Stealovs Wins The Statement Shutout. We Get the Oil. WOOOOOOOO!!!

As ever... pretty much... this season, the Nucks won a MUST WIN Game!

Silovs is the 1st Nucks rookie goalie with a series clinching win in all of Nucking playoff history. Sure, the history isn't as frequent as hoped, but what a game! What a win!

Lowest scoring series in the 1st round. Nucks may have a record for the least shots in a series win. NM may have set a record for the least amount of liver damage in a 1st round tilt. Maybe.

Of course as per the stinge guidelines of this series, Nucks had to wait until last 2 minutes of the first second third period to get Smashville off the stinge card.

With that spoiler alert out of the way, here's how the game played, while we nibbled on our cuticles.

In the 1st, Nucks withstood the Preds pressure pretty well. Didn't get scored on.

Ooo starting with the lotto line...

Twitch

Not the remix we were looking for. However, by 2/3 of the period the Nucks are getting their chances.

oh man, another open net miss

El Presidente

2 Nucking shots on goal in 15 minutes... hmmm...

jimmi

1st ends with a 0-0 tie. On the road. That's not so bad. Game thread isn't stressing either.

I've said FFS at least 40 times now

Complete a play dammit

Perfect example

Huggie to Laff behind the net wide open and he flubs it

FFS

'82wino

Sometimes the pre-cogs in the game thread have a clear grasp of the future.

Not our game so far means we win.

El Presidente

In the 2nd, however, the not-our-Nucking game continues as Bess takes a high sticking penalty. And draws some Preds blood.

Canucks to the PK... for 4 minutes...

Twitch

Not did only the Nucks kill off the full 4 minutes of Predatory time, the best Nucking scoring chance of the period was from Pete shorthanded. Unfortunately, Sorrows still had both his hands. Pete's only shot on goal of the game. Stinge rules.

Remained a scoreless game. Not tensionless tho.

Cutting the tension with my forkin fork

'82wino

Then begins the moral fable part of the final Nucking game of the 1st round.

Sorros robs suter.

Twitch

The moral is of course, if you don't at first succeed, try and try and try again. But first... it's 0-0 after 2.

In the 3rd, the fabled moral story continues... which isn't helping gamethread morale.

Suter is cursed

Westy

Not just Suter, because we have a more cursed, more snakebit player. Miki had some great chances, but couldn't get off the snake.

Oh and more...

Suter robbed again.

Twitch

And then it's a for sure and for certain Nucking goal as Lindy is wide open in the slot. He won the last game in the birdcage arena in OT. However...

Good god lindholm...

Twitch

God wants no part of that

Westy

Lindy over-skates the puck. The 2nd Nucking player to do so on the play.

Only the Vancouver Canucks can have 2 players overskate a puck sitting in the slot to win a series

'82wino

About that series winning thing... and the happy moral resolution of our 1st round story.

WOOOO SUTERRRRR!!!!!

Twitch

The try, try, get frustrated and try again player is vindicated. Scores the game's 1st and only goal with but 1:39 to go. Nice no look pass from Bess. Woooooo!

Thank you Suter....that goal makes up for the 8000 shots you missed

Westy

That was a bit Peteys goal by jumping over the defender, to be fair. He needs that for the next series, where he has to be the surprise, not the 1.4 mio. goalscorer.

El Presidente

Nucks just have to play ironclad 5-on-6 defense for a little over a minute. Or do they?

Fucking refs

Westy

Lindy goes to the box in the last 32 seconds for shoving Nyquist, possibly a little too enthusiastically with his stick.

Now the iron clad Nucking defense have a lost an iron. It's 4-on-6 block everything, with your face if you have to time. Or...

I think Myers took a puck in the nuts right at the end there... Did you see him bent over heading to the celly???

Twitch

In a post game interview, Myers said he blocked the shot with his balls. That's why men have at least 2 of them.

The final shot into the wide open Nucking net... open above the Nucks forwards, D and Silovs covering the bottom half. Anyhow the final Preds shot was taken by Josi. Who shot it wide and high. We know what that feels like.

There was another shot taken by the Preds as the buzzer buzzed, but Stealovs stopped just in case the refs decided that 3rd periods in Nashville can be extended.

Nucks win 1-0! Close out the series! Wooooooooooooo!

And happily we don't have to watch a nail-biter game 7 in the ROG. Save something for the next round.

This reminds me of an interview with the great Pele, after his team (Brasil) won the world cup in 1970. When he was asked how he would describe his feelings right after the win, he said without hesitation:
"Relief, it's the best feeling in the world".

This game was nowhere near that important, but this is how I feel (as if anybody gives a shit). The Nucks had the most pressure this game. They HAD to win this one. When you are up two games and then lose two in a row, you start looking like a loser.

I am sure you guys remember. It's 2011. We are up two games against Boston. And then the shit hits the fan.

Atty

Gutsy win. Without the Nucks getting even one PP chance. Probably for the best.

SERIES WINNING REEL

Shortie 'n Dave are calling the final game of the series. Hopefully not their final game of the playoffs... but HNIC is always looking for ways to punish Nucks fans.

GAME STATS

PLAYER POINTS

TACO AND TEAM TALK!

"If you keep going to those spots, it'll happen... it happened for Suits." - Coach Taco

Šilovs and Suter embracing the winning presser.

Millsie grinding out the comments.

Pete trying to explain the win through a straw.

Capt'n Huggie showing captainy poise under presser.

Let's enjoy what the grindy grindy Nucks have done. Out-grinded a veteran grindy team over 6 long grinding games. Isn't playoff hockey fun?