Post-Game Talk: Game # whatever | Canucks 3 - No wait! - 2 @ Leafs 4

[fancouver]

Why is everyone giving Horvat a tough time? It's not a sophomore slump, it's just the team is really bad right now. Look at who he's playing with. 2 guys that have never played a full season in the NHL. And to top it off, both guys are no known to play great D, so Horvat does all the heavy lifting in that department.

Look at guys like Vrbata, he's been a non factor. .

 

[NuxFan09]

Why is everyone giving Horvat a tough time? It's not a sophomore slump, it's just the team is really bad right now. Look at who he's playing with. 2 guys that have never played a full season in the NHL. And to top it off, both guys are no known to play great D, so Horvat does all the heavy lifting in that department.

Look at guys like Vrbata, he's been a non factor. .

I think there are just really high expectations given how he looked in the latter half of last season and in preseason this year. It's peculiar actually how he just fell right off a cliff as soon as the season started.

 

[thepuckmonster]

I think there are just really high expectations given how he looked in the latter half of last season and in preseason this year. It's peculiar actually how he just fell right off a cliff as soon as the season started.

Yeah I agree. I get his deployment is an issue but he just doesn't look good out there right now.

 

[Hardyvan123]

Young players playing like young players. Just too many critical errors and blown chances. Nice effort in the third when the penalties began to even out but we continue to play just bad enough to lose.

The Good

Sedins - how bad would this team without them. Can say that about any team I guess but these players are basically, along with Hansen, all we have right now.

Hansen - another great effort. Emerging as out best player. Never quit on the game. Has made himself into a top notch player. Albertsson comparison are not that far off.

Burrows - very good player that is being asked to carry others. More talented than generally given credit for.

The Bad

Baertschi - evident that he doesn't have the speed to assert himself. Think the effort is there but whenever he gets space gets tracked down quickly and is unable to make a play. Not NHL caliber ATM.
Can see him getting benched again

Vrbata - clear he needs a center to play with and right now doesn't have one. Still he has to do better with he does have to work with.

Higgins - so much MEH. Does not really play contact hockey. Never hits and makes sure he avoids hits. I know some really like Higgins but to me he defines the terms "soft player" and "perimeter player". See him going thru the motions, picking up his pay check and happy with just being part of the team. Could maybe see him if he was big time and consistent offensive threat but he isn't close to that. Positionally a decent defensive player but don't ask him to win many puck battles. Nice guy which seems to count a lot with some.

Hutton - we had to know there would be days like this but he had big hand in causing us to lose.

Dorsett - only semblance of toughness so I guess he has to play. However, he looked so slow through the neutral zone and couldn't get in on the forecheck. Imagine he is nursing some injuries.

Ugly

Horvat - got to tell it like it is. He is just awful on the PK. Said before he can't win face off and he looks glued to the spot in coverage. Why WD keeps putting him out I don't know. Maybe the Canucks are secretly going for a tank job???? Right now our PK is the worst it has looked in years. Moreover, in the general run off the play Horvat can't do any more than occasionally lug the puck into the zone. In his own end he looks off balanced and is not keeping up with the play. Every combo of wingers they put him with seems to get dragged down with him. Beyond disappointing.

Edler - a negative turnover machine. Game is rapidly going into the crapper. Lurching around and consistently driving himself into traffic. Since Tanev's game has faded seems like Edler's has fallen apart. Maybe some causal relationship there. If Sbisa handled the puck this bad this board would explode with disgust.

Road trip is sure taking a lot out of the team and starting to reveal some massive sink holes in the teams makeup.

bo was 11-10 in the dot, sedin 10-13, McCann 4-6 and Cracknell 2-11

 

[Hardyvan123]

Why is everyone giving Horvat a tough time? It's not a sophomore slump, it's just the team is really bad right now. Look at who he's playing with. 2 guys that have never played a full season in the NHL. And to top it off, both guys are no known to play great D, so Horvat does all the heavy lifting in that department.

Look at guys like Vrbata, he's been a non factor. .

Pretty much this, Horvat hasn't been great but he is hardly the biggest problem on the team right now.

 

[WTG]

Willie contract is only two years IIRC

Nvm it's four years

What?

We really signed a rookie coach for 4 years.

Seems kind of premature, no?

 

[Hit the post]

What?

We really signed a rookie coach for 4 years.

Seems kind of premature, no?

Look who is the GM.

 

[WTG]

Yeah I agree. I get his deployment is an issue but he just doesn't look good out there right now.

Confidence.

That is all it is.


People need to stop being so hard on him. Once he gets a few lucky goals (he's due) and his confidence goes up my guess is he'll be fine.

 

[Breakers]

Look who is the GM.

Jim "Gives away draft picks" Benning

 

[Bad Goalie]

Okay, you lost me here. Goalie pads (and the rest of their equipment) are way too big. Plus, they are so much lighter than before. The weight alone is enough of an advantage....and this is coming from an ex (and arguably subpar) goalie.

