Post-Game Talk: [GM 29] Canucks defeat Flames | 4-3 (SO) | Horvat, Garland, Dries, (Kuzmenko)

[Vector]

WHEN: December 14th, 7:00PM PST
WHERE: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB
TV: Sportsnet Pacific
RADIO: Sportsnet 650

Canucks Line-Up:

Miller-Horvat-Lazar
Mikheyev-Pettersson-Kuzmenko
Garland-Dries-Boeser
Joshua-Åman-Studnicka

Hughes-Bear
OEL-Schenn
Burroughs-Myers

???


Flames Line-Up:

Huberdeau-Linholm-Toffoli
Dube-Kadri-Mangiapane
Ruzicka-Backlund-Coleman
Lewis-Zohorna-Ritchie

Hanifin-Andersson
Zadorov-Weegar
Mackey-Stone

Markstrom

Click to read more...

 

[Vector]

Bear getting scratched over...anyone else. Miller back to C. Joshua elevated to 2nd line role.

Then again, clearly just futzing around with Pettersson not there.

 

[dez]

Looks like Dermotts healthy again and ballsy move to scratch OEL

 

[credulous]

stillman and myers should be the scratches. or burroughs and oel. sitting bear and dermott is stupid

 

[rypper]

It's not anger it's apathy. I just don't care anymore.

 

[geebster]

Man our schedule is so spread out right now...

 

[me2]

People have been crying out to see Burroughs playing, even on the left side. I just didn't think it would be with OEL on the right. Baby steps.

 

[Canuckle1970]

Sigh......52 years on this rodeo circuit.

When is that 99 point JT Miller going to show up, if ever?

 

[Vector]

It's not anger it's apathy. I just don't care anymore.

Welcome to my club! I joined at the conclusion of the 2011 playoffs. Around a time a cop car exploded.

 

[credulous]

It's not anger it's apathy. I just don't care anymore.

Sigh......52 years on this rodeo circuit.

When is that 99 point JT Miller going to show up, if ever?

Welcome to my club! I joined at the conclusion of the 2011 playoffs. Around a time a cop car exploded.

i'm so mad because i was completely free of this team after the offseason where tanev, toffoli and markstrom were shown the door. i don't think i watched more than 15 minutes of canucks hockey after that up until benning was fired and i deluded myself into thinking things would get better. fool me once...

 

[wonton15]

Dermott Bear is a legit third pairing and should be in. Bruce is clueless

 

[rypper]

Dermott Bear is a legit third pairing and should be in. Bruce is clueless

Hey, you don't mess with a winning roster... oh.

 

[VaCaps Fan]

Hey random caps fan here, I was Christmas shopping and found a cache of nice Vancouver merch. Vancouver Canucks Hats at hatland.com

 

[Shareefruck]

I feel like Bruce's handling of the defensive core is the biggest problem on the team at the moment, personally. I don't even think the d-group looks bad if we run with something like:

Hughes - Schenn
OEL - Bear
Dermott - Burroughs

But it just doesn't happen. Not that it would be ideal either, but at least not that much of an eyesore, and enough for the scoring to carry them, IMO.

 

[credulous]

boudreau definitely has not played his best available defensive line ups at all times this season but i think it's a mistake to think that the canucks defensive struggles are significantly impacted by that

getting stillman out of the lineup would help but the team will still be awful defensively as long as they continue to play the forward lineups they've played. the only combination that's legitimately above water 5v5 is kuzmenko, pettersson and mikheyev. every other forward line has been bad, lucky or both. better defensive pairings might mitigate some of this but stillman hasn't been on the ice enough to be the sole problem. neither has myers. improving the defensive play of the team through substituting (available) defenders probably isn't going to close the gap

the team either needs to change how they play, change the available defenders or change the available forwards. probably all three if they want to significantly improve

 

[valkynax]

Cool, we get to see the team JEB build playing against us.

 

[sting101]

I feel like Bruce's handling of the defensive core is the biggest problem on the team at the moment, personally. I don't even think the d-group looks bad if we run with something like:

Hughes - Schenn
OEL - Bear
Dermott - Burroughs

But it just doesn't happen. Not that it would be ideal either, but at least not that much of an eyesore, and enough for the scoring to carry them, IMO.

while i agree does Bruce even run the defense core?

 

[Sedinery]

Well its turns out Bruce is quite the tank commander

 

[Kevinsane]

i'm so mad because i was completely free of this team after the offseason where tanev, toffoli and markstrom were shown the door. i don't think i watched more than 15 minutes of canucks hockey after that up until benning was fired and i deluded myself into thinking things would get better. fool me once...

