Around the League Thread | Conference Final Edition | We Are All Kevin Bieksa

[I am toxic]

Canucks season was massively successful - up until game 6 of the second round.

Watching game 6, and the first two periods of game 7, was a massive disappointment, and a failure by the Canucks. They couldn't return possession of the puck to the oil fast enough, and had no forecheck pressure. The former is on the players, the latter is on the coaching.

Season was a success no matter how you slice it, however this playoffs was a once in twenty year situation where the pathway to the finals was there, and the team pissed it away in the last two games.

The third period of game 7 was too little too late and should just piss people off even more - play the first period of either game 6 or 7 that way and the oil collapse and the Canucks are in the conference final. Playing the third period that way made it seem close, but it wasn't, the oil just rope a doped it knowing time would run out. I hate that shit.

 

[mossey3535]

Yeah, I’m not on the train of “we got beaten by the better team”. I’m pleased with how our season went, but still feel that series was winnable (I think both can be true). That we took it to 7 games and lost by a goal without Demko, and with Pettersson playing like a ghost of himself, just strengthens that for me. If Petey was on, we take that. Hell, we almost did without him and with Boeser being unavailable for Game 7.

Now that said - I have to give the Oilers some props for their unexpectedly solid defensive game. Their PK has tightened up, and their team D has been strong enough to overcome the presence and mistakes of guys like Darnell Nurse back there. You win a Cup off the backs of a number of guys reaching the high water marks of their careers, and there’s a bunch of guys up and down that roster doing just that.

I still think their goaltending isn’t good enough to win a Championship - but the playoffs are such a crap shoot, and so dependent on good luck with injuries, too. I’m surprised at how poor Dallas has looked in this series after solid showings against Vegas and Colorado, though.

Dallas might be out of gas. Getting LA in the 1st round was ideal for them and a much easier matchup than either of Dallas' 1st round matchups. Dallas basically had to face Eichel/Stone/THeodore; Mackinnon/Raantanen/Makar; and now McDavid/Draisaitl/Bouchard(I guess).

Again, I can't count out the fact that this happens to DeBoer OVER AND OVER again. At some point to be a great coach you have to figure out how to adapt. This is not some defensive system the Oilers have been using all year, or even in most of the previous rounds. They're collapsing to the net and trying to block everything on one end and pressuring a ton on the other end. I will give them that their PK is pretty ballsy in terms of 3 man fencing and pressure but it's also fairly high risk. If we, or Dallas, had our wits about us and the right coaching, the Oiler's defensive formation isn't particularly sound. If someone would just push on it, it will break. Dallas even woke up for about 4 minutes last night and showed that but it was too little too late.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

Canucks season was massively successful - up until game 6 of the second round.

Watching game 6, and the first two periods of game 7, was a massive disappointment, and a failure by the Canucks. They couldn't return possession of the puck to the oil fast enough, and had no forecheck pressure. The former is on the players, the latter is on the coaching.

Season was a success no matter how you slice it, however this playoffs was a once in twenty year situation where the pathway to the finals was there, and the team pissed it away in the last two games.

The third period of game 7 was too little too late and should just piss people off even more - play the first period of either game 6 or 7 that way and the oil collapse and the Canucks are in the conference final. Playing the third period that way made it seem close, but it wasn't, the oil just rope a doped it knowing time would run out. I hate that shit.

I still maintain that the team didn't piss away anything. They gutted out a 3-2 series lead despite being totally devoid of energy but eventually succumb to injuries and a lack of depth causing excessive fatigue. Soucy's bullshit suspension compounded matters as well. It was very similar to what occured in 2011 when that team ran out of gas and no amount of effort was going to change the inevitable outcome.

Edmonton was just better 5 v 5 and were superior on special teams. They are simply a better team that has that extra gear and killer instinct.

Vancouver will have to pace themselves over the 82 game season and will have to learn to do so in the playoffs.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

I still maintain that the team didn't piss away anything. They gutted out a 3-2 series lead despite being totally devoid of energy but eventually succumb to injuries and a lack of depth causing excessive fatigue. Soucy's bullshit suspension compounded matters as well. It was very similar to what occured in 2011 when that team ran out of gas and no amount of effort was going to change the inevitable outcome.

Edmonton was just better 5 v 5 and were superior on special teams. They are simply a better team that has that extra gear and killer instinct.

Vancouver will have to pace themselves over the 82 game season and will have to learn to do so in the playoffs.

You kind of nailed the other X-Factor that worked against the Canucks. While their PK ended up doing some solid work, the fizzling of the PP through the entire second half of the season and into the playoffs created massive problems to overcome.

That should be the biggest coaching / development focus heading into next season.

 

[Tact]

Even though the Canucks looked gassed and got outplayed in game 6 and 2 periods of game 7 - I still firmly believe it Demko was available from game 1, we would have won the series. It’s not a knock on Silovs, but when Demko goes into his mode, he steals a game or two just by himself.

What was Silovs save % anyways for the Oilers series alone?

