Come For The Banter - Stay For The Disappointment
Nucks Fan Rebuild & Retool Center - Come For The Banter - Stay For The Disappointment
Nucks lose again on the road, but PK didn't give up a goal against. Streak Broken!
This was a winnable game for the Canucks. Almost. Or at least an almost tie game. A measly loser point would certainly have taken the edge off the frayed edges of our Nucking good vibes marathon.
Losing 3-2 to the 7th place team in the Metro isn't that bad. Losing to Philli would be worse. Or better. This wanting wins, but wanting the best chance at 1st overall is going to put some strain on us this season.
1st period was the usual road start. Not very good. Fortunately only down 2-nothing after 1.
In the 2nd, Nucks bounce right back. No, really. Speedy Sassy speeds into the zone to whip a lose puck into the net. Even better, the Nucks PP scored! Really. Petey put a puck on Brock's stick and he fired a Brocket into the basket.
2-2 after 2. That's a tie, for those unfamiliar with that particular scorecard variant on this trip of unbalanced scorecards.
So confident we were, some or one of us, posted stupid comments on the internet.
The 3rd period did not fulfill our outrageous hopes and dreams. Instead the Isles came back to score.
Not fair! We were almost winning and everything. And almost did. In the final seconds, with the Nucks net empty, putting on the pressure, Rossi scores! A second late. That's just great.
Also... the Nucks got outshot 19-8 in the 3rd. Not great either. Actually outshot the Isles 11-7 in the 2nd. Shame they had play another 20 minutes.
How'd the game thread do with their trouble-spotting. It's like win-spotting, but more frequent.
The biggest problem the Canucks have had this season is controlling the puck long enough to get line changes.
Every game, some of them get caught in their end for 90 seconds. Own-end retrievals.
-- Thursday
Something To Cheer About Column
The near recording breaking Nucks PK stopped the record in 1975. Didn't allow a PP goal against. Had tied the '75 record by allowing a PP in the first 7 games. The record is 16 games held by the 1984-85 team. So, kudos to the Nucks PK who held stout on 6 minutes of scary time. Regression to the mean can work both ways.
Also worthing cheering about, was the performance of Merri. Finished with a .921 SV%. That'll do. Once the Nucks D-corp get that D-fending thing going. They will, right?
Sky keeping the vibes while it rains dogs and losses.
Here's a fun stat on the night.
Only 2 more games to go on this endless road of hell trip!
Embrace the possibly! Brace for the disappointment!
GAME STATS
Special Stats are AMAZING! Sort of.
HIGHLIGHTS
Shortie and Dave drinking the long(ish) island tea of play-by-play.
POST GAME CHATTER!
Brockets flying in the 2nd. Breakdowns in the 3rd.
Not that we'd stoop to schadenfreude at this critical juncture of our new-born rebuild... but still. Ha-ha!
Jets beat Wild 5-2 in the Peg. Good times!
Win or lose, remember to keep the vibes rolling!
I am keeping this feeling with me for the rest of the year.
-- Thursday (Sept. 29-2026)
Losing can be addicting. Do the Nucks need an intervention?
CANUCKS (2-5-0) at ISLANDERS (2-3-0)
7:45 p.m. ET; MSGSN, SNP
We find ourselves at the point in the season that might require that combo of patience and persistence that we lost over the weekend. Thursday warned us there'd be games - many, many games of losses and losing. Suggested how to observe them without incurring serious long-term synaptic failures.
There! Feel better? No?
Well... it's a work day anyhow. No point sitting around watching a hockey game where the outcome is not important.
