Strange game. Was almost an exact reversal of the Nashville game - where we badly outplayed the Predators for 35 minutes and then lost - until the last 10 minutes got weird.
It's honestly almost hilarious, how this team only seems to win when they play worse hockey. Like, if you're the coach...what do you even say? They'll play 40 really good minutes and lose, repeatedly. Then basically dogf*** for 40 minutes, get a few breaks and win? The reinforcement isn't aligning with the effort. That's a tough thing to coach around.
- Podkolzin continues to struggle badly. Rough night despite both his linemates playing well. Mental mistakes keep happening. Hard to believe this is the same player who was breaking out at the end of last season.
Podkolzin's situation is even more confusing, considering he came into the preseason and even early part of the actual season looking like he was going to pick up right where he left off. Have to wonder if we have yet
another fragile "confidence" sort of player on our hands. He certainly seems to play his best hockey when he's on a roll and playing "loose". Seems like the more he "thinks", and the more he tries to do, the less he actually contributes.
I'm inclined to say...just throw him up there with Pettersson+Kuzmenko, and see if that "carrot" gets him going again. But who knows.
- Studnicka played his best game. Doesn't look like he'll make a huge impact but unlike the 'Benning age gap' guys he looks like a guy whose skillset fits a depth role. Skates well, works hard, looks well-coached. If he keeps this up he'll be a useful depth player.
Yeah. There were people at the time of the trade getting way ahead of the cart with Studnicka, but this looks like the player we realistically "hoped" to get here. He's not remarkable in any way, but if he can give you good solid bottom-6 minutes with consistent effort on a cheap contract, that's a win.
- Tyler Myers. FML. Playing even worse than he did in the bubble. Just atrocious. Could have been directly responsible for 4 or 5 goals tonight but Martin saved his ass constantly.
This guy is basically the root of the Canucks defence corps problems. Both in a microcosm within a game, but on a macro scale as well. His contract just makes it impossible to build a functional blueline. He's paid like a guy who can "anchor" a solid pairing...when in reality, he's just a f***ing
anchor.
The only functional hockey he's played here, was a stretch with OEL carrying his ass. Somehow he found enough stability in that pairing to calm a few of his "chaos giraffe" instincts. But you can't have a $6M guy who needs babysitting. Especially not when the babysitter is playing like he's damaged.
Priority numero uno, has to be getting rid of this guy and his contract. You cannot afford a $6M guy who is regularly outplayed by <$1M depth guys.
- Rathbone ... man. You want him to play but then you understand when he's scratched. He's better than Stillman, but for a skill defender he panics far too easily with the puck on his stick in his own zone. Not composed when facing a forecheck.
It's definitely easy to see why coaches don't ever give this guy "a fair chance". Every time they do, he shows us why they don't. There's clearly offensive skill there...but the day and age of the "PP Specialist" defenceman is over and gone. Being good at the offensive end of the ice just isn't enough anymore. If he can't show more in transition, i don't really know what the point of him is. I really think this is a player that you have to try to move, and soon, because he's not going to bolster his value significantly playing with this team in this situation. There are teams that could use what he offers, but it's useless here.
Myers - wasn't keeping the play in front of him. Lurching out and overplaying situations letting people drift in behind him. Partly a problem of having different partners but in trying to do too much and constantly getting in problems. Passes out of his end were hurried an not accurate.
Lurching is a good descriptor of Myers play.
Podkolzin - looks nothing like the player from the end of last season. You wonder if he came into the season right. Looks like someone who has lost their confidence and is over-thinking things. Searching for a role on the team consistently out of sync with his line mates. Just have to hang in with him.
I don't think there's any real doubt about the way Podkolzin came into the season. He looked like he was going to potentially break out in the preseason. Seemed like he came in healthy and confident, and looked the part of where he left off. But yeah...he seems like he's mostly lost what makes him effective. He's a player who clearly needs to just keep things simple and play with confidence. Probably need to have him as the clear "3rd wheel" on a line and not expect him to "create" too much.
Mikheyev -showed the potential people see with his goal but too often he fumbled with passes and stick work and blew other opportunities. Question has always been will he ever put it totally together. Talent is there but there has always been a 'but' with this player
Mikheyev seems like a similar player on the surface, but actually kind of the opposite of Podkolzin? At his best, it's things like that goal...where he's creating his own offense. He brings a lot of a much needed skillset to this team, but i don't know that he's the best fit with a guy like Pettersson. I'm not sure how much sense it makes to combine a guy who is a bit of a solo-warrior who thrives on pushing the pace, with a skill guy who thrives in slowing down and controlling the pace like Pettersson.
Boeser - scored but too often still looks like he has trouble getting there. They talk about hand injury and such but that's pretty immaterial if he is not getting to the play
This is the real, fundamental problem with Boeser. If he's not shooting/scoring, he's really not doing anything. He just doesn't really touch any other areas of the game. Is this
really a $6.65M player?
Hughes - one thing not to like is Hughes's tendency to slow up play when the quick up pass is there. Creates real problems as the forwards are breaking and this creates a gap. Makes it so you can't attack as unit as Ottawa was doing early. Other thing is that any good team will jump on those gaps and use it to get odd man rushes. Could see at times, the good D toD pass to Hughes and then he slows and stick handles rather than moving it quickly up and then moving up to support the play. It just that Hughes is too much of individual at times. Also Hughes shot from the point was useless and he getting blocked all the time leading to chances against. Hughes started moving the puck better as the game went on but right now he is an overall problem for the team.
This is an interesting point about Hughes. He is
not like Ehrhoff, who was really "efficient" in moving the puck. Hughes likes the lug the puck around a bit and look for the opportunity. It's a special skillset, but it can also be problematic at times, for everyone else. It's very "freelance". Hard to read and anticipate off of, for the forwards...when even Hughes himself doesn't seem to really know what he's going to do with the puck on any given breakout.
He sort of "quarterbacks" the breakout like Russell Wilson. Lots of improvisation and scrambling around to change angles and look for openings. But it can be really hard for the forwards "downfield" to play with real structure, when there isn't necessarily an established structure to the way he's going to move the puck either.
It's certainly a double-edged sword. He's great at it, but it brings some challenges.
Studnicka - best game so far. Aman and him worked the forecheck fairly well and overcoming some poor decision making by Joshua.
Joshua has just been a huge disappointment for me. I still just don't really know what it is that he does, or brings to the table.