You can't make a game like this up. I wish we could. It would have been shorter. Played at night while the east is sleeping. And mainly it would have been shorter.
I know, any game the Nucks play in the windy city is long and unrequired viewing. But this game set a record for the longest 39 minutes and 43 seconds of the season. You can say 40 minutes is 40 minutes everywhere. You just can't say that in the (dis)united center. Where almost 2 hours passed before the Nucks scored.
This game desperately needs something interesting to happen…
Rob Scott
But first, the unexpected expected horror show in the 1st featuring, yes, starring the record-achieving Nucking Power Play. This Nucking team has the NHL record this season for scoring the most short handed goals. And yet... this Nucking team holds the NHL record this season for ALLOWING the most short handed goals. Bipolar Hockey?
It's a tale of two teams - of two seasons - setting records. Some good, some horrible.
Anyhow, for those of you tuning in late - lucky you - we move on to the last 17 seconds of the 2nd when the Nucks finally got a puck past all-world Mrazek. Thanks to the brilliant skate placement of all-world Jones. It was a pass from Di Giuseppe to Brock, that was kicked away past Mrazek.
Having suffered thru the first 40 mins, I’ll take it — highly exciting!
Rob Scott
The highlight of the game was... again.. Cheech. Told some of his famous stories - the hotdog goalie - and playing with the Hanson brothers and Bruce - the real origins of the Slapshot movie. Unfortunately, Cheech's corner ended too soon and we had to return watching paint on ice not drying.
Fortunately for the easily excited game thread, Pete brought the heat in the 3rd. He couldn't play for AV, not content with the tie.
He scored the GWG. And the 2nd GWG goal. Because reasons. His 2nd tally on the Nucking PP - so it is possible to score on the opponent during the extra man session. Could have been Kuz's 36th as his deflection trickled through all-old-world Mrazek - but Pete was not in the mood for trickles - only GWGs.
It might have been better for the balance of Bedardian payments if the Nucks let the Fawkers get a loser point. But Pete and Brock saw no point in that. Brock got the EN insurance on a wicked shot all-benched Mrazek couldn't stop.
brock is unbroken
copey
Good 10 minutes of hockey in just 3 hours. That's not so bad.
16-8-3 under Tocchet. Back to .500 from being 9 games under at one point. Hmmm... if this sticks to plan, they're a playoff team.... next year.
Might as well keep Myers after they pay the bonus, since he'll only cost $1M next year in real money anyway. But they'll have to either buyout OEL or send Beauvillier packing to make the cap. Beau's only got 1 small assist in the last 6 games, despite playing with Petey.
Sad to see Kravtsov sat down tonight in favour of Studnicka. Guy's been snakebitten, but I figure he and Podz will get it worked out. Really nice to see Brockster start to get a groove. I guess playing with Miller is good for him after all. He actually hustled, hard and smart, to get the EN goal, and dead center too on the shot. That was very pretty and you could see how much the boys liked it.
copey
The CHEECH & JOHN Show
The 2 Johns seem to be having a fun day - even if they had to pretend to be watching the game.
Cheech sounds extra jovial — must be the CHI pizza pie effect…
Rob Scott
GAME STATS (do they track stats for meaningless games?)
| SOG | FO% | PP | PIM | HITS | BLKS | GVA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canucks
VAN
|
31 | 50% | 1/3 | 6 | 21 | 11 | 6 |
Blackhawks
CHI
|
31 | 50% | 0/3 | 6 | 24 | 19 | 18 |
SHOT COUNT (not many - but just enough)
| Period | VAN | CHI |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 10 | 6 |
| 2nd | 11 | 8 |
| 3rd | 10 | 17 |
| Total | 31 | 31 |
PLAYER STATS
Forwarding - Pete's point streak goes to 12.
| # | 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 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100 | 17:10 | 2:42 | --:-- | 0 | |||
| 8 | C. Garland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:59 | 1:31 | --:-- | 0 | ||||
| 9 | J.T. Miller | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 76 | 17:47 | 1:45 | 2:45 | 0 | |||
| 15 | S. Dries | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 13:39 | 1:29 | 1:05 | 0 | |||
| 18 | J. Studnicka | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 11:14 | --:-- | 0:44 | 0 | |||
| 25 | A. McDonough | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 10:03 | --:-- | --:-- | 0 | |||
| 34 | P. Di Giuseppe | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:10 | --:-- | 0:59 | 0 | ||||
| 40 | E. Pettersson | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 18:25 | 2:44 | 2:38 | 1 | |||
| 72 | A. Beauvillier | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:28 | 2:23 | --:-- | 0 | |||
| 81 | D. Joshua | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 14:27 | --:-- | 2:10 | 0 | ||||
| 88 | N. Aman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:32 | --:-- | 1:35 | 0 | |||
| 96 | A. Kuzmenko | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 13:30 | 1:54 | --:-- | 0 |
Defence
| # | Defense | GP | G | A | P | P | +/- | S | PIM | PIM | SOG | HITS | BLKS | GVA | TKA | FO% | TOI | PP TOI | SH TOI | PP | GW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | J. Rathbone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14:06 | 0:56 | --:-- | 0 | ||||
| 17 | F. Hronek | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22:07 | 2:19 | 3:05 | 0 | ||||
| 43 | Q. Hughes | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25:19 | 3:17 | 2:25 | 0 | ||||
| 44 | K. Burroughs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18:19 | --:-- | 2:05 | 0 | ||||
| 57 | T. Myers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 20:06 | --:-- | 3:17 | 0 | ||||
| 74 | E. Bear | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18:39 | 0:05 | 1:12 | 0 |
Deals deals another defeat to his old team
| # | Goalies | GP | REC | GA | SV | SA | S | EV | PP | SH | SAVE-SHOTS | SV% | PIM | TOI | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | C. Delia | -- | 29 | 31 | 24–25 | 5–5 | 0–1 | 29–31 | .935 | 0 | 60:00 |
WINDY ROAD PRESSING OFF
Deals is back and making the Fawkers pay. Again.
New kid, Aidan McDonough almost got a greasy goal on his NHL debut. He was pretty pumped. Ah... youth...
TuffTok toks about tough Josh whose clean hit set the scene for Pete's 1st GWG.
Another road game against a western conference team, another win. Nucks now 10-2-0 in their last 12 games. And worse have slipped to 23rd in Bedard Follies. Some are hoping, nay, praying they slip to 16th. However, others were content with a lock on 25th. Not to be.
Do we care?
Let's find out.
