You want to be a 500 team? Try going down 4-2 in the 1st. That'll work.

Coming into this game, Nucks have been beaten by the Devils 11 quadrillion times. Straight.

Worse... the Nucks came back in the 3rd, down 5-2 and pushed hard. So hard that with a few minutes remaining the Nucks tie it after the heroic efforts of Hoagie and Millsie. And then throw the game away. Again.

Mission accomplished. Devils score an open net tally thanks to the poor defensive coverage - as witnessed earlier.

Almost seemed like once the Nucks tied the game with 3:30 left on the clock, they'd automatically be given the loser point. Apparently playing the full 60 includes that last few minutes.

Bad night for Ronnie. Bad night for Cole. Bad night for Zav. Bad night for Myers - or a normal night.

As bad as the Nucking D - who on at least 5 of the Jersey goals - forgot about leaving guys open in front of Demko. The new Nucks Taco system is to not allow opposing forwards having time/space in front of the net. Who knew there were that many backdoors in ROG? At least this season.

Pre-game, Kent and Westy and most of NM already called the Nucking loss.

In the 1st, the naysayers and the Devils had their way with the Nucks.

mysie playing hot potato
hronie playing where's my guy again?

copey

Nucks manage get a couple goals back - getting an unheard of PP goal! 4-2 after 1.

at least Vanacek is a rebound machine, so there's hope

gotta feel sorry for demmers though, wow, just left to the wolves there after the 5 foot pizza from Myers, the missed pinch from Hronek, the failed coverage from Bleuger, and I dunno, bad rebound luck on the last one

I will say this, though, the Devils are seriously quick and opportunistic, and that is biting the nux in the ass

and petey, stop trying to hit things; just freaking score

copey

In the 2nd the Nucks don't give up 4 goals. So that's a huge improvement. Except they allow a Devils PP goal late in the 2nd. The Devils have the best road PP in the league. The Nucks don't have the best home PK. Or road PK. Or whatever.

Can they comeback? Gamethread is certain.

well i'm out.

Twitch

The scene is set for the big comeback... it was comeback night across the league, why not the Nucks?

Why not, indeed, as the Nucks outscored Jersey 3-1. Nucks won the period... pretty much.

Oh, well
We won the period

Atty

Fun game to watch - if you're not into the Nucks stringing together consecutive wins like they once did. Watching all the Hughes brothers get on the scoreboard was great for the game. Except, we need more Hughes brothers. Let's trade Myers and Gnarly for Luke.

If not for the typical Nucking letdown when the loser point was nearly there, it was a good game. No, it wasn't. The once famous Tough Taco structure was tossed in the concession bin too early in the game. We hadn't even had a bite of Kuzi hotdog hockey. Snakebit Kuz is not appetizing.

DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS

Details - the basics of well structured hockey, seemed well understood to start the season. Who knew that Soucy and Suter were the glue that held the structure together. Except we knew they were the key to having an average PK.

So much blown coverage in their own zone, that I don't have enough words to blow on it. Remember when the Nucks had a couple touches and the puck was out of their zone? Me neither.

Kuzi (a minus 3) is snakebit. Missed the net. Tried to pass when he should have shot. Played fewer minutes in the 3rd. So few, one might have thought he was benched as he had 3 shorter and shorter shifts. On the 4th line.

Nucks didn't lose the game because of Kuzi not playing Tough Taco hockey. They lost because both D and F lost their man - blew their coverage and Demmers was left to make far too many higher saves. And he did. But can't stop 'em all.

Hockey is a game of details. And mistakes. Nucks had less attention to detail, but made up for that with a bucket load of mistakes.

1st time this season the Nucks have given up 6 goals. That's a memorable stat. To forget.

The Dimly Lit Bright Side

• Huggie got 2 points - lived up to the family hype.
• Brock got his 18th goal of the season. Leads the league in the fine art of goal sniping.
• Miller was a beast without a leash in the 3rd. Carried the team on his beastly shoulders.
• Hoagie played like a shorter beast in the 3rd - rewarded with top line time and a goal.

ROG REELING NIGHT

Shortie and Ray Ferrari have got the calls. So many high danger calls.

GAME STATS

TACO TALK

Hooo boy... Taco is steamed. Pissed. Angry with his players and the media.

"That's details. Details and details. That's what we keep hammering these guys" - Cranky Coach Taco.

That inevitable roller coaster loss is out of the way, we can refocus our hangovers on the next home loss, Thursday. The Wild are on a wildly unexpected win streak. They or we can expect them to extend their 4 game win streak. Remember when the Nucks had one of those? Me neither.

On the bright side, home games continue without any mini-road trips to interrupt this string of hopefully, 500 hockey. Something to dream about for our holiday revelry.