GDT: [GM10] Canucks @ Sharks | Thur. Nov 2nd, 7:30pm | SNP | Classic Trap Game

[mossey3535]

Also I know beauvillier has been playing better lately but it's taken him 9 games to get three points. If we could get Blueger back he would be who I take out of the lineup.

 

[geebster]

Worth pointing out that so far Demko has been facing four less shots per game than last year.

This adds up over time. Over the course of eight games he will have faced one-less game’s worth of shots than he would have last year. It should keep him that much fresher down the stretch and hopefully into the playoffs.

I don’t have data on this nor do I proclaim any expertise about goaltending—but anecdotally—it seems this year that Demko is being put into far fewer situations where he has to stretch across the crease to attempt a save. The PK in particular has really clamped down on those cross-seam passes. That alone must be saving Demko and his hips/groin a lot of wear and tear.

Having looked at the advanced stats a bit, Demko is still facing a good number of high danger chances (56 high danger shots against in 6 games). Hes at a .946 on those though (only goalie above a .900 who has played 5 games). Hes definitely been making tough saves and at a higher rate than anyone else in the league who has played as much. Hes at a 7.37 high danger goals saved above average (GSAA), next guy is at 4.8.

Team is definitely better defensively in front of him but hes still key to our success and playing lights out too. I would play him if there are rest days between games provided hes healthy and all.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Also I know beauvillier has been playing better lately but it's taken him 9 games to get three points. If we could get Blueger back he would be who I take out of the lineup.

If Blueger returns, I think Joshua sits, if things stay as they are.

 

[geebster]

Also I know beauvillier has been playing better lately but it's taken him 9 games to get three points. If we could get Blueger back he would be who I take out of the lineup.

I would take Joshua out for Blueger personally.

 

[mossey3535]

I would take Joshua out for Blueger personally.

He's not playing great but he's basically the only person in the bottom-6 who hits anybody.

 

[Peen]

He's not playing great but he's basically the only person in the bottom-6 who hits anybody.

Lafferty slander but yes they need more physicals there

 

[platotld]

Going in .....

Leaving .....

 

[mossey3535]

Lafferty slander but yes they need more physicals there

Ideally Lafferty and Joshua are the two heavy wings, Blueger and Suter are the centers, and Hoglander is the pesky skilled winger.

Yeah Beau and Garland exist but I don't really like either of them right now.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

He's not playing great but he's basically the only person in the bottom-6 who hits anybody.

Its in their best interests to get him going..He led the team in hits last year, PK'd , dropped the mitts, and was a Tocchet favourite.

Tocchet is going to keep riding him, until he gets back to the end of last seasons form.

 

[geebster]

Its in their best interests to get him going..He led the team in hits last year, PK'd , dropped the mitts, and was a Tocchet favourite.

Tocchet is going to keep riding him, until he gets back to the end of last seasons form.

I felt in the first few games he looked good too, but last couple he hasnt, so thats why I said right now I'd take him out for Blueger, but that could change rapidly if he gets back to his game. We all know Joshua is capable of being a very effective bottom 6 player. Physical, stands up for teammates, chips in sometimes too.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

Im baffled... and happy to be so.

 

[LuckyDay]

Whats the opinion on him around here? He's the co-host on my local sports radio in Sask. He's sassy but I do enjoy his takes.

I never minded him on Sharks colour but then he got the CBC contract. Didn't mind him there either but general consensus was he was bad. Because I was familiar with him I was sticking up for him.
Until Jim Hughson asked him a question about the Canucks, so then he copped an attitude and said, "Welllll, you'd know more about that than I would." He can never be more than regional.
I'm not sure why he's been going back and forth between San Jose and the prairies the past few years.

 

[ForecheckBackcheck]

I just marvel at the fact that Petey isn't 100%, looks noticeably off, and still has 16 pts in 9 games (145 pt pace). What a player we landed at 5th overall. Franchise gamebreaker.

Hopefully our strong start to the year gives him a reason to stay beyond this season. I actually think the Canucks have one of the stronger contention windows in the league coming up over the next 5 years.

 

[CpatainCanuck]

I just marvel at the fact that Petey isn't 100%, looks noticeably off, and still has 16 pts in 9 games (145 pt pace). What a player we landed at 5th overall. Franchise gamebreaker.

