Want to know how to end your 1 game win streak? This is how.
Tonight Vegas gave the Nucks an object lesson on how Taco wants the Nucks to play. Relentless on every shift. On every line. Always moving forward. Always disrupting, playing heavy. Never stop skating. Never stop pushing. Maybe Taco secretly wants to coach Vegas. Maybe he already is.
Doesn't matter.
Despite the Knighties coming into the ROG on a 3 game losing skid, as is Nucking tradition, the Nucks let skidding visiting teams dictate the tempo of the game. Why? Only the the gamethread knows for sure.
Canucks doing that thing where they just try to survive the first half of the first... Kinda not a fan of that.
Twitch
First period Canucks is frustrating to watch
Westy
That explains it. Plus the Nucks are overmatched and outworked. And outshot. And outscored. And pretty much outed. 2-zip Vegas after 1.
The Golden Knight players always keep skating. Not caught flat-footed very often.
Westy
But... Nucks get better in the 2nd, right? Sure.
Vegas only scores a single PP goal, their 1st of the game... because Myers was in his cottage studying hockey official arguing after taking a lazy penalty after skating lazy to defend.
3-0 Vegas after 2.
Early in the 3rd, the Nucks are pressing. The bad puck luck button. Follow the bouncing puck past Demko...
Bad bounce goal
Twitch
Down 4-zip against the always hustling, the always skating, the always disrupting Vegal Nights.
At least, there was a morale boost for Kuzi. Scored his first goal since November 3rd. Yay!
Nucks only down 4-1. Fortunately, Taco didn't pull Demmers in the final couple minutes, so the Nucks didn't lose 5-1. Not there that was a good chance to pull Demko, as Vegas kept pushing. Didn't they realize they'd already won? In the first period.
Oh well... speed kills - the Nucks. As we saw against the Avs, the Nucks aren't quite at the elite level yet. We're still getting accustomed to the 'good team' moniker, so no rush. 53 Cupless years is but a blink of several, long suffering generations of Nucks fans.
WTH PETE?!
Something is not right with Pete. He is skating slow. Falling down. A lot. Yet, Taco - as he must - says Pete is physically just fine. So it must be the heavy burden of contract negotiations that is making his big payday seem farther and farther away.
Shout out to Cole for enduring 17:50 of overplaying. While consistently getting mugged by Carrier and making bad plays. Nice combo. His partner, Myers played 18:15, only about 10-15 mins more than he's comfortable with.
Millsie, PDG, Bess line couldn't forecheck like they did early in the season. Not saying they peaked in October, but their 5-on-5 play isn't what it once was. With Miller's 5 giveaway night, the shutdown line was shutdown from shutdown service by Taco.
Nucks allowed too many shots, 44. Remember back in October when they allowed a max of 24 a game? Nucks don't either.
ROG REEL OF DOOM
John 'n Dave can't save the game.
GAME STATS
TACO TALK
Taco talks about double driving and drawing boards. And other stuff... didn't rip the guys the way the gamethread wanted.
What he meant was who is the trailer... the 4th guy, the 5th guy, Demko?
Well... that's over with. Nucks don't face the Champs until 2024. Probably in the Western Conference Final in the spring.
Nucks take their extended homestand on the road. Play in Cowtown on Saturday. With the new big ex-flame D-man taking some of load off the Cole/Myers partnership, which we hope will be dissolved soon.
It's a fresh chance at the lofty 1 game win streak. Exciting!