Post-Game Talk: GAME #18 - Red Wings def. Canucks - 8-3 - Ouch.

[PG Canuck]

Season is still young folks, even if it is a shortened season. Lots of time to figure out what's wrong, and fix it. We're not going to lose our division anytime soon, and at this point in time, with this core, figuring out the things in need of fixing is more important than pushing hard for another President's Trophy, IMO; although, it would be nice to win it again to have on a possible Cup run.

Key players still need game action in order to be effective. Kesler, Booth, and Garrison are key cogs to this team that need time, and to see them being criticized after only a handful of games boggles my mind. Of course we expect better from them, but you have to understand their situation(s).

No need to panic, although it does hurt to lose this way. How this team comes out against Phoenix next game will be a good judgement of character for me. Let's see if they have taken anything away from this beating to improve their overall play, determination among other things ala against Chicago a year or two ago.

 

[Edo]

You may be content with it, this team can play better, although withholding judgement on the team and individual players until Kesler and Booth are back 100% and we get at least a half season under our belt

You're expecting this team to somehow play at a 130-140 point pace. It's impossible. We've learned watching this team that the record you end with is irrelevant, and what matters is how you play into April.

There's realistic, and then there's unrealistic. Vancouver have been phenomenal if you take everything into consideration. Things should trend upwards.

 

[Pip]

You're expecting this team to somehow play at a 130-140 point pace. It's impossible. We've learned watching this team that the record you end with is irrelevant, and what matters is how you play into April.

There's realistic, and then there's unrealistic. Vancouver have been phenomenal if you take everything into consideration. Things should trend upwards.

because you think things should trend upwards means we aren't playing at our best. I agree that we will improve in the future once everyone is back in the swing of things, we just need to remember that our points are slightly inflated by our division.

 

[Wilch]

People acting like we just lost game 6 of a playoff series making it 3-3 need to stop pissing their pants and smoke some weed.

 

[Treefingers]

We'll be fine. We lost to the Ducks 7-3 and then beat them 5-0. ****** games happen.

 

[PG Canuck]

People acting like we just lost game 6 of a playoff series making it 3-3 need to stop pissing their pants and smoke some weed.

I like your advice, but majority of Canucks fans live in BC, I don't think you need to tell them to smoke anything.

 

[LiquidSnake]

We've won games we shouldnt have and lost some we shouldnt have.

The team hasnt played a complete game yet and I think they'll round into form eventually.

 

[Hal 9000*]

I just don't know if I've seen reffing this bad - and consistently bad. The 2 kassian penalties and the Weise penalty were bogus. After that the damage was done and the Canucks had no real chance.

 

[WinterEmpire]

We've won games we shouldnt have and lost some we shouldnt have.

The team hasnt played a complete game yet and I think they'll round into form eventually.

Except this has been the status quo since the Boston game last year. Team fails to put together a consistent effort, still manages to win most games, and everybody believes it's just a matter of time.

That time where they finally put it together again never came, and still hasn't come. Worrying trend to say the least.

 

[mrmyheadhurts]

Detroit was gifted a ton of goals today. Refs, bounces, poor goaltending. It was just one of those games where anything that could go wrong did. Liked their first and most of the second. The score flatters the Wings emmensely.

 

[WinterEmpire]

Detroit was gifted a ton of goals today. Refs, bounces, poor goaltending. It was just one of those games where anything that could go wrong did. Liked their first and most of the second. The score flatters the Wings emmensely.

What exactly was there to like about the second? Most of it was a mess outside the bad officiating. 2 shots, couldn't establish an offensive game, and defense was playing soft and giving the Red Wings grade A scoring chances.

I thought the third was good until the soft goal.

 

[mrmyheadhurts]

What exactly was there to like about the second? Most of it was a mess outside the bad officiating. 2 shots, couldn't establish an offensive game, and defense was playing soft and giving the Red Wings grade A scoring chances.

I thought the third was good until the soft goal.

It wasn't until that phantom penalty on Weise that things really got stupid.

 

[serge2k]

You're expecting this team to somehow play at a 130-140 point pace. It's impossible. We've learned watching this team that the record you end with is irrelevant, and what matters is how you play into April.

There's realistic, and then there's unrealistic. Vancouver have been phenomenal if you take everything into consideration. Things should trend upwards.

Pretty odd statement considering that the only seaosn they have looked anything like a cup contender in the playoffs is when they dominated in the regular season.

Vancouver has been quite garbage if you take into consideration anything but the points. Well okay, that's unfair. They started fine. Since Kesler came back they have been horrendous.

Taking large stretches of games off, constantly blowing leads, lousy special teams, can't win faceoffs, etc...

 

[serge2k]

We've won games we shouldnt have and lost some we shouldnt have.

The team hasnt played a complete game yet and I think they'll round into form eventually.

Just like last year right?

 

[Smokey McCanucks]

This loss doesn't bother me, it was a tough situation to start with going into Detroit all tired and at the end of a hard road trip, and bad officiating and bad bounces were the story.

What bothers me is all the sky-is-falling commentary from the team's supposed "fans," I swear you people root for the team to fail, bad games happen. You are not entitled to a win in every game no matter the situation, no team can do that. You negative fools will never be satisfied, you would have talked ***** about the 76-77 Habs. You're the sort of people who booed the 72 Summit team. We shouldn't let you call yourselves Canucks fans, your negativity is what caused us to lose last year and you best knock it off before you do it again.

If you are a fan of this team, then get behind this team and SUPPORT them instead of tearing them down every time the smallest opportunity presents itself. Don't be a damned disgrace.

