Post-Game Talk: Pre-Season GM 1: Canucks def. Sharks - 1-0 (OT, Cracknell)

[Bourne Endeavor]

huh, I thought the plan was 4 on 4 then 3 on 3 then SO. Straight to 3 on 3 sucks.

That was the plan. They just opted to jump straight to 3 on 3. I actually don't mind it, though I'll have to see it during a game to get a better feel. Last night was kind of meh.

 

[absolute garbage]

- Hutton was unfortunately absolutely awful through the first 40 minutes although somewhat better in the 3rd. Positioning was very poor, has a lot to work on in the AHL. Biega was hard to read because Hutton was having such an adventure.

This can't be disagreed with but at the same time I really like the way how Hutton plays. His skill, skating and offensive mindset is something we are terribly missing from the blueline. Have been missing for years.

Needs to get his defensive game in order before he sees any NHL time but there's definitely something there. He has size too so it's just a matter of getting stronger and whether he has the smarts for the NHL or not. I have my hopes up.

 

[Rex Banner]

huh, I thought the plan was 4 on 4 then 3 on 3 then SO. Straight to 3 on 3 sucks.

That was what was going to happen until the NHLPA put a stop to it because they would have to play longer without additional compensation.

 

[arsmaster*]

This can't be disagreed with but at the same time I really like the way how Hutton plays. His skill, skating and offensive mindset is something we are terribly missing from the blueline. Have been missing for years.

Needs to get his defensive game in order before he sees any NHL time but there's definitely something there. He has size too so it's just a matter of getting stronger and whether he has the smarts for the NHL or not. I have my hopes up.

I thought the kid was caught up in the moment and was playing really tentative but there is a lot to like with him.

He kept second guessing himself and getting caught with the puck on his stick, I'm sure as the game slows down he'll trust his original reads. There is definitely something there.

-----

Really liked Gaunce. Strong effort, really strong on the wall, good shot and gets chances. He should get call up duty, but another year in the AHL won't be bad for him. Hopefully he can continue to develop offensively. Still would really like to see him in the middle.

 

[Shareefruck]

Gaunce was the best of the prospects. Showed improved speed, had a few good chances, pushed the play hard in every zone. Good showing although there's no way for him to make the team really.

Every god damn year, it's ridiculous.

He outplayed Sutter in this game, IMO.

 

[Reign Nateo]

Was expecting a boring game, but that was exceptionally boring... Can't read too much into that one, but a few players that stood out for me were:

Horvat - Top forward on the ice. Real good. Very effective on the boards and in the corners, positionaly, created chances and possessed the puck. Good start for him, a very consistent performer.

Edler/Tanev - Real good. Tanev is incredibly smooth and calm. Edler feeds off it and it brings the best out in him. This will be the back bone of our defence all year.

Sutter - Thought he looked decent. Real good skater, very good stick and positioning on the PK. I think he'll be our top PKer. Looks like he needs to build up some chemistry with some linemates. they were kind of all over the place. Also looked like he was trying to prove to the Canucks that he could pass the puck and use his teammates.

Baertschi - Obviously very skilled, still wants to hang around the outside with it. Real good stickhandler. I think he'll be alright, but sooner or later he's going to have to pay the price and take the puck to the net. Was coasting, hard to read in this environment, but I am not sold on him just yet. He has to show that he's committed to doing what it takes to produce at this level. Be pretty hard to keep him off the team with the skill level we would ice on the wings without him...

Hutton - Skill level and skating are there, he's just a mile behind the play and not making decisions quickly enough. The difference between the speed of play at the NHL level, even in a game like this, and the speed in the NCAA is incredible. College hockey is a pretty slow game without the kind of forecheck/pressure that you will see as a pro. I thought Hutton struggled with this. A season in Utica will be real good for him.

Cracknell - Pretty solid actually considering I haven't seen him play centre much at all. Obviously not a difference maker, but a solid depth forward. Skating will hold him back. Great shot on the winner and a real good finish to the event.

Gaunce - Very quietly effective player, real good on the boards and makes the right/safe decisions. He is not moving back to centre though. His foot speed will not allow it and he will be a menace on the boards. Looking for a real good season from him in Utica.

Sbisa/Bartkowski - Sbisa looked like Sbisa. Solid outlet passes with a dash of boneheaded plays. Real good deke though. Bartkowski was more skilled and quick than I remembered.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Was expecting a boring game, but that was exceptionally boring... Can't read too much into that one, but a few players that stood out for me were:

Thanks for that. I didn't get a chance to see the game and appreciate the summary.

