THIS IS WHY WE DON'T LOVE HOME HOCKEY
One freaking win at home this season. But many loser points, so that's not so bad.
4 Consecutive Game Win Streak is Over. Dammit.
Nucks (almost) win playing one great period of hockey. Imagine what they could do if they played great for 2 periods! Or even 3! Ok, that's too big a dream for the ROG, but still...
Canes are a better team than the Pens. And for nearly 2 periods, a better team than the Nucks.
As is tradition on the 2nd home game after a great road trip, Nucks don't get the 1st goal of the game. Canes do.
Brutal start...Carolina has the middle clogged up and that leads to too many chances and a goal
Westy
But Huggie springs Millsie who sprang Brock for his 5th goal of the season. 1-1 tie.
And then Bains gets his 2nd NHL goal in consecutive games!
Wooo! Feel the Bains, Canes!
jimmi
But the Canes protest and the goal is called back by Suter being offside on the play... wasn't that off... but whatever.
And because the Nucks and their homegrown players can't catch a break or make a decent play, the Cat 4 Hurricane speed stuffs another one past Lanky. It's not fair. To be fair, every Nucking player on the ice made a mistake on the play. Team work!
2-1 Canes after 1.
In the 2nd, you'd think the Nucks would put up another 4 goals and coast thru. But, you'd be wrong.
Instead, Nucks in the O-zone blow their coverage and the Hurricanes howl up the ice and score.
Nucks push back a bit late in the period, but it's 3-1 Canes after 2,
Just when we in the gamethread, or maybe it was just me in the gamethread... anyways, one of us knew the Nucks had better get better getting through center and getting the puck into the O-zone. And did.
Ronnie made a great pass up ice, JT drives into the zone, drops for Bess, who sets up Huggie for a point blast while (still scoreless as a Canuck) DeBrusk screens. Wooo! Nucks score!
The ice, the ROG, the energy going Nuckwardingly. And finally after some Nucking shots that almost scored, Sprong sprung Suits for the (almost) winning goal!
Nucks comeback from 2 meh periods to pick up a loooooser point. Coulda had another point if they'd won the opening OT draw and got some puck possession, but they didn't.
Cane win 4-3 in OT. Dammit.
OBSERVATIONS
The Nuck PP went zero for 3. Canes PK was too aggressive for the same, same Nucking puck entry and losing the puck. Nucks need to create a different way to gain the zone, because the same system they've used for ummm.... years isn't working. The lame drop pass (particularly lame tonight) and the short pass just inside the blueline isn't working anymore, because every team has seen it before. For hundreds of games.
Fortunately, the Nucks PK went 3 for 3, otherwise the Nucks would have lost the game. In regulation. Nucks killed 41 high danger seconds of 3-on-5 that saved the game. Or at least a loser point.
1st Canucks star was Lanky. Without him playing out his mind, Canes would have carried a 5 goal advantage into the 3rd. We're so lucky that PA got so lucky.
Pete and his line weren't looking sharp. Post game, Taco complained about Hogz, Gnarly complained about Garland. We note that Blueger got more shifts than Pete. Pete's lingering knee injury sure is lingering longer and longer.
Huggie's shot is getting hotter. One of the hardest in the league. He's the Nucks best player. Wish we could give him a $92M contract right now and something recover something.
Deyhs didn't have a good game. Got turnstiled (more than once) and Lanky bailed him out. Or not.
Anything else? Yes!
Damn Nucking PP.
Video Replay
Shortie and Dave are in the booth and saying things to boost morale..
GAME STATS
PLAYER POINTS (so many quick goals)
PLAYERS 'N TACO TALK
Nucks leading scorer, leads the presser.
(Goaless) DeBrusk explains his game and just putting one in the net to shut us up.
JT talks about when the game starts and stuff.
Huggie makes a couple more points in the presser.
Nucks best player, talks about fitting in with the other Nuckles.
Taco Talks Tough about not being ready to play the Canes. And lessons. And learning them.
Big home not quite win. Spicy 2nd 3rd period. Got the ROG rocking. Would have been rocking more with Bain keeping his 2nd NHL goal and making the comeback complete with a comeback win.
The home stand gets a little tougher - or a lot tougher, on Wednesday. Huggie's brothers are in the ROG to share sibling rivalry on ice. A rivalry Nucks need to win, because a single home win in nearly 10 games isn't enough wins.
