Post-Game Talk: Game #25: Blackhawks 2, Canucks 1 - Six goals? Nah, one goal will do fine...

[Nucker101]

Too much grind not enough skill.

Grinders:

Richardson
Hansen
Santorelli
Kassian
Welsh
Weise

Some of that is mixing into the top and overpowering the skilled players like the Sedins, Kesler, Burrows and Higgins. Booth is useless. This is what you are going to expect from a team.

I'd say even calling Higgins a skill player is a stretch, he works his ass off and grinds along the boards to create scoring chances. This team lacks a transition offense and don't have players that can create high scoring chances off of the rush.

 

[MarkusNaslund19]

Someone with Markus Naslund in his name talking about fragility

Nice strawman. But I'll bite.

Nazzy is criminally underrated in these parts. He was arguably the best winger in the entire NHL for 2 or 3 years. He basically carried our team during the west coast express years, but he was what he was. A non-physical offensive winger. It wasn't his fault that he had no support. It's like Toronto's flawed idea of building around Kessel. If your best player (by far) is a small winger, you're not going to win any cups.

The fact that we were such a good team while built around Nazzy is a real testament to him.

 

[NuxFan09]

Tonight Crawford did for Chicago what Luongo does for us. Win games with 2 or more goals of offensive support. I don't see what your point is...

Both Semyon Varlamov and James Reimer won games today with 1 goal worth of support. Reimer had to make 49 saves to get the win. Varlamov only had to stop 19 but still got the shutout in OT.

My point is, while Luongo isn't responsible for winning every game in which the Canucks score 1 goal worth of offense for him, is it too much to ask him to win one or two of those? If he's as great as you seem to think he still is, should we not hold him to that kind of standard? Or is Luongo the best goalie in the world who isn't expected to - or can't - win games 1-0 or 2-1 in OT/SO?

 

[opendoor]

Crawford hasn't won a game this year with less than 2 goals of offensive support either....

No, but he has kept the opposition to fewer than 2 GF 7 times in 20 starts, ensuring his team at least a point if the manage a goal in those games.

 

[Vankiller Whale]

Hey Canucks, I'm dropping by with a question.

How would you grade Torts thus far?

Torts has been great. We're outplaying teams more often than not, but he can't stop our entire team from being unable to finish their chances in the offensive zone. Our issue right now is a personnel problem, not a coaching problem.

 

[Wetcoaster]

Hey Canucks, I'm dropping by with a question.

How would you grade Torts thus far?

Personally I would expel him.

 

[John Bender*]

Ahead of Sergei "Vezina" Bobrovsky, Jonathan "Conn Smythe" Quick, and tied with Martin "Beat Schneider for the starting job" Brodeur.

Sv% this early in the season means jack.

It does when it's been a trend for years now and when the subject does not have a track record of recent massively successful seasons.

 

[Rotting Corpse*]

Yes, the PP is a definite factor here. They can play a controlled, methodical game at ES if their PP further pressure opponents. So far, it has done anything but.

A 29th ranked PP is leading to perceptions of a weak offense when a few games ago they Ranked 11th in ES offense. The PP needs to be fixed.

Yes and no. The PP Stinks but:

1) Tonight was the 3rd time in the last 5(?) games where we were shut out even strength.

2) The PP is simply another symptom of the same problem, lack of offensive talent among our forwards.

 

[NonBruinHatingCanuck]

The only thing positive about this team is Horvat and Shinkaruk.

thats about the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

Vancouver fans are terrible Can't handle this pessimism feels like were on an Oiler forum

 

[Virtanen2Horvat]

I'd say even calling Higgins a skill player is a stretch, he works his ass off and grinds along the boards to create scoring chances. This team lacks a transition offense and don't have players that can create high scoring chances off of the rush.

Yeah I was thinking of Higgins of being a grinder and I know he is a 3rd liner in my view.

 

[RexHell44]

I'd say even calling Higgins a skill player is a stretch, he works his ass off and grinds along the boards to create scoring chances. This team lacks a transition offense and don't have players that can create high scoring chances off of the rush.

I'd say hansen and santorelli have more skill compared to higgins. Higgins creates scoring chances but can't bury any goals in the net other than lucky rebounds

 

[John Bender*]

thats about the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

Vancouver fans are terrible Can't handle this pessimism feels like were on an Oiler forum

How would you know about Oiler forums?