 

[Scurr]

I liked Craknell at centre. He got lost in the wash down low defensively a couple times but I thought he made good plays in the middle of the ice to keep possession while moving through zones. He looks like a viable option for the 4C spot if Vey doesn't look improved or at least some decent centre depth.

 

[Powder]

I'm not sure if it was the rust or sound team defense, but I agree, the game wasn't all that entertaining. Seems like passes were bobbling all over the place and it was hard to get any consistency in the game. Still, hockey is back and for that it was more fun than not.

Had a good chuckle when Tanev was set up with a one-timer only to see him shank it and break his stick. Keep working on that shot, iceman.

Really liked Gaunce's game as well, just a solid bottom 6 performance - finished his checks, skated hard (when he needed to, of course), and had that nifty tip at his blue line to create the odd-man rush and scoring chance.

Jensen got a boost in the arm when he replaced Higgins, but I highly doubt it's enough. Maybe if he gets another chance or two to line up with Horvat and shows well, he could be a call-up consideration if Higgins is injured for a period of time. Chemistry is a weird thing.

I thought the Baertschi-Sutter-Vrbata line was very underwhelming. Nothing special and seemed to get stuck in their zone quite a bit. It's like the gameplan against them would be to just dump and chase, and once you have possession, it's hard for that line to get it back... but that may be just me. Still first game of the year so plenty of rust to shake off. Hopefully they pick it up next time around.

Markstrom was everything he needed to be. Made some great saves and was active in playing the puck. All is good.

Horvat was Horvat. The details in his game are just so good. For example, there was a play where Hansen was driving up the middle through the neutral zone but fumbled the puck as he was entering the zone. A defenceman was going to pick it up but Horvat gave him a nice stick lift so he'd miss it and give Hansen a chance to get to the puck first since he had all the momentum. It's small plays like that that give his teammates a chance time and time again to make something happen.

Onto game 2!

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

As has been said, pretty brutally boring game. But some thoughts on the players I felt were most noticeable in good or bad ways;

Markstrom: From where I sat, the best Canuck on the ice last night. It was a bit unsettling how a much stronger Canuck team looked so weak against a pretty pedestrian group of Sharks players early on, but Markstrom kept them in it with some strong saves. He was sound technically and he also made some good athletic saves. Nice start.

Tanev: Best skater. Always leaves you thinking what could be if he had the offensive talent to go with his defensive game, but still a rock just the way he is. Edler was pretty well right up there with him.

Horvat: Horvat and Gaunce probably generated the team's best chances up front. Both had strong games, but I would give Horvat the edge by virtue of his speed and strength on the puck. Looked consistently dangerous.

Gaunce: Good showing. Looks like his foot speed has improved and he was sneaky in generating some chances.

Jensen: Unlike some, I actually thought Jensen earned his way up the lineup. He recognized he was in no man's land on the fourth line with some plumbers, and he worked hard. So when Higgins went down, promoting him was a logical step. Can he replicate that kind of effort/result with a better lineup and more effort from players across the board? Who knows, but it was something.

Cracknell: Nice story. Good hands, no wheels.

Baertschi: Had some nice flashes with the puck, but overall a quiet night. Vrbata was in sleep-mode and Sutter was strong on the PK, but did little else.

Bartkowski: Thought he had a very good game. Very smooth skater, although not the fastest in straight-ahead speed - just very agile in going side to side and backwards. But he does look small and easily outmuscled out there. Could help our transition game, but I think I see why they are trying to pair him with a "physical" defenseman - it's to compensate for his lack of a physical game. Now, if only the Canucks would find a way to compensate for Sbisa's lack of a mental game...

 

[Scurr]

As has been said, pretty brutally boring game. But some thoughts on the players I felt were most noticeable in good or bad ways;

Markstrom: From where I sat, the best Canuck on the ice last night. It was a bit unsettling how a much stronger Canuck team looked so weak against a pretty pedestrian group of Sharks players early on, but Markstrom kept them in it with some strong saves. He was sound technically and he also made some good athletic saves. Nice start.

Tanev: Best skater. Always leaves you thinking what could be if he had the offensive talent to go with his defensive game, but still a rock just the way he is. Edler was pretty well right up there with him.

Horvat: Horvat and Gaunce probably generated the team's best chances up front. Both had strong games, but I would give Horvat the edge by virtue of his speed and strength on the puck. Looked consistently dangerous.

