How is it Bruce got this page to play decently for 2/3 of a season last year?
Was Brad Hunt that much of a diff maker on D?
Its amazing, they look worse than they did under Green at this time last year
It wasn’t really 2/3 of the season. It was a 30 game span or so. They were not good down the stretch, in training camp or so far this year. Ultimately in the last season plus what they've played this year they have been shit 2/3 of the time under two different coaches.
I’m hesitant to throw Demko under the bus especially last night. Now of course he needs to be better but last week there was something showing that 5-on-5 his numbers were actually middle of the pack in expected goals prevented (or whatever it is). The PK is dreadful and making it impossible for the goaltenders and at ES there are still too many scoring chances against.
Look at last night:
First goal is yet another terrible PK. The two forwards were standing behind each other and neither was effectively covering the guys at the point. Suzuki is gets the puck and is allowed to walk in and fire a shot completely uncontested. Well Myers nicely filled the lane providing a screen. It’s not a great goal for sure, even bad but wow the PK is simply hopeless.
Second goal. It was tipped by a canuck in the low slot and changed direction and elevation significantly. It’s why Demko’s arm all of a sudden shoots up. It went from likely hitting his crest to the cataching glove part of the net. That was a goal on canuck forwards simply didn’t work hard enough off the face off. Surprise surprise it was the Miller-Pearson combo.
Third goal. Brutal Miller giveaway in the slot and Dach gets to walk in untouched. Demko isn’t set but not sure any goaltender would be. Doesn’t look a great goal but clearly the blame lies elsewhere.
4th goal Demko gives up the far side too much but this is an odd man rush and while Garret says Hughes played it well, it was actually played to essentially give Hoffman a breakaway at full speed.
5th goal. Keystone cops in there own end. Cross ice pass to Dach who is all alone on his off wing and gets to choose where to shoot.
So yes Demko needs to maybe save a couple of those but there is so much wrong with the team. So, so much. I’m sort of glad he’s struggling because it makes the mistakes obvious. But he can stop any time now. In the end this is a team that is basically bottom 10 in most categories…scoring chance generation (high sh% is disguising this), scoring chances against, expected goals ratio etc. If you are only good at one thing (PP sometimes) you are going to struggle and they do.
Hell, the ES sv% for the Canucks isn’t actually that bad. It’s middle of the road, Neither goalie is a standout really. For goaltenders with 100+ minutes Martin sits at 0.928 and Demko at 0.907. Both basically find themselves in the 20-40 range of the 65 goaltenders. It’s a difference for sure…about 4 goals I believe. That barely moves them in the goals conceded ranking 5-on-5. They go from bad to bad.
The bulk of the damage to the goaltender numbers is being done on the PK…that is where the scoring chance save % is last in the league and we know why. It’s mostly due to the skaters inability to win battles in front of the net and allowing monstrous seams cross ice.
Again Demko needs to be better (so to does Martin for that matter) but the actual major issues in the grand scheme of things very much lie elsewhere.