Pre-Game Talk: GM 4: Vancouver Canucks @ San Jose Sharks - May 7 - 7:00PM PST - TSN

[luongo321]

I don't disagree that they brought this 0-3 hole on themselves, however having to play against both the Sharks and bad reffing is not fair. That Hamhuis "penalty" puts them 5 on 3 last night. That missed call on the Sharks that WAS a penalty would have put us 5 on 3. Could have changed the whole complexion of the game.

Whatever, what's done is done. Blaming the refs is never the way to go, but they DID leave their mark on the game last night, though the game of course was ultimately lost by the Canucks.

It's a screwjob by the refs. Biased officiating against the Canucks. It's pretty obvious when the refs are looking for something to call on the Canucks (Weise in a scrum). Couture legit picks up the puck and throws it out of the zone and everyone in the building sees it, but the refs refused to call it. That is biased officiating. Hell, in a previous game, Garrison barely touched someone and he was given a penalty. Have these refs not watched the other series (kings/blues, etc.)? That isn't even a penalty in the regular season. It's clear to me that the officials are corrupt.

 

[NuxFan09]

Giving credit to the Sharks makes me feel a whole ton better. I hear some people making the comparison to last year's LA Kings and I disagree with that. The Kings kind of came out of nowhere and put together a spectacular run. The Sharks have been a good team for years, one of the few teams that have been competitive every year since the 04/05 lockout, but that's been totally forgotten because of their chronic underachieving. In reality, this is a very good team that might finally be putting it all together. Kind of early to say that, since this is just the first round, but I just wanted to point out that the Sharks are a top notch organization in this league - one of the best, IMO - from top to bottom and it would be nice to see them finally have the kind of success they've been working so hard year after year to find.

 

[Jyrki]

So what if X or Y embellishes, that's not why we're losing. Players not feeling accountable is a better reason. Right, "Casual Kev"?

Goddamnit if Gillis finds a way to ship him out I'd be sooo happy

 

[opendoor]

I think Bieksa is nowhere near 100% and is trying to help out the team any way he can, in this case by taking all the spotlight.

If that's true, it's just another reason to show the coaching staff the door. Playing Bieksa (who unsurprisingly has been on the ice for every single ES GA this series) an extra 2-3 even strength minutes over Hamhuis-Garrison is bad enough if he's 100%. If he's injured...

 

[David71]

bieska should shut up and acutally play defense. no point in calling out the other teams players. everyone dives. get over it.

 

[Flik]

I don't even care anymore.

Win or lose I'll always be a fan of the team, but changes need to be made regardless of how things shake down tomorrow.

 

[PG Canuck]

Honestly, it's just best for SJ to finish us off ASAP. Don't need to give MG any glimmer of hope AV can still coach this team to a Cup.

 

[luongo321]

I was taking a look at the roster for one of the SJ games (the 7-3 victory) in 2011, and our current roster really should be around the nearly the same strength as that one.

Players gone:
Ehrhoff, Rome, Salo, Tambellini, Torres, Oreskovich, Hodgson.

Players added:
Garrison, Roy, Sestito, Kassian, Corrado, Alberts, Weise.

Garrison and Alberts should cancel out Salo and Rome. Ehrhoff was a big loss, but he missed part of the series and the team was scoring lots without him in that series anyway.

Hodgson was a bit player as a rookie during the series. Torres would be nice to have around, but overall, the replacement forwards should be better than the ones we lost.

San Jose added some good players since then, but were actually better in the regular season that year.

So the problem seems to be that most of the existing players from that 2010-11 roster seem to have gotten much worse. I can't think of a single skater who is actually playing even up to the same level they did during the SJ series in 2011.

They're not old enough to have all declined due to aging, so I think most of the problem is attributable to coaching and the systems the team plays. Combined with "gripping the stick" too tightly due to past playoff struggles perhaps.

It's also about chemistry as well. Our lines were pretty damn set going into 10-11. I know manny went down and maxim and higgins went in, but that team had much more of an identity. This season, Ihave no idea how our 2nd, 3rd and 4th line is going to look. Obviously Kesler's injury and the addition of roy factor into this. No flow.

 

[Jack Tripper]

Honestly, it's just best for SJ to finish us off ASAP. Don't need to give MG any glimmer of hope AV can still coach this team to a Cup.

winning game 4 wont give a glimmer of anything, nobody remembers the canucks efforts in games 4 and 5 against the kings last season and nobody will remember if the canucks pull one out to have a final game in vancouver

to quote av, 'it is what it is' and making it to game 5 or game 6 won't change what's already happened

 

[Canucks LB]

Honestly, it's just best for SJ to finish us off ASAP. Don't need to give MG any glimmer of hope AV can still coach this team to a Cup.

agreed. win or lose in 4

 

[JuniorNelson]

Canucks fans lead the league in several categories.

