TWO GAME HOME WIN STREAKS ARE OVERRATED
Nucks may not need a new home rink... but would it hurt?
Not the Worst home loss this week. So a small improvement.
This game was won and lost by special teams. Nucks lost the special part.
First the good news... Nucks didn't start horribly in the 1st in 2nd of their 1st B-2-B, but as is ROG tradition gave up the 1st goal. Not saying it was another Soucy/Myers dynamic moment, but wow... why did Myers, while falling, seem to pass the puck to the Pred who gets a goal? Or why did Soup not take the open man rather than gaze at the pass? We don't know.
Bah... of course we gave up the first goal... by someone i've never heard of to boot.
Twitch
However, if the Preds 4th line gets a goal means the Nucks 4th line can too. Raty wins the FO and our new dollorama Huggie puts a puck towards the net and Raty tips it past Sorrows.
1-1 after 1. And the Nucks have outshot the Preds 9 to 5. So that's good.
Now for the bad news...
Preds are getting the jump on the Nucks to start the 2nd. Keep pasting the Nucks in their own zone - for minutes at a time. Nucks can't buy a clear.
But, can purchase a power play at full retail. And the 1st unit goes to work.
Gnarly sets up Pete for the one timer, but he passes back to Huggie, who puts the puck on an Alien platter and Pete blasts a slapper through Sorrows.
Wooooo! Nucks lead 2-1.
Lead for the last time in the game.
Because... Preds get their own PP. And Stammers schools the Nucks PK - using Myers to screen Lanky and puts a perfect shot, according to ROG experts, into an imperfect spot. 2-2 tie.
And then it looked like the Nucks would retake the lead. Sherwood gets a breakaway, skates in on goal... and fans on the shot. Play goes the other way. And somehow Josi gets to skate to the dot in front of Lanky and unloads a bomb. 3-2 Preds.
But wait! It gets worse. Gnarland gets mauled repeatedly. No call. But, he hangs on to a marauding Predator a second too long and goes to the box for holding. Grrrr.
And it's another Preds PP. And another Stammer goal. This time Pete misses the cross ice pass and Lanky isn't screened, but it's still another Stammer goal.
4-2 Preds after 2.
Coming Back?
While the statsmaticians claim the Nucks are outplaying the Preds 5-on-5, the Nucks aren't scoring, despite some good pressure and good looks. But the ROG curse wouldn't let the Nucks bury any of their chances. Until later.
Preds are happy to clog the neutral zone and put only one shot on goal. Until the last minute.
Finally the Nucks get another PP since we've seen this game will be decided by specialness. But this time the 1st unit wastes the specialness. Especially Huggie, who was trying too hard to do too much while getting too little.
Finally, the better 5-on-5 Nucks get their stats in a row. Even better, Sherwood scores on his old goalie to hoist the Moral Victory Cup. Yay!
One goal down and Taco pulls Lanky for the extra attacker... not Miller tho... didn't play the final 14 minutes of the 3rd. Miller in Taco benchbox or the hurt locker? We don't know.
Of course, despite the over-manning, Preds score the EN and win 5-3. Dammit.
OBSERVATIONS
Much better effort from the Nucks than their last home loss. So... that's good.
Yet... when you can't beat the last place team in the league in your own barn, the last place team that hadn't won a game on their western swing, kinda makes one wonder how good this new Nucks roster is.
Anything else? Yes!
DRIVE IT TO THE NET - BURY YOUR CHANCES!
Video Replay
Shortie and Dave watching the special game slip away on special sticks.
GAME STATS
PLAYER POINTS (not nearly enough goals!)
PLAYERS 'N TACO TALK
Lanky felt they played good enough to win the game... but for the special parts.
Gnarland talking about too little too late.
Myers asked about giving up the 1st goal of the game... nearly every game.
Räty talks about chasing the game, rather than goalies.
Taco Talks about getting back to basics and PK stuff. Nothing about strategic time outs or what's up with Millsie.
Not the worst home game the Nucks have played so far. That's good. But still another L in the ROG. Horrible home record continues.
Even if the Nucks beat the Rags on Tuesday, their home record isn't close to 500 so far. It's sitting in the fugly zone at 3-4-3. One more chance on this 6 game stand to make it one game better. Better is better.