30th placed team playing their 2nd of a B-2-B make the Nucks look like 25th ranked one.

Good news! The Nucks PP Scored! Twice! In a single game! Against the 2nd worst PK in the league.

1st Period

Nucks 1st power play in the 1st period scored 1st. Probably their best PP deployment of the game.

Nucks 2nd PP of the 1st wasn't nearly as wonderful. Also the 1st and last time Pete took a shot on net.

Nucks PK was perfect on their single outing. 1-0 Nucks after 1 and lunch is still being served.

2nd Period

Nucks 'n Ducks trade PPs and PKs early and no harm or affront to our delicate goaling sensibilities.

Until Silferfish takes a tripping call and the Nucks 1st unit goes to work. And gets no results. But, the 2nd unit gets to the paint and Josh 'Sick Hands' scores a between-the-legs shot. 2-0 Nucks.

Saint Soucy takes the last penalty of the period and game threaders are noticing the Nucks are dipping into their traditional 2nd period dip.

Nucks starting to chase the game a bit. Don’t like our chance to kill the pen here.

Rob

No worries, because Josh is back on the PK. Nucks lead 2-0 after 2. As one would expect when the 1st placed team in the division plays the 2nd worst.

Silovs is looking good with two thirds of the SO on the books.

2nd string goalie controversy?

Rob

3rd Period

However... the actual 2nd period dip was saved for the 3rd. Just a few minutes in Ducks enter the zone with a basic drop pass and floating shot that floated past Silvos since Ronnie was blocking the sight lines of the shot, but not blocking the puck. 2-1 Nucks.

A minute later while the Nucks were having a saggy moment, or a big sag as all 5 Nucking players are hypnotized watching the puck carried around the net by a Duck. Not making it up.

McT, who is the McD of SoCal, is left alone, unchecked and definitely unwanted, scores. It's 2-2 Nucks 'n Ducks. Which is as close to a tie as we ever want to see in the ROG on a Sunday afternoon.

How's our goalie ?

'82wino

Was a Vezina candidate through 40. Now just another bum.

Rob

Ducks have 2 even-strength goals and Nucks have none. Some kinda hockey harmonic balance?

So we can‘t score power play goals AND 5 on 5 in the same game?

elpresidente

Worse, Juuls takes a penalty in the O-zone late. Zav must have been grinding his popcorn. However, while the Nucks can't score 5-on-5, Ducks can't score 5-on-4. No worries.

But, do we really want to watch the Ducks in OT in the ROG?

No, we do not. And neither do Gnarland and Josh. Gnarly wins the puck battle behind the Ducking net and passes it out front to Josh who is in position to score the GWG. And does.

Nucks hang on to beat Ducks 3-2 for the final home game of March. Woooo!

Well, I just got home and missed the whole game.
Had no idea that a home game can be matinee...

Atty

Nucks have hit the ton - 100 points - for the 1st time since 2015. Jeez... that feels like almost a decade wandering aimlessly on the fringes.

OBSERVATIONS

A win is a win - especially since this was a MUST-WIN to keep the Oil from stealing 1st in the division. However, would have been better to light up the Ducks like the McOil did on Saturday.

PETE WATCH - Putting Gnarland and Josh with Miller seemed like a good thing in this game. Putting Brock with Pete to get Pete going... well... not so much. Pete had 1 shot on goal. From the 2nd PP in the 1st period. In March, in 12 games, Pete has 9 points. Not quite elite Alien level. Don't know if it's a nagging injury or nagging confidence issues or Taco is running out of wingers to try to get Pete going before Round One gets going.

LAST ROG REEL OF MARCH

Shortie and Dave are in fine afternoon form. Other than their 3rd period dip.

GAME STATS

SHOTS

PLAYER POINTS

On Nucks D, only Soucy and Myers were Plus +1 in the game. All others were Minus -1. Resign Myers ASAP?

TACO TALK

Taco didn't want to dwell on the 3rd period sag... so he botox'd the presser, but with some cautionary words.

“You can enjoy it for a moment, but we've really got to work on our game. I congratulated the players today; I thought they did a hell of a job this year to get us to this situation. But now, it's go time. Now we need some guys to find their game. Our team's got to find our game. So that's the next thing.”

Can watch Taco's greying beard turn another shade of gray at NHL.COM

The home marathon portion of the season is over. Nucks finish with a 5-3-1 record, which is pretty good all things considered. Other than they lost to all the 'good' teams but Winni. What does that mean?

It means for the 1st time in a month, Nucks are going out on the road for some Back-2-Back action. Tuesday play the sinners in sin city and desert dogs in Dog Mullet arena on Wednesday. Both are MUST WIN games. In regulation, because 1st place in the division reasons.

How hopeful/realistic are we with less than 10 games to go in the reg? Let's find out.