR by Monday. His injury really complicates things since a lot of the roster construction seems to be whether Mikheyev starts on the active roster, IR, or LTIR. There isn't enough capspace to have a 23-man roster and someone on the IR. If they add someone without any significant money going out, then we can assume Soucy or Mikheyev is LTIR bound on Monday.

 

[thecupismine]

I haven't watched as much hockey over the years as I used to (thanks he who must not be named), but structurally this game gave me a ton of hope for the future. The way the team played reminded me of how they used to play under Vigneault, which is extremely encouraging. Having a competent coach alongside a franchise defensemen, center, and (potentially) goalie is a recipe for finally turning things around.

In terms of the game itself, some notes:

Garland - needs to be put back with Suter. He's not suited for a top line role and is a poor complement to Petey and Kuzmenko. He does shine in a third line ES scoring role, and can give the team the seconardy scoring its needed from the bottom 6 for a while. Mikhayev and Beauvillier should cycle between Suter and Petey depending on chemistry/who's rolling.

Di Guiseppe - has played like a beast at even strength - great compliment to Boesser and Miller and the kind of player the line needs. Its refreshing to not just throw pure offensive guys together all the time and wonder why they can't dig for the puck or are always hemmed in their own zone. Hopefully it's not just a flash in the pan and he's the rare guy that breaks out late in his career - 30 ES points this year and great two way play is a huge win.

Cole - great steadying presence - something the team has sorely missed since he who must not be named stupidly let Tanev go.

Hughes - has stepped his game up somehow, guy looks like he's playing a video game out there with how easily he can skate laps around everyone with the puck on his stick. He's going to win a Norris one day if people stop looking past his size.

Blueger - super impressive. Alongside Suter, gives me hope our bottom 6 is not going to cave the team in like it has in previous years.

I'm getting 2008-2009 Canucks vibes from the team, where it feels like they're going to turn things around with this core of players. Lot of hockey to be played, but for the first time in ages I feel legitimately excited for the season to start.

 

[CanucksSayEh]

Hooberdoo still looks like ass.

 

[VanJack]

Myers voted the third star last night by Canucks Army. No, that's not a misprint. What's gotten into Myers? Is it just the contract-year 'bump', or is he capable of sustaining it?

But as others have pointed out many times before, Myers is more than serviceable as a 5-6 d-man. But given the money Benning and the Canucks shelled out for him, they had no choice but force him into a top-4 role.

His career as Canuck is winding down to a matter of months, but he finally might be in a role in which he can thrive.

 

[Three On Zero]

Myers voted the third star last night by Canucks Army. No, that's not a misprint. What's gotten into Myers? Is it just the contract-year 'bump', or is he capable of sustaining it?

But as others have pointed out many times before, Myers is more than serviceable as a 5-6 d-man. But given the money Benning and the Canucks shelled out for him, they had no choice but force him into a top-4 role.

His career as Canuck is winding down to a matter of months, but he finally might be in a role in which he can thrive.

Lesser role he’s more suited for + less intense games in pre season hockey.

I guarantee he’s going to struggle come Wednesday when Edmonton comes out flying