NUCKS GET A BIG POINT - JOBBED OUT OF ANOTHER

Nucks played a great game. Almost beat the best team in the NHL. Couldn't beat the worst ref in the NHL. As predicted, pre-game...

Going to be even more of a scheduled loss. Kelly Sutherland, our refenemy, will be making the wild calls tonight.
jimmi

Or in this case, Kelly's Non-Calls. Two egregious missed calls. Deliberately missed? We can only speculate, because the league holds the officials unaccountable and not available to explain their bias.

NucksNation won't need to be reminded how Kelly jobbed the Nucks in the 2011 SCF. But do wonder how he still works the ice or even has a job in the league.

Moving on.

Nucks, and not making it up, were ready to play in the 1st. Pretty much.

I've said it before... Quinn is the best player on the Nucks. The best D in Nucking history. And one of the best D of the NHL all time. In this game Huggie scores on the PP and the Nucks lead 1-0 after 1.

As ever, the league ignores our requests and the Nucks give up the tying goal after Pete and Huggie bump into each other at the Wild blueline and the action goes the other way.

Worse... Sutherland is doing his non-job as Sherwood takes a pre-meditated elbow to the head. What the Ek!?

This was a far more dangerous hit than the one that got Quinn Hughes ejected against Ottawa. Here’s hoping Sherwood doesn’t wake up with concussion symptoms tomorrow. #Canucks

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— Pucked in the Head (@puckedinthehead.bsky.social) December 3, 2024 at 10:27 PM

Doesn't matter, because the Nucks comeback to retake the lead! In the final minute! Soup, not making it up, gets a shot through to Gusty. Pete swipes a spin-backhand on net and, our road cleaner, Jake, cleans up the garbage.

Nucks lead 2-1 after 2.

That's it. However, again, the NHL and Kelly's non-call minions demand another period.

Early in the 3rd, Wild are pressing, Lanky gets the puck behind his net and attempts the 9.3 level of difficulty backhand puck clearing. Doesn't clear. And the rest of the Nucks can't clear either. Puck isn't cleared until it's taken to center ice for the next face off.

2-2 tie.

Nucks put on some pressure, get some chances late in the 3rd, but everyone is getting a point.

In OT the Nucks are playing the decent possession game. Wild get their chances too. But the game of honest and fair hockey took a turn to the Sutherland zone.

Krill the cheaper thrill trips Gnarland and nothing happens on the official front.

Despite the Nucks not going on the PP as the rulebook states, they do get a great 2 on 0 breakaway.

It's Suter with Bess. Suter passes to Brock. The general strategy for maximizing the 2 on zero is to make the goalie work - give him an unstoppable dilemma. However, Brock doesn't pass back to Suter for the easy tap-in. Instead puts it off the post. No big deal.

The Wild comeback the other way, executing the 2-on-1 effectively as Huggie resorts to ineffective stick-waving. Unpunished tripper scores. Just as Kelly hoped? We don't know.

NHL officials never have to explain anything to the paying customers. Not saying there's anything untoward now that the NHL has embraced betting on results... but one does wonder.

Nucks lose 3-2 in OT that coulda, shoulda been a win, but for... stuff.

OBSERVATIONS

Best game of the road trip? Pretty much. Taking a point off the best team in the league showed they can keep up with the best, when required.

Best Nucking player? Soucy. No, really. No fricking fedling. Was a +1 whereas Quinn was burned with the dashing -3.

Other best player? Gnarly. Played 24 minutes of high energy disruption. And got an apple too. Pete was making some great plays as well. And not so great on the last tying goal against. With his 2 points he's moved into the Nucks top 10 all time scoring stratosphere.

Not going to say that Kelly jobbed the Nucks. Again. But his record of poor calls against us and non-calls (against us) when blatant infractions are seen by everyone does make one wonder.

Anything else? Yes!

Hard fought almost win!

Video Replay

Shortie and Dave calling the Minni shots.

Full OT period. See if you can spot the non-call of Krill that Kelly couldn't see.

GAME STATS

PLAYER POINTS

SHOTS

PLAYERS 'N TACO TALK

Soucy talks to the media - after playing a good game. Yay! We need more smart Soup.

Pete talking about doing enough to win... and some mistakes.

Taco Talks Tough about 'hell of a road trip'.

Nucks finish this road tour of the east with 9 points. Now they face the most scary test. Playing at home.

Nucks get another daunting 6 game home stand. Some suggest they put Jake - who has yet to score at home despite leading the team with 11 goals - they suggest putting Jake up at the Rosewood or Opus and let him play in a modified road jersey. But why just Jake? Put the whole team in a 5-star hotel and tell them to gut out another 5 wins with 5-star service. Could work.