Well, the old leather pads were no where near as wide or tall. The stuffing also moved with your posture and the pads changed width and length as it did so over several weeks of play and always needed to be restuffed and blocked a couple a times each season. The leather got wet and you couldn't slide. The water went through the leather and your sweat went through the inside and both soaked up the hair stuffing and the pads gained pound after pound. Your legs were often bruised pretty bad when the puck found a spot where the stuffing had moved so you often layered extra material like folded towels beneath the pad to cushion the blows. The skates were heavy, but the new ones are almost weightless, like a heavy sock. The chest protector was like a baseball catcher's and the arm and shoulder pads were like like form fitting mattress pads which also got wet and heavy. The gloves were a joke in terms of size today (no cheaters either) and they got heavy with water and sweat as well. I marveled as I aged and the equipment got larger, lighter, and far more protective and made up for the changes age brought about in my game.

If these guys played in the equipment of the 60's and 70's the scoring would be way up, but I'm afraid a lot of goalies would be seriously injured or even killed because the shooter's equipment also has improved immensely. I had to put up with the first fiber glass wrapped sticks with no limits on the curves (boomerang type curves). You'd be nuts to put on my college gear and go out there on the ice today. No goalie would get through a season.

 

[Pip]

Wow what an awful game for many not named Sedin or Hansen.

Virtanen especially was just terrible.

Tons of bad reads for Miller, not that he was helped out defensively.

Credit to Willie for putting Weber back on the powerplay. Edler can't be the lone d man out there,

 

[Breakers]

Wow what an awful game for many not named Sedin or Hansen.

Virtanen especially was just terrible.

Tons of bad reads for Miller, not that he was helped out defensively.

Credit to Willie for putting Weber back on the powerplay. Edler can't be the lone d man out there,

Edler was just as bad as Virtanen

literally lost count of all his giveaways

 

[Pip]

If Miller makes an attempt to get over, then I think they call it off.

 

[Toast97]

CBC was biased as hell tonight towards Vancouver

They talked about Shinkaruk, Demko & Virtanen, Mccann with little video montages.

Nothing about Toronto's prospects, and they have one of the best prospect pools in the league.

I definitely felt it was biased towards Vancouver tonight.

But hey it is cool to see them get some recognition. Even thought Virtanen played Terrible tonight except for when he leveled Phaneuf.

That's Glenn Healy's job - to gush about the other team's players and **** on the Leafs. He'd pump up the other team's equipment coach if they let him, while at the same time dreaming up some negative stats about the Leafs that don't even make sense.

Hughson and Simpson are pretty balanced for the most part, but they occasionally get into long conversations at the expense of the play-by-play. Having Healy interject with his verbal diarrhea every couple of minutes drags down the entire broadcast.

 

[Hardyvan123]

If Miller makes an attempt to get over, then I think they call it off.

Hard to say but really it was how the Canucks played that cost them the game not those 2 calls.

 

[PG Canuck]

What?

We really signed a rookie coach for 4 years.

Seems kind of premature, no?

Not really, considering the contracts for players that followed.

 

[Breakers]

Not really, considering the contracts for players that followed.

Yeah like signing Sutter site unseen instead of seeing how he meshed with the team first.

 

[Pip]

Hard to say but really it was how the Canucks played that cost them the game not those 2 calls.

I completely agree. I don't blame the loss on the goal calls.

 

[Peen]

If Miller makes an attempt to get over, then I think they call it off.

Yep

Like the virtanen disallowed goal from earlier this year when Burrows was in the crease.

 

[hellstick]

Hard to believe we're still a playoff team after tonight. Certainly didn't look like one.

 

[Pip]

Jim Hughson so pro Toronto now it's obnoxious as ****.

The commentators spent all night raving about our young players who were playing awful. Also tons of Sedin and Hansen chatter (deservedly so). if anything I thought I was listening to a Vancouver regional broadcast.

 

[Breakers]

Honeymoon is over for the Virtanen and Mccann.

More so Virtanen, would really love to see both back in junior, seeing their frustration growing is tough.

Shinkaruk and Gaunce are developing the right way, and look how it is turning out for them.

Great results for both of them.

 

[dwarf]

Terrible loss. No excuses for that horror show tonight, and we hit the TSN turning point in the season.

I will be watching a lot less games, and expecting a good draft pick from now on. So I am officially on team tank.

Brutal is about all I can think of atm. Miller needs to be shot out of a cannon. Time to see a lot more of Markstrom.

 

[Johnny Canucker]

Hard to believe we're still a playoff team after tonight. Certainly didn't look like one.

We'll take out the inflated start 4-5 games, and we are right in the hunt for Austin Matthews. So there's a bright side. I think by seasons end, we will have a chance at him. Won't be last overall but maybe bottom 4-5.

 

[Pip]

Honeymoon is over for the Virtanen and Mccann.

More so Virtanen, would really love to see both back in junior, seeing their frustration growing is tough.

Shinkaruk and Gaunce are developing the right way, and look how it is turning out for them.

Great results for both of them.

You have to wonder if sending them back in the right option. The ECL year is gone no matter if they stay or go, but maybe it's best for one or both to go back. Especially if Shinkaruk can impress*

I agree. Gaunce looked great up here. He's clearly ready.

*assuming Shinkaruk gets a shot which is a dangerous assumption with this coach.