NUCKS GET A LOSER POINT - ANOTHER LOSS IN THE ROG

The Nucks last won a game in the ROG before they went on their 2 game road trip through low effort and bad mojo land.

So... they did bring some stuff back from Vegas.

I'm tired. Split and stacked wood all day. Had to run a dozen holiday errands. Was it asking so much for the Nucks team that beat the Avs to show up?

I don't want to recap this sub-effort of this sub-500 team. But, unpaid NM contributors don't get unpaid for their wants or whims. Or words. Whatever.

1st started just great. For the visitors.

And then the Nucks went down 2 goals before Huggie carried the team on his back to tie it up.

2-2 after 1 and the Nucks D outside of Quinn are [redacted].

In the 2nd, Nucks are permissive in middle ice and Lanky is permissive with the 5 hole. Sens are back in the lead 3-2.

No worries. The always-be-playing from behind ROG Nucks tie it up on another all world performance by Huggie. Puts a shot on net, the rebound rebounds off DeBrusk and in.

3-3 tie and the Nucks get a PP and a chance to take the lead. Instead, it's a Sens shortie after the Nucks 1st unit win the puck on the FO, can't keep it, can't backcheck and Lanky can't stop the 2 on 1.

4-3 after 2.

In the 3rd, the Sens are locking it down and the Nucks are making the winless Sens goalie look good. As the period grinds on, Nucks push the urgency button and play with more urgency and Bessie redeems his low effort PP backcheck and scores on a rebound. Yay!

Nucks tie it 4-4 - have the momentum in the final few minutes of the 3rd. We can feel it. The ROG feels it. Juuls is feeling it so much he takes a careless 4 min penalty for careless control of his stick. That's a total vibe killer.

Sens to the PP where the Claude takes a dumb penalty and it's 4 on 4 until the foghorn sounds.

Nucks have gained the vital loser point and nothing more is required. Other than 14 seconds of no-backcheck JT.

Sens score under Lanky's pads and win the game.

As Taco says... "a game of egregious mistakes".

Meanwhile over on Bluesky... everyone is calm and unworried.

That was a very mixed emotions game. #canucks started off bad. Then came back. Then got screwed by the refs. Then came back. Then screwed themselves on the PP, then came back. Then just totally blew OT. This team needs something to change.

— Chris Choi (@chrisbc.bsky.social) December 21, 2024 at 9:47 PM

Well... a little concerned...

Miller sucked. Petey sucked. The D sucked except Hughes of course. Boeser was fine.The team is below .500.Dire straights are upon us people. This season is not turning out how most thought. #Canucks management need to make a move ASAP and if they don’t it’ll be TeamTank activated

— David Cee (@canucksin4.bsky.social) December 21, 2024 at 9:51 PM

OBSERVATIONS

Pete was decent defensively despite the -1 plus/minus, unlike many other Nucks. Still no points in eleventy games. 2 shots on goal is the new elite 92M level.

JT was keen to generate some offense, got an assist. And wasn't keen to backcheck and was on the wrong side of 2 goals against. Egregiously so in OT.

Nucks are now on the wrong side of the 500 bubble. Their loss record in the ROG this season is abysmal.

Nice that Brock potted a couple and DeBrusk got a body bounce tally.

Hughes played at a level that one might expect from the highest paid players on the team. Huggie had 3 points - more than JT and Pete combined.

Anything else? Yes!

Nah.

Video Replay

Shortie and Dave calling the HNIC broadcast shots.

GAME STATS

PLAYER POINTS

SHOTS

PLAYERS 'N TACO TALK

Bess talks about the frustration of giving up early goals.

EP gets gnarly with the media about the his spat with JT rumours that the media loves.

Huggie faces the media and the frustration...

Taco Talks Tough about this lovely game of mistakes.

Nucks get a point out of this game - in the ROG! Yay!

One more game in the ROG before we take a holiday break from watching the Nucks lose in the ROG. Glad tidings!