It was a waste of a game. Games in St Louie always bring out the worst in the Nucks. Or is that NM?

The 1st road game after the exhausting home game where the Nucks played a full 20 minutes, you might expect the Nucks to play a solid dinner game. And they did. For at least 2 minutes. Appetizers are so filling after the holidays.

PDG is injured and Nucks are short a forward. So Taco scratches Kuz and adds in some AHL magic. Tough to watch Kuz get the Tough Taco confidence smackdown - from best feel good story last season to the worst $5.5M pressbox fodder. Sure hope 39 goal Kuz learns to play without giveaways and to shoot at an unsustainable level again - assuming he gets back on the roster this year.

Nucks 3rd Top Line opened the scoring on the work of Gnarly, who could be giving Kuz lessons on how to spinoff a check and still control play. Gnarly having spunoff his check puts the puck behind the net, Josh retrieves, passes to Blueger (Fun Fact: Nucks leading scorer past 10 game) who passes to Gnarly and he one-times the puck past Whingington.

That 3rd line plays a perfect play-in and then great passes for a Garland goal

Westy

the gnarly one scores....

Chicky

One time. One goal. Game is over.

For the Nucks. Blues chip away and Nucks fade away as per eastern road game protocol.

But still Nucks lead 1-0 after the 1st. Yay! Except... like the 5 goal lead, the 1 goal lead is an even more most dangerous lead in hockey. Nucks hockey.

No worries. Early in the 2nd Nucks are defending low and slow. And Bluezzers are on the board.

2 Nucks went to Thomas leaving a lane for Parayko...oooof

'82

And nonchalantly the game is tied. And the Nucks just don't seem to care.

In the 3rd, it's the Defensive Breakdown Line, otherwise known as the Nucks freshly scrambled 4th line. They get owned, pawned, or whatever the hockey cliché is for bad coverage.

Brutal again

Canucks unable to get shots on net and unable to pick up players in the zone

Westy

Blues top player scores the GWG - who also out scored our top $11M player. 2-1 Blues and the Nucks are going to comeback. Next game. Or maybe the one after.

As ever, Nucks take out their frustration on the end boards and glass.

Why do the Nucks keep missing the net?

Westy

As noted previously, the Nucks have trouble adjusting to playing in the eastern provinces, because of the time and space zone change. Nets in the west are 6 feet higher and 4 feet wider. So maybe, that's it.

Nucks managed to keep from getting scored on with their net empty. But couldn't manage to impose their will and get the goal for the tie that they so deserved, in the 1st intermission.

Not sure what to make of this game, other than I've lost counting how many times we missed the net.

Atty

BAD THINGS

In 5 games without Kuz on his wing, Pete has 3 points. Not a big deal. But still... Pete needs a winger that can either score consistently or help Pete score consistently. While Pete got 2 goals last game - one skill, one luck, this game the Pete line combined for a single shot on goal - from Pete. Oh well... it is what it is... 4th liner tryouts on the Taco Top Line blended winger bender.

Bess hasn't scored since last Christmas. The streaky scorer is on another streak. The not good kind. Also his timing and defensive play is in a funk as well. Still stings that his mutt didn't win the most important dog race in hockey. Also... Suter isn't a great match for the Miller line.

Non-movement PP. Static play gets results. Just not so much in this century. TBF, Nucks only got the one chance. Need 8-10 of them in a game to consistently get a PP goal. Get with the mojo refs!

Also... Kuz is much better on the 1st unit than Gnarly... just sayin' but not saying it front of Taco.

And... despite having Demko...

Canucks are not a good team when it's a one goal game

Westy

BLUE LOSS REEL

Shortie and Ferrari are watching and covering the game - so we don't have to.

GAME STATS

SHOTS

Nucks got out shot - but the Nucks out attempted-shots the Blues, with 68. Somehow it might be better if the Nucks can get over 50% of their shots on net. Just a thought.

TACO TALK

Short and bittersweet road presser.

The 1st road dinner game was lukewarm dining in a dark boring diner on the side of the loss column. At least the Nucks aren't in the middle of a road losing streak.

Next game could put us in that fugly place. Nucks last won a game in Jersey in... think back... further back some more... and further and longer back... Nucks last won there in 2013. Ouch!

Still the Nucks have the quite bouncy 11-2 bounce back record after a loss this year. I will not like typing 11-3 record on Saturday. Don't make me type stats I don't like, Nucks. Been there, typed that for too many years.

Banish the Devils in their own demonic home! New Nucking motto!