Post-Game Talk: On the back of a Chris Tanev OT goal, Vancouver defeats Minnesota in the play-in

[Bleach Clean]

The last 3 games I didn't see a ton of high quality scoring chances for the wild. Even today I thought we did a pretty good job of shutting them down (granted I missed portions of the game while playing babysitter).

I feel like Myers tends to get noticed for all the wrong reasons..........even when he's doing a decent amount of right. Hard not to be focused on his parade to the penalty box. I bet if you ask the wild they would say he's not super fun to play against.

That's interesting because I think Myers' poor play went unnoticed because his parade to the penalty box was so glaringly worse. That became the story. And so when Myers made a coverage mistake, or used poor body positioning, or had another player quickly cover for him it went under the radar. Everything paled in comparison to the penalties.

It's that way with fans, especially after a win. So long as one key mistake cannot be isolated, even one so bad as the Virtanen cover, it's not a big deal. When in fact Myers is showing that he needs to be protected (in game play) shift after shift.

If he carries it over to the next series, I may post his mistakes in the GDT. Then I think the frequency of his errors will be known.

 

[David71]

how long does vancouver get to rest up for before meeting one of dallas or st louis? hopefully a few days or a week to heal up and get right back it.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

Lost in all the talks
Juolevi finally had his nhl debut in the most unique situation

 

[sting101]

VJ, you are overlooking what he actually did on the ice in order to support your feeling about this player. Myers sucked.

He was markedly worse in this series than he was in the regular season. It wasn't even close. Did you need more plays where forwards covered for his mistakes to make it obvious? He was so poor in the neutral and defensive zones. He relied almost completely on his strength and not his brain.

'Solid'... He was the furthest thing from it. We are watching different games. I almost feel like posting his every mistake in the GDT would wake people up to what he is actually doing on the ice.

Yes can you outline all the major mistakes he's made that cost us?

Jesus guy had a few poor penalties trying to go beast mode and handling Greenway Foligno and Staal and this is your diatribe for the series?

Sure he had a couple shaky starts and the penalties which like a lot in this series were pretty soft calls but he skated miles, ate up huge swaths of ice and was a Top 4 right shot defenseman on the winner of this series. Was unlucky to not pick up a few points also. But i guess some people always have the glass half full.

 

[Spectrefire]

Hughes is slowly creeping to that level we saw EK65 at in 2017. I’m excited to see where he goes.

Dude, this is Hughes' first NHL season.

There's nothing f***ing slow about it. Dude's gonna lap Karlsson by the time he leans how to grow facial hair.

 

[Ozone]

I put that down to a young team playing their first playoff game. Yeah, yeah I know this series was a “qualifier”, but I’m calling it a playoff series.

Boom.

This 'difference' make no difference in the locker room.

And I'm incredibly happy for our Boys with a gutsy win.

Hell, I'm incredibly happy for us fans..it's about time!

 

[Royal Canuck]

how long does vancouver get to rest up for before meeting one of dallas or st louis? hopefully a few days or a week to heal up and get right back it.

I'm pretty sure the 1st round officially starts Monday, so it's probably Monday or Tuesday.

 

[Fedz]

I'm pretty sure the 1st round officially starts Monday, so it's probably Monday or Tuesday.

The Stars and the Blues play each other on Sunday at 12PM PST.

I'm assuming Game 1 for both of those teams will be on Tuesday.

Vegas and Colorado will 'host' games on Monday.

 

[Gaunce4gm]

I’m pretty sure Juolevi is going to replace Jamie Benn next year on the 3rd pair. I just don’t see them being able to keep Ben cap wise.

Hughes Tanev
Edler Myers
Juolevi Stecher
Fantenberg Rafferty

 

[canwincup]

I'm pretty sure the 1st round officially starts Monday, so it's probably Monday or Tuesday.

Doubt it’s Monday with the Blues and Stars playing Sunday. I would bet that the series starts on Tuesday

 

[Ozone]

If you listen closely, you can hear Edmonton crying from here

Hey hey hey... lol

They are hosting us!

 

[David71]

I'm pretty sure the 1st round officially starts Monday, so it's probably Monday or Tuesday.

hopefully its a Wednesday

 

[canwincup]

I have said a lot of negative things about Sutter, but I have to admit that he played really well the last two games.

One player that I have to praise is Tyler Motte, he is an exceptional fourth liner. He is always the hardest working player on the ice and is always willing to sacrifice his body for the team.