100%! I truly believed things could not ever get any worse, but as long as Aquilini owns this team the toxicity and incompetence will trickle down.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

I feel like Bruce's handling of the defensive core is the biggest problem on the team at the moment, personally. I don't even think the d-group looks bad if we run with something like:

Hughes - Schenn
OEL - Bear
Dermott - Burroughs

But it just doesn't happen. Not that it would be ideal either, but at least not that much of an eyesore, and enough for the scoring to carry them, IMO.

Stillman isn’t that great..and neither are the other 3rd pairing options..Burroughs was dogshit against the Capitals (-3) and hasn’t been back in the lineup since..

Stillman /Myers are not getting torched anymore than the other pairings in the last couple of weeks.. (Stillman a +3 and 2 assists against the Habs..Myers a + 3 against the Sharks

Thinking that Dermott (who was sheltered last season) and Burroughs are the answer is asinine.

 

[wonton15]

Stillman isn’t that great..and neither are the other 3rd pairing options..Burroughs was dogshit against the Capitals (-3) and hasn’t been back in the lineup since..

Stillman /Myers are not getting torched anymore than the other pairings in the last couple of weeks.. (Stillman a +3 and 2 assists against the Habs..Myers a + 3 against the Sharks

Thinking that Dermott (who was sheltered last season) and Burroughs are the answer is asinine.

Stillman and Myers ARE getting torched MUCH more. If you actually hone in and watch them defend, they play like chickens with their heads cut off. Absolutely unacceptable lack of hockey IQ and decision making. They fail to make the simplest plays and can't read the play at an NHL level. The stats from that one game were a complete mirage and don't mean anything and if you were fooled by that then I have nothing more to say. They fail the eye test again and again and are absolute terrible defenders who are hemmed every single shift.

Burroughs Dermott and Bear are better period. Stillman and Myers should be benched.

 

[racerjoe]

I feel like Bruce's handling of the defensive core is the biggest problem on the team at the moment, personally. I don't even think the d-group looks bad if we run with something like:

Hughes - Schenn
OEL - Bear
Dermott - Burroughs

But it just doesn't happen. Not that it would be ideal either, but at least not that much of an eyesore, and enough for the scoring to carry them, IMO.

I think we are also leaning way too much on hughes. He has struggled, no doubt, IMO I think it is partially from just asking too much from him.

boudreau definitely has not played his best available defensive line ups at all times this season but i think it's a mistake to think that the canucks defensive struggles are significantly impacted by that

getting stillman out of the lineup would help but the team will still be awful defensively as long as they continue to play the forward lineups they've played. the only combination that's legitimately above water 5v5 is kuzmenko, pettersson and mikheyev. every other forward line has been bad, lucky or both. better defensive pairings might mitigate some of this but stillman hasn't been on the ice enough to be the sole problem. neither has myers. improving the defensive play of the team through substituting (available) defenders probably isn't going to close the gap

the team either needs to change how they play, change the available defenders or change the available forwards. probably all three if they want to significantly improve

Stillman has been pretty much good for a goal against that was his fault. Putting anyone else in would be a huge help alone. even going to a mistake every other game that leads to a goal is better.

 

[Shareefruck]

Stillman isn’t that great..and neither are the other 3rd pairing options..Burroughs was dogshit against the Capitals (-3) and hasn’t been back in the lineup since..

Stillman /Myers are not getting torched anymore than the other pairings in the last couple of weeks.. (Stillman a +3 and 2 assists against the Habs..Myers a + 3 against the Sharks

Thinking that Dermott (who was sheltered last season) and Burroughs are the answer is asinine.

Every defenseman can have bad games, but there's something to be said for general stability and structure that grounds the forward group's ability to function. The consistent erraticness of Stillman and Myers being the rule rather than the exception never allows that to build, in my opinion.

I think the combination of Bear, Dermott, and Burroughs bringing relative stability would at least be something to work with and modestly build off of rather than be a complete lost cause like what we're getting.

Kind of like how having a team of Stechers wouldn't be ideal, but it's better than having a team of Sbisas.

I think we are also leaning way too much on hughes. He has struggled, no doubt, IMO I think it is partially from just asking too much from him.

Yeah, but we're asking too much from him in large part because of the unreliability of who's playing behind him.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Bruce coming out and basically saying the players are shit.

Love it.

 

[me2]

I feel like Bruce's handling of the defensive core is the biggest problem on the team at the moment, personally. I don't even think the d-group looks bad if we run with something like:

Hughes - Schenn
OEL - Bear
Dermott - Burroughs

But it just doesn't happen. Not that it would be ideal either, but at least not that much of an eyesore, and enough for the scoring to carry them, IMO.

That's a 2nd pairing and 2 3rd pairing. 2 4/5s, 3 3rd pairing and 1-dimensional tiny offensive dman.

You have spent too much time watching the Canucks. I'm calling it Vancouver syndrome, where you becoming too acclimated to rubbish that mediocrity it starts looking good.