Gaunce: Good showing. Looks like his foot speed has improved and he was sneaky in generating some chances.

Jensen: Unlike some, I actually thought Jensen earned his way up the lineup. He recognized he was in no man's land on the fourth line with some plumbers, and he worked hard. So when Higgins went down, promoting him was a logical step. Can he replicate that kind of effort/result with a better lineup and more effort from players across the board? Who knows, but it was something.

Cracknell: Nice story. Good hands, no wheels.

Baertschi: Had some nice flashes with the puck, but overall a quiet night. Vrbata was in sleep-mode and Sutter was strong on the PK, but did little else.

Bartkowski: Thought he had a very good game. Very smooth skater, although not the fastest in straight-ahead speed - just very agile in going side to side and backwards. But he does look small and easily outmuscled out there. Could help our transition game, but I think I see why they are trying to pair him with a "physical" defenseman - it's to compensate for his lack of a physical game. Now, if only the Canucks would find a way to compensate for Sbisa's lack of a mental game...

Putting Sbsia on the rs is setting him up for failure. The last thing you want is a guy with stone hands on his backhand or making plays from the middle all the time. It's one of the more questionable moves from this coaching staff imo.

 

[coastal_nuck]

Was expecting a boring game, but that was exceptionally boring... Can't read too much into that one, but a few players that stood out for me were:

Horvat - Top forward on the ice. Real good. Very effective on the boards and in the corners, positionaly, created chances and possessed the puck. Good start for him, a very consistent performer.

Edler/Tanev - Real good. Tanev is incredibly smooth and calm. Edler feeds off it and it brings the best out in him. This will be the back bone of our defence all year.

Sutter - Thought he looked decent. Real good skater, very good stick and positioning on the PK. I think he'll be our top PKer. Looks like he needs to build up some chemistry with some linemates. they were kind of all over the place. Also looked like he was trying to prove to the Canucks that he could pass the puck and use his teammates.

Baertschi - Obviously very skilled, still wants to hang around the outside with it. Real good stickhandler. I think he'll be alright, but sooner or later he's going to have to pay the price and take the puck to the net. Was coasting, hard to read in this environment, but I am not sold on him just yet. He has to show that he's committed to doing what it takes to produce at this level. Be pretty hard to keep him off the team with the skill level we would ice on the wings without him...

Hutton - Skill level and skating are there, he's just a mile behind the play and not making decisions quickly enough. The difference between the speed of play at the NHL level, even in a game like this, and the speed in the NCAA is incredible. College hockey is a pretty slow game without the kind of forecheck/pressure that you will see as a pro. I thought Hutton struggled with this. A season in Utica will be real good for him.

Cracknell - Pretty solid actually considering I haven't seen him play centre much at all. Obviously not a difference maker, but a solid depth forward. Skating will hold him back. Great shot on the winner and a real good finish to the event.

Gaunce - Very quietly effective player, real good on the boards and makes the right/safe decisions. He is not moving back to centre though. His foot speed will not allow it and he will be a menace on the boards. Looking for a real good season from him in Utica.

Sbisa/Bartkowski - Sbisa looked like Sbisa. Solid outlet passes with a dash of boneheaded plays. Real good deke though. Bartkowski was more skilled and quick than I remembered.

Your assessments are real good.

 

[JuniorNelson]

I think this is sort of the template for this team, a boring game decided in OT. If the Canucks play for the point, the new rules tilt the ice in their favor in OT. Imagine the Sedins in three on three play at the end of a tight checking boring defensive game. It'll shock other teams!

 

[ahmon]

Both our goalies looked good.

But Tanev was clearly the best player on the ice.

Going forward the Canucks need to find him an offensive dman to form an elite pairing.

The Edler-Tanev is good but its not dynamic and Tanev is doing most of the heavy lifting defensively.

Tanev is probably one of the smoothest and most stable dman in the NHL. Need to find that offensive dman to compliment.

He has become our most valuable player.

 

[sirwilliam]

Gaunce stood out. He should get some games this year.

But Horvat... man, he did some great things with the puck out there. Looked pretty creative for a 2-way guy. He's really gonna benefit from increased ice time.

 

[CanaFan]

I think this is sort of the template for this team, a boring game decided in OT. If the Canucks play for the point, the new rules tilt the ice in their favor in OT. Imagine the Sedins in three on three play at the end of a tight checking boring defensive game. It'll shock other teams!