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Jonathan Lekkerimaki
Paul Cotter -- Marco Rossi -- Linus Karlsson
Liam Ohgren -- Drew O'Connor -- Brock Boeser
Arshdeep Bains -- Max Sasson -- Brendan Gallagher
Elias Pettersson -- Filip Hronek
Jamie Oleksiak -- Tom Willander
Zeev Buium -- Luke Schenn
Leevi Merilainen
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Victor Mancini, Guillaume Brisebois, Aatu Raty
Injured: Filip Chytil (shoulder), Thatcher Demko (hip)
Islanders projected lineup
Emil Heineman -- Bo Horvat -- Kyle Palmieri
Brayden Schenn -- Cal Ritchie -- Victor Eklund
Ondrej Palat -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Anthony Duclair
Simon Holmstrom -- Casey Cizikas -- Matias Maccelli
Logan Stanley -- Matthew Schaefer
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Tony DeAngelo --Scott Mayfield
Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov
Scratched: Kyle MacLean, Matt Kessel
Injured: Mathew Barzal (knee), Alexander Romanov (torn right ACL)
Status report
Chytil, a forward, is skating but is not ready to make his season debut. … The Islanders held an optional morning skate.
GAME DAY CHATTER
A streak? That was fun while it lasted.
Much shuffling required.
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Let's take a trip back to a time when expectations were lower and improvisations under difficult road trip conditions could be fun!
Go Canucks Go.
Nucks lose again on the road to not winning '27 draft.
Rebuild Rules say you may have a 6 game eastern road trip where you don't win a single game. We're half way there.
No recap actual tonight. Didn't see the game. Heard about it. Made the wise choice to enjoy family and friends and a yummy Thanksgiving dinner. Very thankful for that.
Other Nucks fans had their afternoon ruined. Again.
From watching the 'highlights' appeared the Nucks had a pretty good 1st period. DeBrusk scored. That's good. Game was 1-1 after 1.
DPetey scored his 1st NHL shortie in the 2nd. Pretty nifty. Gally got his 1st point as a Canuck. 3-2 after 2. Milestones were made. And then forgotten about.
Nucks were made to play another period. The 3rd period. Our old early October friend.
How'd it go? Well... I made the better choice.
Despite the loss and giving up 6 goals, DPetey and Willi were both a +2. PLUS 2. The future Nucks D will be great. The current D group is here to assist the Tankinen.
How did the game thread enjoy the game? The stoic definition of enjoy.
Okay, down one going into the third. We've been in worse spots.
Coconuts, go!
...
Okay, so two down shortly into the third. We've been in worse positions.(I can say that all year because the Canucks were down 8-2 halfway through a game.)
-- Thursday
There it is... gave up a goal on the pk. The world is normal again.
-- Twitch
According to the NHL scorekeepers Nucks lost 6-2 to the Rags. Eezee Breezee NY.
The Sky was a little cloudy too.
Guess some may have forgotten it's the 2nd of a B-2-B for the formerly and possibly soon worst team in the league.
Still... must be some interesting stats on the trip.
Maybe interesting is too strong a word. Oh well...
Lankinen's sv % = .760
He's easily the worst goalie in the NHL right now and it's not close on any level.
He has no rebound control at all... and no reflexes to recover once he realizes where the rebound went (usually after it's in the net).Petrishriekandgo on Bsky
Maybe this isn't Lanky's bounce back rebound (control) season after all.
No worries...
GAME STATS
Stats aren't terrible... other than the usual special things.
HIGHLIGHTS
Shortie and Dave in the big apple of our highlights.
POST GAME CHATTER!
Snowballs in NY. In the 3rd.
At least there's a good chance the 2026-27 Nucks have a chance to break records.
Nucks get a day off to see the sights and video replays to ready themselves for playing Bo and Islanders on Tuesday.
Win or lose, remember to keep the vibes rolling!
I am keeping this feeling with me for the rest of the year.
-- Thursday (Sept. 29-2026)
One... ok... Two Awful Losses Over. Why not a win today?
CANUCKS (2-4-0) at RAGS (4-2-0)
6 p.m. ET; MSG, SNP
Here's the Nucks secret game plan. Please keep it to yourselves.
Dear Canucks,
DO NOT TAKE ANY PENALTIES!
Thanks.
Is that so hard? Not taking a penalty is less difficult than killing one. Just ask Ronnie and DPetey. And Manny.