 

[Bleach Clean]

Yes can you outline all the major mistakes he's made that cost us?

Jesus guy had a few poor penalties trying to go beast mode and handling Greenway Foligno and Staal and this is your diatribe for the series?

Sure he had a couple shaky starts and the penalties which like a lot in this series were pretty soft calls but he skated miles, ate up huge swaths of ice and was a Top 4 right shot defenseman on the winner of this series. Was unlucky to not pick up a few points also. But i guess some people always have the glass half full.

I'm positive about the win. I just recognize poor play for what it is regardless of the win. Myers was bad in this series.

Your initial question is exactly why your assessment of this player is incorrect. A glaring mistake that cost us isn't the bar. This is saying that he can make mistake after mistake and so long as it's not a Sbisa pizza, it's OK. This is the wrong way to judge a defenseman's play, don't you think?

In game play, I saw more mistakes from Myers than I saw from Edler, Tanev, Hughes and Stecher. This is all aside from his penalties. The Virtanen cover was the worst. Then it was the missed assignments, poor gap control, wrong reads, overloading the forwards, bad body positioning, suspect dzone passing etc... He's very foolish in the neutral and defensive zones.

You're assessment about this player is off. He didn't play well. You liked his toughness. You liked that skated forward well. You like that he's 6'8". None of this has to do with how well he played the actual game of hockey.

 

[Wayward Son]

I can't get over what a team effort that was.

And Marky absolutely deserved for this team to save him when he has saved us countless times.

 

[orcatown]

Most exciting game in years. Hung in there through some very shaky goal tending and persevered. Showed real camaraderie and could see them working for one another All in all, deserved to win.

Good

Hughes - not enough superlatives. Played huge minutes and controlled play through much of it. Clearly the best player on the team and the best player in the series

Sutter - Best forward in the series for the Canucks. If this player could ever get injury free he would give the team a good third line presence. Showed great wheels and determination

Tanev - not only the goal but all the work down low in his end. Sacrifices offense for the greater good of the team - character player who deserves some success

Pearson - lots of grit along the boards and huge clutch plays. Trade for him was one of the best we have made.

Myers - got established in this series that he is player. Too many penalties but his hard nosed effort was crucial in series. Showed he is a top 4 d-man and someone you can build around. Best he has played as a Canuck and that gives hope for the defense in general as the team moves ahead. Plays like this and he was pretty good signing.

Edler - had a solid series and did a good job on the top Minny players. Has lost most of his offensive side but playing the role of stay home d-man well.

Boeser - best on his line and while not back to the form he showed as rookie (especially in terms of shooting) he showed much better ability to pack the puck than in did in the regular season. Back to point producing which somehow he s always seems to do

Not So Good

Horvat - yes he scored a big goal (but mostly give credit to Pearson here) but he is still not skating well enough to cover back for line mates. His defensive coverage was poor and unlike people like Sutter he was not getting pressure on the puck. Lots of examples of him falling behind the play. Horvat is a better player than this but he has to be in top shape to overcome a poor first step and lack of agility. For the team to go anywhere he needs to regain form. In the long term, I worry about Horvat ability to excel in a game where players continue to skate better and get faster. Players like Aho, Fiala and Pettersson illustrate the direction game is moving in.

Virtanen - could see him puffing to get up to speed suggesting that he was unprepared to play coming out of the break. Old saying that "fatigue makes cowards of us all" would seem to apply here. I think many of us can relate to experience when you're out of shape and it's just misery and frustration trying to compete on a high level. Lots of standing around and lack of involvement in his play. I don't see the development that might have been displayed in this series. Just the same old Virtanen. Packaging him with Eriksson to get cap relief is not the worse idea. He just doesn't have it between the ears it seems to play a quick team sport like hockey.

Markstrom - just about torpedoed the team with real shoddy play (especially on his short side coverage which Minnesota exploited - and you wonder if they discovered a weakness in Markstrom's game.) . When you see him start to run around you know you're in for a shaky night. High anxiety person who needs to keep his cool better. Thought he should have been pulled after the first couple of goals but nice that the team bailed him out. Had great moments in the play-in but need to be better than he was tonight moving ahead.

Others

MacEwen - looked a little rough at times but showed his commitment and worked his butt off. Looked like he might score or set someone up which was encouraging. I would say I see a lot more in him than someone like Virtanen.

Pettersson - has looked tired in the last couple of games and has taken a bit of a pounding. Tried to do too much individual stuff and not as good on the PP. Learning experience for him that should help him down the line.

