What a game! What a season! Wonderful way to give Nucks fans a big beautiful bouquet of winning!
Not since 2005 has a Canadian team led the league at the holiday break. Not even the peak Sedinery of Xmas 2010 or 2011 was sitting at the tippy top of the NHL.
Will the Nucks still be the top team in May? We don't care. We're just jubilant. Giddy even.
Of course, to keep the league lead, this was a must-win for the Nucks.
And they started well, with Kuz back on the scoresheet. Twice. Nucks led 2-0 early in the 1st. Yay!
So Kuzy running hot tonight?
Chicky
But, then the giddy Nucks let the SharkGrinches back into the game. 2-2 after 1. Guess it is the season of giving - a little much in the D-zone.
bad period...sloppy
Westy
Doesn't matter. Ok, it matters a little, but still... the ROG Nucks have full legal title to the 2nd period.
Goals from Aman - on a skilled passing play and a sneaky tip by Laff on a Cole shot, put the Nucks back up by 2.
Time for the Nucks to kick back and enjoy the win. Or not. Some sloppy dinner D-play and the Nucks 2 goal lead is only 1.
No worries. The All Star Gnarly line goes to work. Gnarly sets up Josh for the goal on their trademarked look to shoot, pass off and score play. Lengthy title is a work in progress.
Nucks lead 5-3 after 2. And you know what that means... [cue spooky stats music]
Coming into this game the Canucks - your Vancouver Canucks - lead the league with the most wins when leading after 2 periods - a delightfully gawdy 19-0-0. Soon to be, yes, you guessed it, 20-0-0 when leading after 2.
Sure, mid 3rd, the Nucks were outplayed on the D-zone faceoff and the insurmountable 2 goal lead was surmounted. 5-4 Nucks.
Doesn't matter.
Couple minutes later, Suter playing on the Millsie line, takes a tip from Laff's book and tips Huggie's shot past the stingy, no-tipping SJ goalie. 6-4 Nucks.
Late 3rd, SJ pulls Blackwood in favour of another useless attacker. Demmers is playing to win the 2 minute shutout period. And does.
Even better, Huggie lofts a perfect shot over the Sharkletts that returns to the ice, inside the net. Quinn has another 3 point game - his 68th. He sets another Nucking D-man record.
Nucks WIN 7-4!
The Nucks are 23-9-3 so far in this delightful season. Will enjoy the holiday break on a 9 game points streak (7-0-2).
It's a wonderful life in the ROG! Canucks keep their #1 status in the league - at least until next week!
ROGGIN' XMAS GAME REEL
Sure, it's HNIC, but Shortie is calling the play - and the misplays. And we love it all. Other than the misplays.
STATS
SHOTS
| SHARKIES | Period | CANUCKS |
| 5 | 1st | 5 |
| 9 | 2nd | 11 |
| 11 | 3rd | 10 |
| 25 | TOTAL | 26 |
CANUCKS SCORING
| GOALS | ASSISTS | +/- | |
| AMAN | 1 | +1 | |
| COLE | 1 | +1 | |
| HUGHES | 1 | 2 | +3 |
| MILLER | 2 | +1 | |
| GNARLAND | 2 | +2 | |
| LAFFERTY | 1 | +1 | |
| BLUEGER | 2 | +2 | |
| JOSHUA | 1 | +2 | |
| SUTER | 1 | +2 | |
| PETERSSON | 2 | -2 | |
| KUZMENKO | 2 | -2 | |
| MIKHEYEV | 1 | -1 | |
| EV | PP | SV% | |
| DEMKO | 15/19 | 6/6 | .840 |
Sure, not a great look for Pete's line that allowed 3GA and Demko could have made a few more stops to bust out of the low 80s SV%... but who cares? Other than Taco and most of NM, when they sober up next week.
TACO TALK
Taco was pretty buzzed with the win - despite the gaffs and lapses. He wants a few days off too.
Some Underdog Chat from Cole
“When we started 10-2 or whatever it was, everyone was like: ‘Wow, this is crazy.’ But we think we have a really good hockey team. We don't think that we're playing above ourselves right now. We think that we can maintain this level of hockey. Now, shooting percentage and save percentage and analytics and this and that, like, are there things we can improve? Yes, absolutely. Do we think we can make those changes? Yes. But I love where we are. And I love how we've gotten here. And if we can keep that chip on our shoulder — the underdog that no one believes in — even better.”
Ian Cole
Wow! Wow! and Extra Wow! Santa delivered the best Nucks fans gifts in over a decade.
#1 in the NHL. Your Vancouver Canucks. With the biggest, bestest DIFF at +47.
What an incredible season we've experienced in the past 35 games. We can be sure - pretty sure - the Nucks are going to play in the post-season. Assuming they play like this for the next 47 games, they might win the most prestigious trophy in hockey - the Prez Trophy.
The other trophy, that many claim is the most prestigious we can discuss next year, in March or April... For now we can just bask in the joy of the hockey world's best league's best team. The Canucks!
Have a safe, happy, very merry holiday. See you next Thursday for some payback hockey in the ROG.
