We were so worried at the beginning of this 7 game road trip through the eastern depths of hockey hell. Especially when it started badly in blue St Louis. So many dinner games, so many chances to ruin our appetites.
And yet, here we are with 3 wins from 4 games - exactly as I predicted dared to dream about.
Incredible 3 Game Win streak. On The Road. The dark sinister eastern road that once upon a time drove off with our false hopes and tortured them for years.
Not this year. This Taconated Nucks are a different team than we've seen in over a decade.
The 2nd of a back-to-back hasn't been kind to us on the road. After that commanding win over the Rags last night wouldn't be surprised to watch the Nucks start sluggish and try to keep up.
Instead, the Nucks saved some of their MSG mojo to open the scoring. With a change up. Nucks forwards did lots of damage in MSG. Why not have the free wheeling, hard shooting Nucking Top-D get on the board.
Ronnie shoots, breaks an Islander and...
So the key is to shoot so hard that it immobilizes an Islander and then you score
Westy
1-0 Nucks. Huggie sees the Rough Ronnie tactic and does his own hypnotic o-zone thing. Isle defenders are frozen in place and Huggie sweeps into the middle and...
Or just dangle around their zone, hypnotize them, then score.
jimmi
Huggie scores his scores his 11th of the season. 2-0 Nucks after 1. Good start!
In the 2nd, that period the Nucks have claimed as their playground, the Nucks outplayed the homers. Didn't allow a shot on their net in the 1st ten minutes. Then allowed a Barzallian breakaway, which DeSmith turned away. After a few more shots on Casey, the Nucks went back to work. With Pete puck hounding to setup a give 'n go with JT in the blue paint. Pete scores to make it 3-0 Nucks.
Of course the refs give NYI the mandatory PP and the Nucks PK gives them the mandatory goal. To build a false sense of comeback hockey in the Isles. Worked last night. 3-1 Nucks.
Few minutes later, Myers leads a 4 on 2.5 into the o-zone, winds up and drills a 93.7mph shot past SoreArmken. Nucks lead 4-1. Refs give the Isles another Party Play, but they're quota is used up.
Canucks lead 4-1 going into the 3rd. You know what that means? Nucks Win.
I just typed that and yet... those games of seasons past when the Nucks have a 2-5 goal lead going into the 3rd and trailing after the 3rd still haunt me. No more.
Nucks locked down the period using Taco Tough Crazy Details Defense (Not available in your local hardware store). Only allowed the Isles 5 shots on DeSmith.
Josh tallies his 2nd EN of the road trip and the Nucks romp to a 5-2 win! On the eastern road! What a romp!
This 3 game stretch is simply stunning.
Dominate Jersey, choke the Rags, and then make the Islanders look like a farm team. The poor Isles didn't stand a chance. They looked like they didn't even try in the last 10 minutes.In the past, we played down to the level of the opponent. Tonight we played the Islanders the same way we played the Rangers. Same urgency, same hustle, same focus. The game was over in the first period.
Stunning is the only word that comes to mind.
Atty
HIGHLIGHTING THE AMAZING REEL
It's Shortie and Dave working the road game.
GAME STATS
SHOTS
ISLES | Period | CANUCKS |
11 | 1st | 11 |
4 | 2nd | 17 |
5 | 3rd | 6 |
20 | TOTAL | 34 |
PLAYER SCORING
GOALS | ASSISTS | +/- | |
BOESER | +1 | ||
MILLER | 1 | +2 | |
PETERSSON | 1 | +1 | |
BLUEGER | 1 | +1 | |
MIKIHEYEV | 1 | +1 | |
JOSHUA | 1 | +2 | |
HUGHES | 1 | +2 | |
HRONEK | 1 | 1 | +3 |
MYERS | 1 | +2 | |
KUZMENKO | 0 | ||
EV | PP | SV% | |
DESMITH | 18/19 | 0/1 | .900 |
TACO TALK
"To win three games in the tri-state area, it's tough to do." - Coach Taco
Tri-state area? Isn't that like Area 51? Has been for the Nucks. For decades.
Is this the new normal? Is this Taco Toughened team the real deal?
Who can answer that? We can!
A Clean Sweep of the big fatty apple teams. That's so sweet!
And finally we have a couple days to savour it before the Nucks spit out the Pitts.
Woooooooooo!!!