NUCKS LOSE - IN THAT ROUGH TOUGH BUILDING - THE ROG!!!

This was an upset of ROGic proportions. The bad kind of upset. Nucks are facing a team that got almost shut out in the Climate Crisis arena last game. And tonight the disinterested Nucks almost got shut out by the team that just got almost shut out.

Hockey is a funny game. Unless you're paying 300+ bucks a seat to watch another horrid Nucking home performance.

You'd think the Nucks would be up for this game against a former rival and still current pest. Not just Sutherland either. But, at home, one never knows which Nucks team will show up. Except we know that a 2 game home win streak is a goal too far.

Bad Period #1

Nucks start the game poorly and Myers goes to the box to avoid the defensive chaos. Doesn't help.

With that tepid PK ending early, the tough-to-play-against Nucks are quick to make some lazy plays and it pays off - ROG style.

2-0 Boourns after 1 while getting outshot 16-4.

Nucks escape only being down 2 goals. That's not so bad.

Bad Period #2

The bad is just getting started. From a middle-ice faceoff loss by Pete, 3 Nucks head to the boards to not retrieve the puck, while Zacha gets a free pass into the Nucks zone and tucks the puck under Demmers.

But wait! There's more!

Mid-period, Nucks can't clear the zone cleanly. Surprise. Then a shot from distance - gets deflected twice and it's behind Demmers. Ugh.

4-0 Bahston after 2.

That would be deflating for a home team. But not the Nucks. They started flat, nothing much left to deflate.

Bad Period #3

To start the tough comeback slog in the 3rd, the slog scored again.

Similar to the early goal against in the 2nd, even earlier in the 3rd, Nucks give up center ice too easily and Pasta breaks in on Demmers - Demmers bites on the expected shot and Pasta scores on the wrap around.

5-0 Boourns. This listless Nucks team can't get off the ice and off our TVs soon enough.

However a little rookie light at the end of the ROG tunnel shines. The Rat helps Linholm turn over the puck in their own zone. JT jumps on the puck. Using his stick, not feet. It's a rare positive metaphor in this game.

Anyhow Miller passes to Sasson and the rookie scores his 1st NHL goal! Yay!

And thus ends the positive portion of the program. Nucks lose 5-1 at home. Have given up 5 or more goals at home. How many times? Too many.

It's the 11th loss in 16 home games. This isn't the team that had one of the best home records in the league last year.

So... is JR saying we're not a playoff team now?

OBSERVATIONS

Nucks 1st PP had 2 shots on goal. Against. The hot/cold PP was super cold and disconnected.

Taco for the umpteenth time stated they had a good plan, but the players don't like good planning and prefer to ice the puck, playing like disconnected induhvidulas while being soft on pucks. And passing off rather than taking the puck to net. The net. The place where goals are scored. Even in the ROG.

Pete's line had a bad game. Everyone on the line were on the ice for 1 to 3 goals against. The other lines weren't defensively-minded either. Lots of disengagement across the forward lines.

Even Huggie with his 27:38 of ice time couldn't generate much. He was frustrated in the 3rd and took a stupid penalty. However, the Nucks killed it off against one of the worst power plays on the road. Other than that 1st PP goal of the game the Nucks didn't kill.

What was astonishing to witness was how well the Nucks didn't control the middle ice after they suffocated the Cats last Thursday. Why? How? Goldfish memory? Nerves or ? Maybe they like watching Demmers stop breakaways/oddman rushes - most times.

Again with JT back, Pete could revert to falling down and being disengaged most shifts. Which weren't that many for an elite $11.6M player. Only had 15 minutes of ice time. Guess that's the way Taco can 'send a message'. Doesn't dare bench him for a period.

D-fensive. Not a good night for Branny and especially coach's hero last game, Friedman. Soup and Myers weren't good either. So... normal Nucking D service restored.

Anything else? Yes!

Horrible loss on HNIC while seemingly disinterested.

Video Replay

Shortie and Dave get a HNIC game and watch how different this home team vs Thursday's team.

GAME STATS

PLAYER POINTS

SHOTS

PLAYERS 'N TACO TALK

Pete getting some heat from the media... and looking for... better answers?

The one good Sassy moment of the game.

Taco Talks Tough about some players who need to get emotionally involved in the game - and how the good game plan wasn't followed by the non-planning, non-executing player side.

Another terrible flaccid start to a ROG game that quickly turned into a discombobulated every-player-for-themselves performance. We've seen a season's worth of those already.

Time for a consistent give-a-fork effort for the remaining home games.

And... as the cruel NHL schedulers have it, Nucks get another bout of ROGiness on Monday. The Avs, who have won 4 of their last 5, are in town to either lose by 5 or win by 6. Which will it be? We don't know.