Miller - gutting it out but still not back to regular season form. When you are not in great shape hard to move well enough to get good passing angles or put yourself ahead of the play.

Joulevi - most encouraged I've been about this player. Watching him in Utica was disheartening. However, though the sample size was meagre, he seemed to be moving better and closing on check better. That there is hope is an important development for the organization If he can become a cheap 5 or 6 guy with at least some potential to be a little better than that, then back end looks a ton deeper .

Beagle - had a decent series but you have to wonder why he doesn't wear more protective gloves. That is particularly true given the way he blocks shots

Nice win and I hope the team really enjoys themselves tonight. This covid thing might really tighten up teams that can get through a couple of series.

 

[Ozone]

That's interesting because I think Myers' poor play went unnoticed because his parade to the penalty box was glaringly worse. That became the story. And so when Myers made a coverage mistake, or used poor body positioning, or had another player quickly cover for him it's all good so long as he doesn't take another penalty. All play mistakes seem better by comparison.

It's that way with fans, especially after a win. So long as one key mistake cannot be isolated, even one so bad as the Virtanen cover, it's not a big deal. When in fact Myers is showing that he needs to be protected (in game play) shift after shift.

If he carries it over to the next series, I may post his mistakes in the GDT. Then I think the frequency of his errors will be known.

Okay..
You might be right. I feel there are some 'intangibles' left to explore. But good points.

What is your alternative?

 

[Bleach Clean]

Okay..
You might be right. I feel there are some 'intangibles' left to explore. But good points.

What is your alternative?

Play Stecher more until Myers figures it out.

 

[Fatass]

I'm positive about the win. I just recognize poor play for what it is regardless of the win. Myers was bad in this series.

Your initial question is exactly why your assessment of this player is incorrect. A glaring mistake that cost us isn't the bar. This is saying that he can make mistake after mistake and so long as it's not a Sbisa pizza, it's OK. This is the wrong way to judge a defenseman's play, don't you think?

In game play, I saw more mistakes from Myers than I saw from Edler, Tanev, Hughes and Stecher. This is all aside from his penalties. The Virtanen cover was the worst. Then it was the missed assignments, poor gap control, wrong reads, overloading the forwards, bad body positioning, suspect dzone passing etc... He's very foolish in the neutral and defensive zones.

You're assessment about this player is off. He didn't play well. You liked his toughness. You liked that skated forward well. You like that he's 6'8". None of this has to do with how well he played the actual game of hockey.

Myers played extremely hard minutes, and provided meanness too. He took too many stick penalties for sure, but his minute munching meanness was absolutely needed.
But what’s really cool is we have the best U23 D man in the league.

 

[Ozone]

Play Stecher more until Myers figures it out.

hahaha Agree.

 

[Bleach Clean]

Myers - got established in this series that he is player. Too many penalties but his hard nosed effort was crucial in series. Showed he is a top 4 d-man and someone you can build around. Best he has played as a Canuck and that gives hope for the defense in general as the team moves ahead. Plays like this and he was pretty good signing.

Usually agree with your assessments orcatown, but this assessment of Myers is so off. He was making mistake after mistake on the ice despite the penalties.

Can you elaborate on what you were seeing his dzone and neutral zone play that has you thinking he is a net average player in those contexts? Thanks.

 

[Fatass]

Play Stecher more until Myers figures it out.

Uh, no. Stecher brings no offence, so he has to play a defensive role. He’s too light to play the hard, heavy, and mean minutes that Myers does. I love Stecher’s heart, but for the role his limited skills default him to, he’s too small to be effective in hard matchups against heavy players.

 

[WTG]

 

[Lawzy]

You know.... Sutter has been low key excellent since game 1. You could count the number of HFB Canucks fans that wanted him in game 2 on one hand. You love to see it.

 

[Bleach Clean]

Uh, no. Stecher brings no offence, so he has to play a defensive role. He’s too light to play the hard, heavy, and mean minutes that Myers does. I love Stecher’s heart, but for the role his limited skills default him to, he’s too small to be effective in hard matchups against heavy players.

Stecher makes far fewer mistakes on the ice. He also pushes the play up the ice well enough.

I can't argue 6'8" and heavy, hard, mean etc... Mistakes wise, Stecher would make far less and push the play up the ice just as well. Myers may have the edge once in the Ozone, but I'll trade that off given his far shakier performance in the other two zones. He's just not thinking well enough out there on the ice.