This was a very special game.
Not just because it was played by two or one and a quarter NHL teams in a college rink, but because it was a battle of special teams.
A battle the Nucks lost in their typical special way. Isn't that special? No, no it's not.
The Nucking specialness had worn off long before RikTok memes were a thing. Even before Demmers spent months with the faeries.
The special achievement was exceeding a decades old NHL record for the worst freaking PK in league history.
The other special thing about this loss, was that it was 4 point loss that is a win in the faint CB hope game. I know, it's a game of tanks that we lost interest in during the temporary '82 throwback streak. But the 80s are over. And so is the win streak.
Game started great for the still streaking Nucks. Pretty tic-tack-toe from Pete to new Beau to Kuz for the 1st goal of the game. Sweeet!
However, to return to the futility of specialness, the Nucks had 4 power plays in the 1st period.
Did they score on the 1st PP? No. Or the 2nd PP, or the 3rd PP or the 4th PP? No they did not. Who knew the desert dogs are defensive juggernaut on college ice?
Not only that, they do well 5-on-5 - when facing our legendary puck fighter, Chaos Myers. Cleared the puck up main street right to the happy sticks of grateful Yotes. Game tied after 1. On a goal from a former Canuck.
Myers playing with the brilliance of Carson Briere…
Rob Scott
In the 2nd, the other side of Nucking specialness, the infamous side of Nucking Special teams - the Nucks PK took to the ice to take the groan focus off the Nucking PP. 2-1 Yotes after 2.
Last minute goal against....nice job Canucks
Westy
The 2nd goal of the game for the former Canuck*.
* Former Canuck
Boyd played 19 games as a waiver pickup in the bubble season.
Barely a minute into the 3rd, before the Nucks comeback could tie their skates, the Yotes were on their 3rd PP and yes, scored. Yotes PP scored on 2 of 3 PP chances. Unlike, the Nucks who didn't score on any of their 5.
Anyhow, we can count on Pete to make a comeback. New Beau steals the puck, passes to Pete - he picks a corner and the game is tied. Almost.
Which is a good thing. No, really. Since playing their first 20 games on the road, the Yotes have played well in the Mullet - have won more games at home than the Nucks have in the ROG. Yotes have forced over 147 games into extra time in their 33 home mullet games. At least that's what I heard the desert gogg'd colour team said while I was busy washing the dishes and dreaming of CB in a skate jersey.
Good 4 point loss. Would have been a horrible loss in October. But we had more than enough of those.
Mullet Styling Vid
2 Johns calling the game way up in the press box - at ice level.
GAME STATS
| SOG | FO% | PP | PIM | HITS | BLKS | GVA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Canucks VAN | 31 | 40% | 0/5 | 6 | 19 | 15 | 4 |
 Coyotes ARI | 27 | 60% | 2/3 | 20 | 25 | 12 | 9 |
PLAYER STATS (New Beau Goes)
| # | Forwards | GP | G | A | P | P | +/- | S | PIM | PIM | SOG | HITS | BLKS | GVA | TKA | FO% | TOI | PP TOI | SH TOI | PP | GW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | B. Boeser | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19:51 | 7:20 | --:-- | 0 | ||||
| 8 | C. Garland | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:05 | 1:29 | --:-- | 0 | ||||
| 9 | J.T. Miller | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 22:46 | 7:33 | 0:56 | 0 | |||
| 15 | S. Dries | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 11:18 | 1:34 | --:-- | 0 | |||
| 34 | P. Di Giuseppe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9:39 | --:-- | --:-- | 0 | ||||
| 40 | E. Pettersson | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 23:07 | 7:36 | 2:09 | 0 | |||
| 72 | A. Beauvillier | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 13:55 | 1:15 | --:-- | 0 | |||
| 81 | D. Joshua | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 12:25 | --:-- | 0:56 | 0 | |||
| 88 | N. Aman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 15:01 | 0:08 | 1:01 | 0 | |||
| 91 | V. Kravtsov | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12:39 | 1:31 | --:-- | 0 | ||||
| 92 | V. Podkolzin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10:02 | 0:15 | --:-- | 0 | |||
| 96 | A. Kuzmenko | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20:14 | 7:32 | --:-- | 0 |
| # | Defense | GP | G | A | P | P | +/- | S | PIM | PIM | SOG | HITS | BLKS | GVA | TKA | FO% | TOI | PP TOI | SH TOI | PP | GW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | Q. Hughes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 28:56 | 8:09 | --:-- | 0 | ||||
| 44 | K. Burroughs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:48 | 0:13 | 0:47 | 0 | ||||
| 47 | N. Juulsen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13:51 | --:-- | --:-- | 0 | ||||
| 55 | G. Brisebois | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15:51 | 0:11 | 1:44 | 0 | ||||
| 57 | T. Myers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 20:37 | 0:22 | 2:31 | 0 | ||||
| 86 | C. Wolanin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17:40 | 0:57 | --:-- | 0 |
| # | Goalies | GP | REC | GA | SV | SA | S | EV | PP | SH | SAVE-SHOTS | SV% | PIM | TOI | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | T. Demko | -- | 24 | 27 | 23–24 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 24–27 | .889 | 0 | 57:57 |
DUSTY ROAD PRESSER
A Huggie minute in the media scrum.
Freshly re-interimed Tocco is in his old golfing grounds, has some losing game flashbacks in the desert and spends 70 seconds not talking about it.
The Nucks win streak ends at 5 games. Impressive streak. Now the Nucks have to focus on sweeping the rest of the road trip. Sweeping it under the L column to make April's gambling W column.
The '82 dream to the 2nd season has taken a hit. The 5 game W-streak hit the CB odds. Does that leave us, again, in the mushy middle?
Let's find out.