Hopefully our strong start to the year gives him a reason to stay beyond this season. I actually think the Canucks have one of the stronger contention windows in the league coming up over the next 5 years.

That seems optimistic. If the Canucks manage to sign Pettersson they will be capped out, with not a whole lot of prospects coming up.

 

[Lindgren]

Im baffled... and happy to be so.

Staggered. I could see it becoming one of the great Canuck moments. Ever. Seriously. I've been skeptical, but it's at this moment that I feel myself on the verge of buying all the Tocchet hype.

 

[VanJack]

Sooner or later the Sharks have to win a game.....just hope it doesn't come tomorrow night. Although the Canucks have been tough to beat at the Shark Tank in recent seasons. And it's not like they're playing a back-to-back in So-Cal, so fatigue shouldn't be an issue.

Tough being a Sharks fan right now.....their NHL team is in the first year of a massive tear-down and rebuild; and there's nothing coming in the pipeline. The AHL Barracuda are almost as bad.

 

[mossey3535]

That seems optimistic. If the Canucks manage to sign Pettersson they will be capped out, with not a whole lot of prospects coming up.

I dunno, if you have a strong enough core and a good enough system to gel them together, then you can do like Tampa did and just keep tinkering around the edges. If they can graduate some prospects they don't need to be top-6 or top-4 players, they just need to sustain the team play when the real studs aren't on the ice.

Top-6 looks great. Demko is great and IMO has room to grow. Hronek/Hughes looks all world.

I think the biggest issue is that the need another legitimate top-3 d-man preferably someone big. That's very hard to acquire. Then they ALSO need Hirose and somebody else to come up to populate the third pairing and 7th d-man. If the contention window takes too long, they'd need someone to replace Cole as well. Those are big asks.

Tons of credit to both Tocchet and Miller. Tocchet for holding him accountable and then giving him a chance at redemption and Miller for taking it in stride and acknowledging that he deserved it.

Miller has always been derided (IMO rightly so) for his bad attitude but under this coaching staff maybe that's changing. He's a very dangerous player whose attitude was probably holding him back so this change of heart could make him a great asset at a bargain cap hit.

 

[MarkusNaslund19]

I mentioned in the GDT that I loved the accountability from Tocc and that given time to reflect I felt that Miller would actually agree with the move.

Glad to see that bear out. Shows a healthy dressing room culture and it's been quite awhile since one could say that.

 

[VanJack]

You've got to hand it to Tocchet.....the chances of Green or Willie D benching Miller in that situation would be virtually 'nil'. I doubt even Boudreau would have benched him.

But three un-disciplined penalties, including a double minor, obviously earned the ire of the coach. And Miller bounced back in the third period with a key goal.

There's no doubt this guy holds his players to higher standards than any of his predecessors. Maybe that's all they needed.

 

[Michael Dal Swolle]

San Jose has played 9 games and scored a total of 9 goals.

 

[StickShift]

This feels like exactly the sort of game that the Canucks we are used to would lay an egg.

 

[arttk]

(dejectedly laughs in EST)

As I get older, I start to get why the hell would no eastern journalist stay up to watch us.

 

[Yultron]

WHEN: November 2nd, 7:30PM PST
WHERE: SAC Center, San Jose, CA, USA
TV: Sportsnet Pacific
RADIO: Sportsnet 650

Canucks Line-Up:

Di Giuseppe-Miller-Boeser
Mikheyev-Pettersson-Kuzmenko
Beauvillier-Suter-Garland
Joshua-Lafferty-Höglander

Hughes-Hronek
Cole-Friedman
Soucy-Myers

TBD

Sharks Line-Up:

TBD

This lineup is so playoff calibre if we could just get another top 4 right handed dman it looks solid

 

[LuckyDay]

Petey did seem off. He was easy to push in the first period. Not just push off the puck I saw someone just push him and he fell to the ice.

Its shocking he got a hat trick. What's even more shocking is how well Miller played after being stuck in the box for so long and getting benched.

They'd better not take the night off in SJ. They need to beat these easy teams when real challenges come.

Oh, and I'm not going to make it to the game. Wifey is too sick. We'll just have to put up with Drew.
(I forgot my old boss is now a huge Sharks fan for some reason. I was going to message her to see if her and her son (and her idiot boyfriend) were going to be there).

 

[sting101]

Probably not 100% from that Myers shot off his foot. Struggled to his feet at one point last game and it looked like a sore knee or the aforementioned