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Jonathan Lekkerimaki
Paul Cotter -- Marco Rossi -- Linus Karlsson
Drew O'Connor -- Liam Ohgren -- Brock Boeser
Aatu Raty -- Max Sasson -- Brendan Gallagher
Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek
Jamie Oleksiak -- Tom Willander
Elias Pettersson -- Luke Schenn
Kevin Lankinen
Leevi Merilainen
Scratched: Arshdeep Bains, Victor Mancini, Guillaume Brisebois
Injured: Filip Chytil (shoulder), Thatcher Demko (hip)
Rangers projected lineup
Gabe Perreault -- Mika Zibanejad -- Pavel Dorofeyev
Tye Kartye -- J.T. Miller -- Alexis Lafreniere
Will Cuylle -- Noah Laba -- Eeli Tolvanen
Oliver Bjorkstrand -- Cole Beaudoin -- Jaroslav Chmelar
Vladislav Gavrikov -- Adam Fox
Marcus Pettersson -- Sean Durzi
Alberts Smits -- Braden Schneider
Dylan Garand
Spencer Martin
Scratched: Scott Morrow, Matt Rempe, Juuso Parssinen
Injured: Igor Shesterkin (lower body), Joonas Korpisalo (lower body), Joseph Veleno (lower body)
Status report
Martin will be the backup to Garand after being recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League. .. Beaudoin went to Hartford to play Saturday. He played one shift and was recalled after the game.
GAME DAY CHATTER
Decisions! Decisions!
Justice is served. Weak and stickly. BTW, not high sticking - SPEARING!
Talking a good (player) game is important.
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Live from the bowels of MSG! There's a whole lotta tension!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING! And... Go Canucks Go.
Nucks win nothing but a loserous PK streak.
Rebuild Rules say you will see games like this. But only if you watch them.
This isn't a recap. It's not even a post-mortem. It's barely a commiseration.
What it is makes it a Foote-note on a record-breaking (pretty much) very bad PK streak. Or very good in the tankful sense.
Not since 2009 have the Canucks given up PP goals in each of the 6 games to start the season.
Even better, or worse, Nucks gave up 6 consecutive PP goals in the past two games. That's the stuff we use to stuff the cardboard chairs in the basement. The 1-for-14 Jersey PP thru 3 games, went 3-for-4. You're welcome.
However, Nucks PK did kill off the last bit of a penalty that Bess stupidly took while on the Nucking 4 minute PP that should have been 5 and a game to Rodbejesus when he speared Rossi in the neck in the late 2nd.
How exactly is that a double minor? Rodrigues took his stick and shoved the tip of it into Rossi's throat. It wasn't even during play.
I don't really know what else "spearing" can be. If you want an example of the penalty, THAT CLIP IS IT. Yeesh.
-- Thursday
Anyhow, Nucks did score a PP goal. Yay! The only goal they scored in the 4-1 loss. Booo.
Worse, for Lanky, he is credited with the loss... because... Merri had his blade knocked off stopping a shot. Lanky had to come in cold and gave up the GWG after Ronnie bobbled the puck in front of the net... Then Lanky bobbled it. It was a game of bobbles and we lost.
The Sky was cranky about lunch time hockey.
Ouch X 8!
Moving on...
GAME STATS
Look away! Nothing to see here.
HIGHLIGHTS
Shortie and Dave on the shores...
POST GAME CHATTER!
Take a couple penalties, take the tough questions...
While we might normally spend a day simmering with disappointment, there's no time for that.
Enjoy the Nucks getting shutout by a kid from the island!
And remember to keep the vibes rolling!
I am keeping this feeling with me for the rest of the year.
-- Thursday (Sept. 29-2026)
One Awful Loss Over. Just a few (dozen) to go.
CANUCKS (2-3-0) at DEVILS (1-2-0)
3:30 p.m. ET; MSGSN, SNP, SNO, SNE
Nucks played the Champs and lost. Only lost by a little. In each period. Not so bad.
What is bad is a lunch game in Jersey. Win or lose today, we've already lost our HNIC free-to-air broadcast. It's all profiteers, privateers and pirates left on the high media seas.
