NUCKS GET THEIR SECOND THIRD HOME WIN!
After last game's permissive, discombobulated, embarrassing Nucking loss, Taco had some strong words - for the media. And stronger ones in yesterday's practice.
Taco railed on the Nucks to start this game on time - be hard on the rails, tough on pucks, gut out the guts of the ice. And Foote was throwing some video hints/warnings/admonishments.
So... how'd they do in the 1st?
Canucks and their defensemen....
Westy
poor puck movement out of the zone will lead to a forward getting traded for a Pens defenseman
But it's the ROG, Nucks have to serve fresh turnovers or it's a bad concession look.
3 or 4 bad giveaways in the first 5 minutes doesn't bode well...
Twitch
And then while the Nucks were still finding their legs, their mojo, their shutdown D skillz, the ice tilted the wrong way. Starts with a breakout pass (because Miffler was drifting?) pass to Folingo, who out muscled Brännström going to the net. Arty stops the 1st shot... but can't stop the rebound, which is scored... by... wait for it...
lol...mikayhev scores... mikayhev... ahhhhh nucks...
Twitch
Hilarious, but true. After 1, it's 1-0 Fawkers. Who outplayed and outshot the supposedly better team 14-9 in the 1st.
Turnaround
After some more locker room chat and HNIC admonishments, the Nucks came out for the 2nd with a better attitude. Or at least Bränny did.
He takes the puck the net and draws a call. Nucks to their 1st PP. Could be their only PP (it wasn't).
Nucks 1st unit makes some passes, keep the puck in the zone. Huggie to JT to Pete. Pete scores! Off a defenders skate. Just like he planned.
WOOOO PP GOAL! Petey!!!
Twitch
The Nucks are leading the tie game! Wooo!
Nucks PP get another chance to work. And the PP doesn't score. Incomplete work.
In fact, the period ends in a 1-1 tie. Doesn't matter.
Because even untrained fans like us can see the Nucks have got their mojo back. Not all of it, but more than the 1st period.
WIN THE TURS
Early in the 3rd, Nucks win the game. No, really.
The new Pete line with Sherwood and DeBrusk were causing forecheck chaos. Puck squirts out to Brännström and Boom! His 1st GWG!
WOOOO BRANNY!
Twitch
ROG goes nutz!
The little Fawkers try to pushback, but despite the Nucks miffling giveaways in their own zone, wasting another PP with some passing Sedinery, the Fawks couldn't get another puck past Arty.
With their Fawking net empty, the next local supastar, Bedard, coughed up the puck and after some center ice miffling, JT scores an EN.
I think we made Bejesus cry.
Twitch
A minute later, Teddy skates the puck down to the empty net and puts it in the yawning netting space.
Nucks win 4-1!
WOOOOOOOOOOO!
OBSERVATIONS
Great Decent bounce back game. Despite having to play yet another meh 1st period in the ROG.
Pete played his best game. His new line were the best Nucking line. Creating some substantial O-zone time and getting some good chances.
Brännström went from zero in the 1st to hero in the 3rd. Costco Huggie? Maybe.
Nucks PP... got another goal - a lucky goal? Maybe, but if you don't put the puck on net, not much luck to be got. Nucks PK didn't allow a single goal. Some dangerous chances, but no goal against.
Arty wasn't outstanding, made a few more mistakes than he'd want, but stopped some tough shots and put up a confidence-boosting .966 SV%.
On the D-mistakes side, the dynamic Myers/Soup duo, had some wobblies, but none resulted in a GA.
The new 4th line was very good. R2 won 88% of his faceoffs. Led all Nucks with 6 hits, including Sherwood, who only had 5.
Whatever is bugging Miller, it's still lingering. Didn't take a slap shot, but miffled a couple.
Anything else? Yes!
Good win!
Video Replay
Shortie and Dave getting their winning, thankfully, HNIC home game on.
GAME STATS
PLAYER POINTS
PLAYERS 'N TACO TALK
Pete speaks with words dancing on his schtick.
Arty back in front of the media, but this time with confidence.
Brännström gets another goal and another presser.
Sherwood puts the media scrum into the boards... metaphorically.
Taco Talks about bouncing back and seeing some improvements. Or else.
Nucks get their even sweeter 3rd home win of the season! About time.
While this win might have helped remove the ROG home curse stink - there's still lots of room for home improvement. Badaboom!
The Nucks home record is now 3-3-3. Which looks like it's evens across the range. It's not. Nucks have won 3 home games and lost 6 in the ROG.
So... we're gonna keep our top 3 alternate home game locales on standby.
It's another 1 game winning streak in the ROG. In less than 24 hours, they get a chance to extend it to 2. But only a chance. Need to play better than this game against the Preds. And maybe, just to change it up... start playing Taco Tough hockey in the 1st minute of the 1st period.