I dunno why but I don't see the Sedins being as dominant 3 on 3 as many people seem to think. Granted we haven't seen it yet with full NHL-quality teams but I expect transition speed will be the key to success in 3v3 OT, not board play and extended cycles. The Sedins truly excel in small, tight spaces where other players cannot operate. Once there is significantly more space for everyone to work with, I don't see them having a significant edge on anyone else and possibly less due to their pedestrian footspeed.

But I guess we'll see soon enough ...

 

[ahmon]

I dunno why but I don't see the Sedins being as dominant 3 on 3 as many people seem to think. Granted we haven't seen it yet with full NHL-quality teams but I expect transition speed will be the key to success in 3v3 OT, not board play and extended cycles. The Sedins truly excel in small, tight spaces where other players cannot operate. Once there is significantly more space for everyone to work with, I don't see them having a significant edge on anyone else and possibly less due to their pedestrian footspeed.

But I guess we'll see soon enough ...

Sedins will be excellent in the offensive zone 3 on 3. That's scary.

That 3rd player probably a dman, will be getting a lot of good looks. Too bad we don't have a high end offensive dman.

But their transition will be horrible. The puck better not make its way back our way.

Just keep sending them out with an offensive zone faceoff.

 

[arsmaster*]

I dunno why but I don't see the Sedins being as dominant 3 on 3 as many people seem to think. Granted we haven't seen it yet with full NHL-quality teams but I expect transition speed will be the key to success in 3v3 OT, not board play and extended cycles. The Sedins truly excel in small, tight spaces where other players cannot operate. Once there is significantly more space for everyone to work with, I don't see them having a significant edge on anyone else and possibly less due to their pedestrian footspeed.

But I guess we'll see soon enough ...

The Sedins are very good off the rush, for some reason they don't get any credit.

How many times have we seen hanky drive wide and flip a 75 foot back hand sauce right on the tape of his brother? Too many to count.

The puck is faster than anyone can skate. I know what you're getting at and guys who can pull away a la Virtanen's penticton OT winner will be good, but the Sedins are not only good, they're great at exploiting any sorts of space on the ice and they have the skill and vision to create these opportunities.

I agree that they wont shock anybody though.

Chris Tanev is going to get a lot of looks as the 3rd man coming late with these guys, a guy like Subban, Karlsson, Keith or Doughty with them would absolutely demolish other teams 3 on 3.

 

[DL44]

I dunno why but I don't see the Sedins being as dominant 3 on 3 as many people seem to think. Granted we haven't seen it yet with full NHL-quality teams but I expect transition speed will be the key to success in 3v3 OT, not board play and extended cycles. The Sedins truly excel in small, tight spaces where other players cannot operate. Once there is significantly more space for everyone to work with, I don't see them having a significant edge on anyone else and possibly less due to their pedestrian footspeed.

But I guess we'll see soon enough ...

Yeah i see completely what your fears are... watching the 3on3 AHL highlight video made you go... oh crap.

but watching a whole ot a couple of times now, there is a lot more zone time involved than i thought there would be. Once the Sedins get possession of the puck... they will be magic. The question will be - who's the 3rd guy. Despite ragging on his offensive IQ, Tanev could be the guy... if he commits to simply being a passer.
But really... you can't go wrong... Burrows may be a smart choice as well. Some of you will remember when he used practice as a D when AV needed him to (IQ).

 

[MS]

The Sedins will destroy 3-on-3. I can't believe anyone is even questioning this.

The more time and space they have, the better they are. There's a reason they look better at 4-on-4 than 5-on-5.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

I'm probably in the minority but I'd put Edler out with the Sedins as he seems to have a good understanding of where they will be and provides a decent offensive threat with his shot. I'd put Tanev out with another pairing of forwards as we're probably going to see really short shifts.

 

[crazyforhockey]

The Sedins will destroy 3-on-3. I can't believe anyone is even questioning this.

The more time and space they have, the better they are. There's a reason they look better at 4-on-4 than 5-on-5.

I think people forget when its edler and the sedins( fourth guy hanging back) in OT 4 on 4 let alone when they have 3 on 3

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Higgins seen with a walking boot today.

 

[Trelane]

Liked Gaunce and Grenier among the bubble players. Baertschi should help the 2nd PP some. But the whole unit showed early onset of the Sedin condition. Shoot the ******* puck.

 

[VanillaCoke]

Higgins seen with a walking boot today.

Yikes. So far off to a giod start.

I guess gaunce is getting 9 games.