 

[Rotting Corpse*]

Hey Canucks, I'm dropping by with a question.

How would you grade Torts thus far?

Deck chairs, Titanic.

 

[Vankiller Whale]

It does when it's been a trend for years now and when the subject does not have a track record of recent massively successful seasons.

If by "years" you mean a 20 game sample size as a backup for last season, then sure.

 

[Squall]

You STILL fail to see the freaking point. Nobody is saying that Luongo is the problem with this team. People are just waiting for him to steal a game or two, like Crawford did for the Blackhawks tonight, or Reimer did for the Leafs tonight stopping 49 of 50.

You always feel the need to defend Luongo with your life instead of admitting "Yeah, it would be nice if one of these 2-1 losses would swing our way because Luongo was the one who let in 1 instead of 2".

Everyone (or most people here) sees that the main issue with this team is the offense. Luongo is not a problem, per se. We're just looking for Luongo to swing one of these low scoring games in our favour instead of making excuses for him EVERY TIME.

I agree to an extent. But if the goalie isn't the main issue, then why are you arguing about it? Yes, Lu should steal us a game once in a while, but that just proves how bad our offense is.

Our offense is so bad that we're here waiting for the goalie to win us games. We're literally saying "Hey Lu, steal us a game would ya?" Seriously. It's a terrible philosophy to rely on your last pure defensive player to give you wins.

Wouldn't it be better if we were hoping for more scoring from the team and then have the goalie come in as an afterthought?

 

[y2kcanucks]

What does Roberto Luongo have in common with Tuukka Rask, Carey Price, Henrik Lundqvist, Cory Schneider this season?

Answer: None of them have a single win in a game where their teams have scored fewer than 2 goals.

What people are expecting Luongo to do, is more than these other goalies are being asked to do.

 

[Hammer79]

Hey Canucks, I'm dropping by with a question.

How would you grade Torts thus far?

B+

Well behaved with the media. Honest, answers questions, doesn't obfuscate like AV did.

PP has been an issue, but PK is rock solid. Players seem to respond well to him. I'm happy with his hiring so far.

 

[John Bender*]

If by "years" you mean a 20 game sample size as a backup for last season, then sure.

No, I was more referring to how his play became so average, he was relegated to being a backup.

That's what I mean by years.

 

[y2kcanucks]

Personally I would expel him.

Not sure why. I think Tortorella has done a good job with the shockingly poor talent up front he's been given.

 

[VanillaCoke]

Torts has been great. We're outplaying teams more often than not, but he can't stop our entire team from being unable to finish their chances in the offensive zone. Our issue right now is a personnel problem, not a coaching problem.

Yep. Different coach same issues means the coach isn't the problem.

 

[John Bender*]

What does Roberto Luongo have in common with Tuukka Rask, Carey Price, Henrik Lundqvist, Cory Schneider this season?

Answer: None of them have a single win in a game where their teams have scored fewer than 2 goals.

What people are expecting Luongo to do, is more than these other goalies are being asked to do.

Can you provide me with Rask ad Lundqvist's save percentages over the last 3 seasons, and then Luongo's?

 

[NonBruinHatingCanuck]

How would you know about Oiler forums?

I Live In Northwestern Alberta and witnessing the implosion of the future dynasty has been a real pleasure. So I Take a Gander over there from time to time

 

[Wetcoaster]

Not sure why. I think Tortorella has done a good job with the shockingly poor talent up front he's been given.

It is unsurprising that you would think that.

 

[Bleach Clean]

Not all shots, saves, scoring chances are created equal. Looking at them as such seems silly to me.

I'm trying to remember one save Crawford had to make tonight that was as clear cut a chance as the winner. Was there one? I don't recall.

Please read the NHLnumbers article on shot quality. This will clear up a lot of misconceptions people have about scoring chances, and which are deemed to be "good enough".

Shot quality will variate, but not so much so as to bely true scoring chances among teams. And when it comes to scoring chances, the Canucks have done very well in this regard vs their opponents.

 

[John Bender*]

Not sure why. I think Tortorella has done a good job with the shockingly poor talent up front he's been given.

You're a riot, dude. Are you for real? Sometimes I wonder if those pundits on Fox News really believe what they are saying. When I read your posts, I have that same reaction. Are you doing it just for the sake of arguing, or do you actually truly believe what you are saying?