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Jonathan Lekkerimaki
Paul Cotter -- Marco Rossi -- Brock Boeser
Liam Ohgren -- Max Sasson -- Linus Karlsson
Arshdeep Bains -- Drew O'Connor -- Aatu Raty
Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek
Jamie Oleksiak -- Tom Willander
Elias Pettersson -- Victor Mancini
Leevi Merilainen
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Brendan Gallagher, Guillaume Brisebois
Injured: Thatcher Demko (hip), Filip Chytil (shoulder)
Devils projected lineup
Timo Meier -- Nico Hischier -- Luke Evangelista
Jesper Bratt -- Jack Hughes -- Anthony Mantha
Arseny Gritsyuk -- Evan Rodrigues -- Dawson Mercer
Amadeus Lombardi -- Cody Glass -- Jesper Boqvist
Luke Hughes -- Brett Pesce
Jonas Siegenthaler -- Dougie Hamilton
Brenden Dillon -- Declan Chisholm
Jake Allen
Nico Daws
Scratched: Remi Poirier
Injured: Connor Brown (lower body), Johnathan Kovacevic (upper body); Nick Bjugstad (upper body)
Status report
The Canucks did not practice on Friday following a 7-2 loss at the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. ... Siegenthaler practiced Friday and could be in the lineup after sustaining an undisclosed injury early in the third period of a 5-3 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday. ... Brown, a forward, will not play but has been skating on his own and will be reevaluated next week. ... The Devils loaned Stefan Noesen to Utica of the American Hockey League on Friday after the forward cleared waivers. ... Allen is expected to play in his 500th NHL game.
GAME DAY CHATTER
They're so young and carefree! And stylish!
Already looking forward? Yup.
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Lunchtime hockey on a Saturday this early in the season? Someone must care about it. Not me.
Go Canucks Go.
Nucks get hit by a hurricane. More than the one.
Rebuild Rules say you will get blown out by really good teams. They don't say how often. We can't count past 1.
I promised stated I wouldn't recap losses this season. But maybe some, just to keep my Nucks suffering reflexes in shape.
Nucks gave up 3 goals in the 1st 10 minutes of the game.
Bold strategy spotting Carolina 3 and not shooting the puck
-- Westy
Not great. Worse, 2 of them them were PP goals by the Canes. Even worse, the Nucks PK couldn't stop the Caning PP in the 2nd either. Or maybe it was better, since they only allowed the 1 PP goal against and a 5v5. And a shortie as Stanky beat Lanky.
Ok, fine. Nucks looked like a rebuilding last place team that weren't ready to play the Champs in the 1st period. And the 2nd period. Giving up 3 goals in each of those periods, that we've already decided don't count. Other than DeBrusk's nifty goal from Petey in the 2nd.
The 3rd period is where the crazy Nucking comeback narrative is born. Or in this game, stillborn. Still... Canucks tied the 3rd as Jake scored his 2nd goal after Stanky scored his hattie, 5v5.
Meriläinen arrived in the 3rd to keep Lanky away from Stanky. Kev finished the game with a .667 SV%, giving up 6 goals on 18 shots. To be fair, 3 goals from the champ's PP and the Stanky shortie weren't his fault.
However you don't count it, the league goal counters say the Cup champs hustled and huffed blowing out the Nucks 7-2.
Fine. Play the scoreboard math wizardry. We have a basement to defend using only low expectations and vibes!
How were the game thread vibes during the onslaught?
We just don't know how to play this team. Every time we look away, they score.
-- Atty
Wait! That's it!"Stop looking away from your opponent."
Someone get me Manny's cel!
-- Thursday
Not looking when it's dinner time anyhow...
Is it the comeback periods yet, or can I go have dinner?
-- jimmi
Lanki doing lanki things...enjoy your dinner.
-- Twitch
I feel like it's a 'no game review' game. The moral victory probably not gonna happen.
-- Twitch
Oh come on... only down 5 goals after 2. Been thru worse... not against a good team... but still...
-- jimmi
Obviously, the vibes were good. Obviously, the fav word of hockey players and coaches.
Yuck, this was an ugly loss.
-- Atty
Obviously we need to look Skyward for the more lofty vibes.
Feel better already!
A few tweaks and the vibes will be vibrating with joy.
Ooopsie... stats aren't vibes. In fact some say stats can be a real vibe killer.