Canucks and Sharks look like a good match on paper. I expected the team to win a long series then exit, exhausted, in series two. This is embarrassing. I knew the Canucks were grossly weakened at the start of the season. Then I read the newspapers and listened to the radio and TV and even bought into a bunch of internet drivel.

Why did I think this team would do anything in the playoffs?

The truth is that Gillis has taken an epic voyage on the sea of fail. He set sail last January. His ship sank at the deadline and Dallas threw him an anchor.

The Canucks, with an ideal division laden schedule made themselves look good in poorly contested matches. They even seemed to improve with Kesler's return. When things turned serious, the truth was revealed. The Canucks are kind of a lame assembly of misfits mismatched by a meddling coach, led by a "converted" agent. They did pretty well, considering.

I hope they win game four and return to Vancouver. They deserve that. Let Aquilini see how Gillis' leadership is going.

 

[Grumbler]

Ben Kuzma @benkuzma
Bieksa: "Thornton takes his glove off and shakes his hand and draws a huge 5-on-3. Maybe we have to do more of that, maybe sell calls."


Bieksa NEEDS to go. You just don't call out other teams players when your ****ing down 3-0 you dumb ****. How about not be on the ice for their last 5 even strengthed goals... how about learning to defend...

 

[David71]

Ben Kuzma ‏@benkuzma 16m

Bieksa on embellishment: "Couture has been snapping his head back and this isn't my opinion, the evidence is in the video."
Expand

 

[Flik]

Even if it is true that the Sharks are embellishing (and it is), I hate that one of our leaders is making a big deal of it. Just seems like they are readying an excuse if we crash and burn out of this series.

As much as it sucks, you gotta battle through ****** reffing sometimes. There are so many other things the Canucks can actually control that they haven't been doing, and that pisses me off the most!

 

[luongo321]

Ben Kuzma ‏@benkuzma 16m

Bieksa on embellishment: "Couture has been snapping his head back and this isn't my opinion, the evidence is in the video."
Expand

It's not the embellishing I have a problem with. I have a problem with the extremely biased officiating in this series. I know our team isn't playing that great, but we're still getting the screwjob. The fix is in. MG needs to blast them big time.

 

[Henrik To Daniel]

Bieksa is everything that is wrong with the Canucks. Your team is down ****ing 0-3, you aren't in a position to chirp. If you really want to be worth something, go out there and play like you give a damn

 

[Eddy Punch Clock]

It's not the embellishing I have a problem with. I have a problem with the extremely biased officiating in this series. I know our team isn't playing that great, but we're still getting the screwjob. The fix is in. MG needs to blast them big time.

Cost him a quarter mill. last time he did that.

 

[Canucker]

Even if it is true that the Sharks are embellishing (and it is), I hate that one of our leaders is making a big deal of it. Just seems like they are readying an excuse if we crash and burn out of this series.

As much as it sucks, you gotta battle through ****** reffing sometimes. There are so many other things the Canucks can actually control that they haven't been doing, and that pisses me off the most!

The Canucks are obviously struggling but the quality of reffing has been abysmal, it's tough to "battle through" it when you are having to battle just to score a single goal...We've been on the short end of the stick FAR too often in this series...it doesn't excuse our undisciplined play, but the refs have to be fair and impartial and they have been anything but.

 

[opendoor]

Bieksa is just embarrassing himself with those comments.

I might feel more sorry for the Canucks' parade to the penalty box if they'd put even the slightest emphasis on team discipline in the last few years.

 

[David71]

It's not the embellishing I have a problem with. I have a problem with the extremely biased officiating in this series. I know our team isn't playing that great, but we're still getting the screwjob. The fix is in. MG needs to blast them big time.

mg doesnt need to blast them.. he got fined last time. but aquaman would glady pay the fine.

 

[EpochLink]

AV has let on inmates run the asylum

 

[Canucker]

Cost him a quarter mill. last time he did that.

Maybe not directly to the media...but he wouldn't be doing his job if he hasn't approached whomever is in charge of the officials in this series and taken a strip off them, or even gone to Bettman himself. Even Aquilini should be talking to people behind the scenes about this....it's absolutely ridiculous how bad and one sided its been.

 

[BrandonL]

It all comes to a sweet merciful end tomorrow night.

 

[goodluckchuck]

Bieksa is a sore loser, and that is all what needs to be said.

 

[ZZZZZZZ]

I can't believe the excuses being made for the ''Deadnucks'' that I'm reading here.

Have any of you actually watched this team this year?

Apart from the Chicago and L.a. games,they played exactly the same as these last 4 games..........pathetically.........no heart or passion..

Edler and Bieksa are terrible d-men who haven't got a clue how to play defence or God forbid actually block a shot.

The Sedins have been invisible as usual in the playoffs.........time to dump both of them,as well as Gillis ,AV and any number of the gutless canucks.

Raymond ,Roy,Weise,Higgins.etc...........what freakin good are they?