TOUGH GAME - WORSE LOSS. NUCKS OFFENSE IS MIA.
This was not a more winnable game for the Canucks than the last one. Despite their great effort against the Caps and coming up short, this time the Nucks got on the wrong side of Taco Tough shutdown hockey and came up way too short.
Demmers and Petey are back and ready to go. Is the team? Probably not. It's funk time in the Carolinas.
Pathetic effort from the top 6? Because there's Gnarly/Bess feud as well as a Lekker/ DeBrusk tussle or something? Or just that no one feels like taking it to the net and scoring. So much work.
The Nucks put 21 shots on net in the 2nd period last game. 14 tonight. In the entire game. Boom!
1ST
As is the new Nucking home and away tradition Nucks give up the 1st goal in the 1st.
This time with a surprising lazy giveaway from...
What a fucking surprise, we didn't score first... brutal giveaway by miller caused that.
Twitch
Oh well, there's at least 2 more periods remaining to not score.
1-0 Not So Sweet Carolina after 1.
2ND
This was not the best period the Nucks have played on the road trip. Worse than the 1st? Tough call. The bar was so low.
You might think the Nucks could take advantage of a tired team... but Nucks continue to struggle against the Canes who are fresh and rested from their win last night. And ready to take it to the net.
Soucy undressed completely... canes score... fuuuuuu...
Twitch
No worries. Another goal against in the 1st couple minutes is no big deal.
Other things are more worrisome, but finally JT breaks though the malaise.
WOOOO MILLSIE!!!! (It's not a goal, it's our first shot since the 1980s).
Twitch
Nucks finish the period with even less shots than the 1st. Ouch.
Canes lead 2-0 after 2. And there are some concerns... like... why are we still sober? As well as that other unimportant hockey logic thing...
Pretty hard to score with no shots on goal.
Ripper
3RD
Sure, in this low event game the Nucks won't be scoring 5-on-5. We get that now.
However, Nucks get 2 power plays in the 3rd. And managed a single low danger scoring chance.
Jeez this powerplay...miller's blown about 984 passes in it... nobody else seems to care.
Twitch
And yes, Taco pulled Demmers in the last few minutes, because the extra-man play of the Nucks was so effective earlier.
2-0 Canes. Another shutout loss against the worst goalie Nucks have or will face in the entire trip - possibly the season.
slip slidin' away, 5 games under 500. Now it's time for the main event, battlebots sin city slugfest recording now on discovery. Spark a bud and enjoy the carnage!
Ripper
OBSERVATIONS
Here's the PROBLEM: Hockey is a game of mistakes. Nucks made two too many costly mistakes this game.
Here's the OTHER PROBLEM: Nucks can't out-score their mistakes.
With the top 6 so Taco-Toughed-Up - they're too risk-adverse to make high-risk, high-reward plays, Nucks are easy and predictable to defend against. Dump 'n Chase 5-on-5 - and if they get the puck always seem to send it back to the point for another blocked shot. Also... Nucking PP zone entries are easy pickens for the defenders.
Maybe the Taco system is too potent. Taco's methods have finally morphed last season's 100 point players into the 2021 Yotes middle six.
Huggie played too much with his gibbled hand. Over 28 minutes of his elite skill wasted by his formerly-elite teammates. Also... Forbort had twice as many shots in the game as Huggie, while playing half as many minutes. Ouch!
This game was not fun to watch. In fact is looked eerily familiar to those last few games before Green was fired. That team played decent defense, but couldn't score. Then Bruce came in and scored in big bunches (and couldn't defend). Time to bring Bruce back?
Meanwhile over on Bluesky, the statmaticians have some interesting info.
Let’s focus on Quinn Hughes for a moment. He really tried but the stats don’t lie. He’s hurt. - He wasn’t able to generate a lot - He contributed defensively but not enough to neutralize the Canes - He was still better than Miller and Soucy #Canucks #GoCanucksGo #NHL Via: @hockeystatcards.com
— Canucks Watcher (@canuckswatcher.bsky.social) January 10, 2025 at 7:09 PM
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Incredibly frustrating. Originally #Canucks was recorded as 65 shot attempts tonight, and 15 hit the net. The shot count was adjusted down 14 🤯. Out of 65 shot attempts? YIKES 😬 #Canucks #GoCanucksGo #NHL
— Canucks Watcher (@canuckswatcher.bsky.social) January 10, 2025 at 8:06 PM
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Anything else? Yes!
CoTU tomorrow. OMG!
Video Replay
Snow 'n No Go in Carolina? Sounds weird.
GAME STATS
SHOTS
PERIOD | VAN | CAR |
1st | 5 | 7 |
2nd | 4 | 5 |
3rd | 5 | 8 |
TOTAL | 14 | 20 |
PLAYERS 'N TACO TALK
Pete is back and taking the media heat. That's why he gets paid the big bucks.
Taco looks a little Green and talks a little Green. Is ESPN the team he'd rather be coaching?
It gets worse for the Nucks. They have to face the hot, hot Laffs tomorrow. But they're stuck in snowy Raleigh for the night. Won't leave for the CoTu until tomorrow morning. Ugh.
Still... with our only moderately beaten and battered NM false hope, we can hope the Nucks top 6 were saving their top sixishness to win on HNIC just for the yucks. Unlikely, but still...
What about the future, the next 41? Let's find out.