GAME STATS
Speaking of vibe-snuffing stats - they weren't so bad... 26 giveaways by the Canes... thoughtful hosts at least... but the Nucks special teams... extra-not-special.
HIGHLIGHTS
Shortie and Dave on the road again... keeping the vibes on track - until the Nucks fall off the cart.
POST GAME CHATTER!
Jake and Manny get to explain how the blowout blows, obviously.
Moving on... so many more games to savour the vibes on this tough trip through road hockey hell.
Enjoy the long, long ride!
Nothing like seeing how far we have to go!
Still gotta feel bad for the Carolina fans. I mean, this game was won ten minutes into the first period. Canucks fans, on the other hand, never know if they're going to win or lose, no matter what lead they have!
-- Thursday
And remember to keep the vibes rolling!
I am keeping this feeling with me for the rest of the year.
-- Thursday (Sept. 29-2026)
Now It Begins. Roadtrip Rebuild Nights.
CANUCKS (2-2-0) at HURRICANES (2-1-1)
7 p.m. ET; HHN, CARNHL, SNP
From the league that brought you Gary and the Salary Cappers, it's a battle of the best versus the worst. Cup champs against the basement boffins. Just how we like it.
This game will be a good benchmark of how far the Nucking rebuild has progressed in just four games. Is it too soon for benchmarks and comparisons? Sure is.
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Jonathan Lekkerimaki
Paul Cotter -- Marco Rossi -- Brock Boeser
Liam Ohgren -- Max Sasson -- Linus Karlsson
Arshdeep Bains -- Drew O'Connor -- Aatu Raty
Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek
Jamie Oleksiak -- Tom Willander
Elias Pettersson -- Victor Mancini
Kevin Lankinen
Leevi Merilainen
Scratched: Brendan Gallagher, Guillaume Brisebois
Injured: Thatcher Demko (hip), Filip Chytil (shoulder)
Hurricanes projected lineup
William Carrier -- Sebastian Aho -- Andrei Svechnikov
Taylor Hall -- Logan Stankoven -- Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers -- Jordan Staal -- Jordan Martinook
Jesperi Kotkaniemi -- Mark Jankowski -- Eric Robinson
Jaccob Slavin -- Jacob Chatfield
K’Andre Miller -- Sean Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere -- Mike Reilly
Brandon Bussi
Pyotr Kochetkov
Scratched: Nicolas Deslauriers, Juuso Valimaki
Injured: Seth Jarvis (shoulder)
Status report
The Canucks held an optional morning skate. … Gallagher, a forward, and Schenn, a defenseman, skated with the extras; each played in Vancouver’s first four games. … Jarvis participated in the Hurricanes morning skate without a yellow noncontact jersey for the first time; the forward has been practicing with the team since the start of training camp.
GAME DAY CHATTER
But... they're so young!
Lankinen injury night upcoming... he's going to get F'n shelled. Canes shoot from everywhere and routinely put up 30+ shots, they might hit 45-50 SOG tonight.
Yikes.
--Petrishriekandgo on BSky
Eye on the prize!
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
80s fun is over. It was so much fun... Welcome back Cotter, to the multiple road loss kitchen - start cooking for draft time glory.
Go Canucks Go.
Yes, obviously. And no, where it matters. In the short term, at least.
There was a full season's worth of roller coasters in the past four games. It was set off by spoiling Edmonton's home opener for them, for which they returned the favour in spectacularly ridiculous fashion. Then a team some of us Olds remember as a rival in Calgary. We finished off the week with a team those same Olds think of as "just started last season": the Vegas Golden Knights.
It was wild. It was fun. It was...good?
Before the season started, there were the usual questions:
What would Manny Malhotra's coaching style be? Could Elias Pettersson the Forward make a comeback of any kind? How would the defensive pairings sort out, and are too many of them too inexperienced? Where the heck would the goals come from? How big a role will injuries play?
We got a few answers already, but only because they're the questions we kinda didn't want to have resolved this early.
Filip Chytil and Thatcher Demko being out before the season started is disturbing. The only clue that Demko wouldn't be ready was how far into training camp he went without skating as part of the club. And Chytil... Well, at least it wasn't a concussion this time? I guess?
