THIS IS WHY WE DON'T LIKE 3 PERIODS OF HOCKEY
At least the new (improved) Nucks don't.
Nucks lose the 1st home game of the season, in possibly the worst way. Why the worst... well... Nucks played river hockey in the 1st and got 4 goals! That's not so bad.
Sure, that was fun to watch, even if Taco was probably thinking of bags of sand and stuff. If not in the 1st intermission, for sure by the 2nd intermission.
Narrator: They didn't. Scored zero goals.
Because in the 2nd the Cowpilers piled on the pressure and the Nucks caved like it was their 1st game of the season. But still... Nucks came out of the period with the 4-2 lead. That's not so bad.
No, it's not. The bad part was starting the next period, badly. Less than 3 minutes in the Cowpunks are within a goal after poor Nucking zone coverage and poor Arturs isn't tracking the puck.
Then Nucks lose a D-zone FO on the PK and again Sievlovs loses sight of the puck and it's a tie game.
Then the Nucks are down 5-4 after some more poor Nucking D-zone coverage and unusually, Artus gets beat in close.
Fortunately, while Pete gets the most money, it's Capt'n Huggie who is the best Canucks player. With Artus finally getting pulled, Huggie blocks the empty net shot, recovers the puck and passes way up ice to Millsie who blasted a shot past Marky Lardy.
We win a loser point after giving up 4 unanswered goals! Yay!
In OT, the Nucks 'stars' got schooled in the OT possession game. Managed no shots, but managed to blow coverage and lose the game.
Nucks lose 6-5 in the ROG to start the season. Hope this was just Taco's 'summer hockey' roster and things will get tightened up for the next 81 games.
OBSERVATIONS
Sprong got an 11 minute break in the 3rd after his defensive gaffs or doubts. While he scored the opening goal of the game on the PP, his D-zone coverage looked much like a WIP. That's work in progress and we hope there is progress - being on his 7th team and 7th coach. He and DeBrusk both blew their mano-oh-mano coverage too many times.
And Artus got exposed on the long shots. Allowed 3 goals on goals that might have been stopped if he was better positioned and tracked the puck better - even Taco mentioned this in his presser. To be fair, Lardy wasn't much better on his miscues and mistakes... finished the game with a poor .800 SV% rather than Arturs' .769 SV%. Summer hockey in October.
If they bother Westy, he won't want to bother looking at the Desharnais/Forbort D-brochure. They weren't horrible. But close enough to call them the 4th pairing.
Still... how was power play Pete? Got a point on the PP. Not the 5-on-5 game-changer we might have hoped for $11.6M a season. But was good on the PK. And the PP. He's special - a special teams specialist? Got ooo'd when he bobbled the puck at the Cowtown blueline in the 3rd.
But jimmi, you might say, "It's only one game!" True. But this small sample size is so off script, off Taco Tough hockey, especially the Get A Lead, Keep A Lead doctrine that Taco infused into the team last season, that it feel more like the '22-'23 Nucks start.
Maybe this was just one poor game. Maybe they'll be better at managing games from here on out. If not, they're gonna here it from someone.
Video Replay
Shortie and Dave are covering this wonderful pond hockey tilt.
GAME STATS
SCORING
PLAYERS 'N TACO TALK
Bess summarizes what we saw.
Gnarly isn't overreacting, unlike some Nucks fans...
Capt'n Huggie talks about getting a little too loose.
Taco Talks Tough about cleaning up some more - but down-played the Game 1 pond hockey. And the mixmaster line blending late in the game. Even if some players deserved to be benched.
Great 1st period. Early season games really only need to be 15 to 20 minutes. Just not fair when these millionaires win the game in the 1st and are forced by league officials to exert themselves for another 40 minutes.
Nucks get a couple days rest to circle the dots - win more D-zone faceoffs, clean the rails and polish the walls. Get to loose pucks faster. Stop giving up so many turnovers. And stop playing like it's the 1st game of the preseason.
Who cares about an unwelcome, unnecessary Game 1 loss? Let's find out.