 

[serge2k]

This loss doesn't bother me, it was a tough situation to start with going into Detroit all tired and at the end of a hard road trip, and bad officiating and bad bounces were the story.

What bothers me is all the sky-is-falling commentary from the team's supposed "fans," I swear you people root for the team to fail, bad games happen. You are not entitled to a win in every game no matter the situation, no team can do that. You negative fools will never be satisfied, you would have talked ***** about the 76-77 Habs. You're the sort of people who booed the 72 Summit team. We shouldn't let you call yourselves Canucks fans, your negativity is what caused us to lose last year and you best knock it off before you do it again.

If you are a fan of this team, then get behind this team and SUPPORT them instead of tearing them down every time the smallest opportunity presents itself. Don't be a damned disgrace.

They will have my support when they consistently put in a solid effort.

This team is supposed to be a cup contender, they have yet to play it. They pretty much embarrassed themselves last year.

Oh wait, that was the fans fault. Sure.

 

[Edo]

Pretty odd statement considering that the only seaosn they have looked anything like a cup contender in the playoffs is when they dominated in the regular season.

Vancouver has been quite garbage if you take into consideration anything but the points. Well okay, that's unfair. They started fine. Since Kesler came back they have been horrendous.

Taking large stretches of games off, constantly blowing leads, lousy special teams, can't win faceoffs, etc...

It's impossible to really understand the players mentality, but as a fan, after watching the past 2 seasons, everything until April is formality. And I have to think that the team has a similar mindset. A few years ago, it would've taken me weeks to shrug off an 8-3 loss to Detroit. Now, not even half a day.

Only thing that worries me is AV not being loose enough to try out different combinations and pairings.

 

[serge2k]

It's impossible to really understand the players mentality, but as a fan, after watching the past 2 seasons, everything until April is formality. And I have to think that the team has a similar mindset. A few years ago, it would've taken me weeks to shrug off an 8-3 loss to Detroit. Now, not even half a day.

Only thing that worries me is AV not being loose enough to try out different combinations and pairings.

Because that worked out so well last year.

If they don't get it together they will be out early again.

 

[Pip]

Because that worked out so well last year.

If they don't get it together they will be out early again.

This is my concern as well, coasting into the playoffs rarely gets you anywhere imo, it's ridiculously hard to just "put it all together" come playoff time.

 

[me2]

This is my concern as well, coasting into the playoffs rarely gets you anywhere imo, it's ridiculously hard to just "put it all together" come playoff time.

The team isn't coasting.

 

[StringerBell]

It doesn't both me if they don't put in their best effort in a game like tonight, or at the start of the season in general really. However it did bother the piss outta me last year when they didn't seem to care about those games down the stretch. Sure they racked up points, but you could tell they were saving the passion for the playoffs. By that time of the year the games mean more than just sticking to the process and collecting the two (meaningless) points.

When it comes to the last 10 or so games of the year you have to be playing angry already. Playing with passion, intensity and playing to beat teams down, not just collect points. If you don't go into the playoffs playing that kind of hockey and you meet a team that is, well, we saw how that worked out last year.

 

[Pip]

The team isn't coasting.

no we have not, but we haven't exactly played great against better competition this year, i was more referring to last year and that a "wait until the playoffs" mentality isn't typically good. I'm fine with how we are playing now because i expect us to get better before the end of the season. As StringerBell put above me, i dont want out play at the end of the year to resemble this.

 

[Smokey McCanucks]

They will have my support when they consistently put in a solid effort.

This team is supposed to be a cup contender, they have yet to play it. They pretty much embarrassed themselves last year.

Oh wait, that was the fans fault. Sure.

It WAS the fans' fault, I knew it as soon as I saw the folks in GM Place booing Luongo and cheering when he got pulled in that meaningless game against Anaheim, after we'd already clinched first overall. You clinched first overall and boo your starting goalie, that's the attitude our fans have, it's disgraceful! Soon as I saw that I knew we would be out in the first round, can't win with that sort of thing going on, the negativity, the black cloud, the cursed atmosphere, it was fanbase negativity and failure to deal with losing in the Finals in a psychologically healthy way, that was what caused it, we offended the hockey gods. Instead of treating the loss to Boston as a preliminary, provisional success, a step in the right direction, another obstacle overcome, too many of us have let it get into our heads and it is affecting the atmosphere surrounding this team. Get some positive thinking and proper fandom into your brains and stop dragging it all down.

You ever hear the phrase, "circle the wagons"? We have a lot of enemies out there, lot of people who can't stand the Canucks, y'all can't tell me you haven't noticed it. Now how are we supposed to defeat all those external enemies, when our own ranks are filled with malcontents, naysayers and straight-up traitors? Ripping on the team in the circumstances of the past five or so years is giving comfort to the enemy and cannot, must not be tolerated. Anybody who is not going to pull on their oar properly needs to be thrown overboard. THAT is how the Canucks will win.

 

[Pip]

^

I agree, but there needs to be a line drawn between classless fan behavior and criticism, the later being more than acceptable.

 

[JuniorNelson]

I do not think the Canucks were outcoached.

I do not think goaltending was a major issue.

I think Bieksa is a key guy, too important, maybe.

I think everybody knew the Canucks would have nights like this over the course of the season. Perhaps this type of game will illustrate to team management what pieces are missing for this team to have success? By this team, I mean the actual on ice team, not the theoretical design made up in the off-season.

I think the Canucks need to add two or three guys. I'd like Gillis to trade FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS for Florida Panthers. It's obvious that Luongo would be the return, perhaps even with other guys. Florida has a lessening chance of a post season, so they might consider this.