Leevi Meriläinen coming in was a pleasant surprise. He is a better goaltender than Nikita Tolopilo, and a bit younger to boot. It bumped Aku Koskenvuo down to Kalamazoo again, which has got to annoy him. Unfortunately, there's only so much room in the AHL right now, and Ty Young won the coin toss.
The team has decided to carry eight defencemen and thirteen forwards early on, which seems fine. Guillaume Brisebois understands that he's up as that eighth man and is unlikely to see the ice before Victor Mancini does. On the other hand, they are heading out on a six-game East Coast roadie, and that's not a bad spot for a spare. Either blueliner can play up front in a pinch, but I wouldn't be thrilled to see Aatu Räty man the blue line.
Speaking of which, Räty was scratched for two, in for two, trading off with Jake DeBrusk. Not directly, but the usual bumping up the lines - which is where we get to talk about Paul Cotter.
What a find, eh? A feisty, big American with surprising speed and underappreciated scoring gets his chance in Vancouver as a free agent, and we get the rewards! Here's Cotter, this year's Kiefer Sherwood, who was that year's Dakota Joshua, scoring the Canucks' first goal of the season. And then he just kept going, now with four goals and six points in four games.
Those offensive numbers can be laid partially at the feet of the Oilers, who took a couple games to realize the season had started. Vancouver scored 13 goals against them in two games, kickstarting their offence and making a lot of players - and fans - very happy. A sudden discovery of scoring depth meant that, as of now, only two regulars are missing points: Brendan Gallagher and Zeev Buium.
Gallagher's no surprise, given he's a fourth-liner, but Buium is, given his primary partner is Mister Everything Filip Hronek. Hronek has five assists so far, but no seconds for Buium yet. It'll come, but "soon" rather than "now". There's very little anxiety among the fans this time out, and no one is screaming for the sophomore's head. And do we need to talk about Pettersson the Forward leading the team in not just points, but hits?
Now, giving up 14 goals in those same two Oilers games wasn't great, but it was fun. Which is the crux of the question.
If you wanted to win this season, no. Holy smoke, no. Holes abound through the lineup; the youth on defence is regularly exposed; and the competition hasn't been the league's finest. But isn't that kinda the point?
Anyone watching the Canucks give away a third-period, three-goal lead in the season opener had to be a little disappointed. But that was leavened by the team having a third-period, three-goal lead! The Oilers were supposed to be taking this season seriously, after all, what with their hiring of Mike Babcock. Sure, they wanted Bruce Cassidy, but Babcock is just as serious! And Vancouver won in overtime, 6-5, which was unexpected.
Speaking of Game Two...
Down 4-0 after one is a miserable feeling. Being down 8-2 before the game is halfway done, on the other hand, is hilarious. There is a certain type of Canucks fan who is inured to losses to such a degree that when the numbers start racking up, there's a morbid delight to it. Just how deep can this hole go? Grab a lantern and let's find out!
Then a funny thing happened. Vancouver held them off, and Arshdeep Bains got through with less than a second left. It's always a great feeling when a local boy gets one for the home team, so that was a nice buzz to the break. And after that, well, I don't know if I've ever heard a crowd be so happy to be down two goals in the third. They still lost, but MAN, that was fun!
By the time the Calgary Flames came in, fans knew this one could be a win. And when the Flames tried playing their heavy game, they got a surprise right back. And if Vancouver had gotten their power play going, it would have been a lot more lopsided than 4-1.
Vegas is a second supposed Cup contender, and Vancouver was on their fourth game in six nights. What in theory should have been an easy win was instead a scrappy, penalty-heavy slog against a surprisingly resilient squad. The line of Cotter - Liam Öhgen - Brock Boeser got crushed, but the other three held up pretty well. And fans were happy.
And that last line is the kicker. The fans were happy. Yes, it's only a week in, but even at the worst moment, down 8-2 against a contender, there was little anger. Last season? Fans raged against the team. And for good frikkin' reason.