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

Even though the Canucks looked gassed and got outplayed in game 6 and 2 periods of game 7 - I still firmly believe it Demko was available from game 1, we would have won the series. It’s not a knock on Silovs, but when Demko goes into his mode, he steals a game or two just by himself.

What was Silovs save % anyways for the Oilers series alone?

3.43 GAA and .882 SV%

It's not the worst for a third stringer but yeah, we would be collectively shitting on Demko if he put up those numbers.

 

[Tact]

3.43 GAA and .882 SV%

It's not the worst for a third stringer but yeah, we would be collectively shitting on Demko if he put up those numbers.

So imagine if we had .915%+ goaltending from Demko since game 1

 

[VanJack]

Congrats to Kevin Bieksa for winning a Canadian Screen Award as the best sports analyst for 2024, for his work on HNIC. His analyses are now 'must watch TV' during hockey season.

Looking back, what a group of 'leaders' and outstanding contributors to the sport were featured on those 2010-12 Canuck teams. The likes of Bieksa, the Sedins, Luongo, Burrows, Kesler and Schneider, among others.

Way may never see the likes of them in Vancouver again.....what a crying shame they never had a Cup to show for those years.

 

[Egghead1999]

when FLA wins SC, I want them to win on home ice and the fans to fill the rink with rats.

 

[SelltheTeamFrancesco]

Don't forget ROR won cup after leaving Sabres, Eichel won cup after leaving, Reinhart next?

Casey Mittelstadt next?

 

[Peen]

Trouba with a Juulsen play

 

[Zanon]

So imagine if we had .915%+ goaltending from Demko since game 1

Oilers absolutely 100% benefited from Demko being out. Demko is one of the Canucks’ game-breakers like McDavid and Draisaitl are for the Oilers. He makes saves that Silovs doesn’t. No shame in having a star goaltender who can steal games.

 

[Blue and Green]

Trouba with a Juulsen play

At 10x the cost. Always enjoy watching that cheap shot artist get turnstiled and it's been happening a lot this season; Rangers' fans want him gone.

 

[ghostingtaro]

i still cant believe we traded forsling for clendening

 

[Orr4Norris]

Oilers absolutely 100% benefited from Demko being out. Demko is one of the Canucks’ game-breakers like McDavid and Draisaitl are for the Oilers. He makes saves that Silovs doesn’t. No shame in having a star goaltender who can steal games.

It’s not just how Demko plays either, the Canucks play better offensively with him in net. Period.

 

[CanucksSayEh]

Demko has injuries every season. It's on coaches and management to have some ways to outscore a very predictable, and likely, problem.

Canucks were more 'lucky' that Silovs was pretty good, more so than 'unlucky' that Demko was injured again.

 

[Baby Pettersson]

i still cant believe we traded forsling for clendening

We had Benning as a GM. I can totally believe it lol!

 

[JT Milker]

Wasn’t even close to his worst move. Man was unbelievably terrible.

 

[Breakers]

Trouba is so bad

Guy is out here chasing hits costing his team every shift, like tonight on the Florida goal

Such a bad defenceman

 

[PG Canuck]

It’s the year of the Cat

 

[DarrenX]

2-0 Panthers halfway through the third, that should do it.

 

[EpochLink]

Florida is legit, last year run was no fluke.

 

[I am toxic]

I still maintain that the team didn't piss away anything. They gutted out a 3-2 series lead despite being totally devoid of energy but eventually succumb to injuries and a lack of depth causing excessive fatigue. Soucy's bullshit suspension compounded matters as well. It was very similar to what occured in 2011 when that team ran out of gas and no amount of effort was going to change the inevitable outcome.

Edmonton was just better 5 v 5 and were superior on special teams. They are simply a better team that has that extra gear and killer instinct.

Vancouver will have to pace themselves over the 82 game season and will have to learn to do so in the playoffs.

Disagree with the bolded.

The 2011 team didn't run out of gas, they got injured. The two biggest things was Manny going down after the TDL (forcing Kes and Hank to be overplayed in the post season) and Hammer deciding to hip check who was it, Lucic, in game 2.

All the other injuries were unfortunate, but could have been overcome but for those two. It didn't help that AV didn't appreciate how to deal with Thomas(battle-fly)/Chara combo.

This time round, running out of gas in games 6 and 7 is easily a function of giving the puck away, and indirectly the lack of forecheck. As I already stated, play like they did in the third period of game 7 in the first period of game 6, and they take it. Even in the first period of game 7. There was enough gas in the tank, they hit the brakes instead of keeping the pedal to the metal.

Opportunities to get to the SCF as easily as this year only happen once every couple decades. 2023 Knights? forget it. 2022 Avs? Forget it. The window was now, and all the other teams in the West were beatable.

 

[Green Blank Stare]

I will be disgusted if OEL wins a Cup after the way he dogged it here. Definitely pulling for Edmonton or Dallas in the Finals.

 

[Nuckles]

I will be disgusted if OEL wins a Cup after the way he dogged it here. Definitely pulling for Edmonton or Dallas in the Finals.

>Your Canucks fan membership has been revoked