They hated management's repeated decision to walk tightropes instead of rebuild. They hated the choices made of which players should stay and which should go. They hated the repeated hollow reassurance that "we're almost there!" Even worse were the stories of dissent in the locker room, the obvious exasperation from the players, the rumours of infighting from people all over the league. Agents were talking about what the team refused to address.
The fans out here aren't idiots, but were treated like such. And after a decade of being patted on the head and told we just didn't understand, the anger finally broke through. It took one of the best players this team has ever had requesting a trade to do so, but it finally reached the white-collars that fans were pissed.
So they burned it down. They have former players who care about not just the team, but the city, in positions of power. They promoted from within. They moved out a third of the team and shifted to youth. They've started collecting draft picks. There is a renewed emphasis on community participation. And they told us the truth.
Is this a good team? If you're asking if they are going to have another 50-win season any time soon, then no. No, it is not. But we knew that going in, and know that the team trusts us enough to say so. The plan is for a couple more top-five draft picks, then hopefully a couple top-ten ones. Then maybe we'll get there.
If you're asking if this is a good team, then you know what? Yeah. Yeah, right now it is.
Nucks keep thieving Wegas honest.
Rebuild Rules say you have to lose a few games along the way to winning 16 games in late spring in the future.
Nucks started/finished the 1st with what Manny wanted. A lead. Despite getting outshot 12-6 in the 1st, the Nucks PP did something special. Scored a PP goal. Cotter with the tip on a Ronnie shot pass. EP40 with the 2nd assist.
With the 2nd safest lead in hockey safely stored in (the intermission), Nucks get caught being tired in the 2nd period on the 2nd of this B-2-B. It happens. At least the worries of keeping the 2nd safest lead safe are over.
The worry is now focussed on preserving the tie until Lanky time. That's a big worry when they can't stay out of Myers' old 2nd home. On their 4th PP chance Vegas scores. Mood shifts a bit. Only a little.
2-1 Nighties.
With 2 mins to go in the 2nd, Schenny and Karlsson set up some LekkerMagic. With his faster than you can see release, Lekker put the puck through the Hill and down into the netted valley.
Before we could post all those cool laser memes on the internet - one of which I was very proud of - before we could gloat, Nucks get sloppy and tired in front of Lanky. Maybe it was tired and sloppy. Whatever. They were looking gassed and Gatacomb gets the puck from between DPetey's tired feeties and the tie is broken.
Canucks are trailing again and we just don't care.
In fact, we're not worried at all. It's fine.
Totally fine. Nucks drooped in the 2nd, but that was part of the plan. A plan so obtuse, some might mistake it for mistaken optimism.
Period 3.
The fun period. And it sort of was. Despite playing the 2nd of a B-2-B early in the season, the Nucks gutted out some pushback and out-generated the Sullen Nightlies, out shooting them 8-2.
Want to see a push through the end. Goal success is optional.
-- Thursday
As the period dragged on, our recently adjusted bias of scoring MOAR Goals in the 3rd was rebiased, unfortunately.
Did you know the Nucks have already set a league record for scoring the most goals in 3rd periods? Most goals in the first 3 games of 3rd periods. Your Vancouver Canucks have broken a 2011-2012 record of 10 goals with 11. Been a better record with 20... but save something for next season.
But this is the 4th game, jimmi, what's the point of that stat?
Well... last year's Nucks held a record of the least goals scored. All season. So there's that.
The Nucks got a few good looks as the time, the period wound down. But not an EQ-lizer. No big deal.
Gotta lose a few to keep the basement within range after all.
Petey 8 Hit didn't get his 8 hits tonight... that's why we couldn't come back. I'm going with that.
-- Twitch
It's fine. We're having a fine time in the Sky.
Relevant Game Notes
GAME STATS
HIGHLIGHTS
Shortie and Dave back-to-back in the ROG. Like the Canucks.
POST GAME CHATTER!
Elias Pettersson, Paul Cotter and Manny chat about a fine game that was on a fine line.
This amazingly delightful (rebuild) home stand is over. Taking the vibes on the road.
Enjoy the wild roadwork!
I am keeping this feeling with me for the rest of the year.
-- Thursday
