Post-Game Talk: Canucks def. Preds - 4-3 (OT) (Boeser x3, Lindholm) | I JUST HAD A BABY

[Kryten]

@Kryten @AlainVigneaultsGum @LordBacon @SeawaterOnIce @calnuck @LemonSauceD @Baby Pettersson @Peen

 

[mriswith]

The amount of Saros blaming in the Preds forum when this was their team "defending" the tying goal:

 

[Peen]

Anyways, I have some actual thoughts on everything. It’s a lot of text but curious if people agree/disagree

I thought all of Myers, Cole, Zadorov ended the regular season really strong. I don’t know how much of it is sustainable, but they’ve all been very good. It’s funny because it felt like there was a very clear separation between our top three and bottom three D most of the season, but on a relative scale, I think the bottom three have heavily exceeded expectation and the top three have come up short through these four games

I still don’t think we should sign Zadorov. A lot of miles and that contract will be ugly. It’s also just as simple as we only have so much money to give out.

Hronek. Man. Has continued the form that trailed off in the second half. Such an interesting situation and I don’t want to relitigate it

Hughes - I think he’ll figure this out sooner rather than later. I think he’d benefit a lot from if we can close it out in five and can have some extra days to heal, practice, watch film. Decision making has been bad. He didn’t look great in his own zone the last ten of the regular season as well and I assumed it wouldn’t continue… but it has

Forwards -

Pettersson line - Mikheyev has to come out. That line just sucks. Hoglander has gotten incrementally better every game. Pettersson has looked like Emil Pettersson / Linden Vey hybrid we saw years ago. The stuff about how he’s given up with his big contract is dumb. He’s been bad all year. The points at the start of the year were a mirage and his overall play has looked similar - just with a difference in confidence finishing plays and execution. Feel like I remember very clearly wondering where the 200 foot energy, motor, lack of movement, aggressiveness was when he was top five in scoring early. This game today reminded me of when he got killed at 5v5 by Torts hard matching f***ing Nic Deslauriers in Philly earlier this year.

Suter - Boeser - Miller combo I’ve been a fan of all year and I continually have advocated for the whole Suter’s production doesn’t matter thing when his line wins their matchup every night for the most part. There was a two year stretch where I was totally out on Brock. And that 18-19 season as well. But I said before this season that I’d rather he score 40 than us make the playoffs given what he’s gone through mentally. Nice that both happened. Miller I thought wasn’t much different than Pettersson in the first two but the last two he’s been back on it.

I really have not liked that Lindholm line the last three games. Lindholm and Garland have looked OK but Joshua in particular I thought has looked bad the last three. Like Pettersson level bobbling pucks, getting knocked off, looking behind it. I’m very much in favor of splitting them up. I think there’s a few options there, but I’d just simplify it and start with Blueger back between the two and Lindholm centering Pettersson and Hoglander. They haven’t tried that line for a while. And Pettersson can’t really whine about shifting to the wing right now.

I’ve been very impressed with the fourth line. It’s been our second best line through four games. They’ve had good shifts in every game. I know pulling Blueger off it would change the dynamic, and it sucks to split up a performing line, but I think you go PDG - Lafferty - Podkolzin. I think Podz should be back in. The last two games, I think we’ve been the second most physical. It’s not a huge difference but Podkolzin was very consistent at being fast, direct, and physical on the forecheck down the stretch. Mikheyev’s done nothing.

At the end of the day, we only have two lines going, and when one of them is your fourth line, it does not matter if Blueger gets pulled off if it gets one of your middle six lines going - and in a perfect world, maybe both of them going.

We need to win a game properly. Hughes with a 30 minute game where he’s just evading every Nashville forecheck, Pettersson showing life skating through the NZ and showing some shiftiness in the OZ, Joshua/Garland/Hoglander just being the most irritating guys on the ice. And when I say irritating, I don’t mean penalties or chasing hits - I mean that theyre getting shit on net, bouncing off every hit, etc.

I didn’t like Tocchet’s refusal to change the lines until the last five minutes of the game.

—— one thing to add ——

you know the pettersson stuff. like brock after 2019, 2022, 2023 said he needed to get better. he did two of those times. obviously was awful in 22-23. hughes after that 2022 season said he needed to get better. he did. he went from being a guy who i wasn’t sure could handle second pair leverage es minutes (he was awful defensively and giving up more the other way and he owned this) and now has been the best D in the league over the past 16 months. Yes he’s struggled the past two weeks in his own end but whatever.

Regardless, I’ve advocated selling on both those guys in the past. And when I think about Pettersson, Pettersson was far superior of a player at younger ages than those two. Much more mature game. He’s been so dogshit all year. Like god awful, and I don’t get why people cope about this

But like, I think recent history shows that he’s going to probably come back strong next season. And obviously at some point he needs to put together good seasons consecutively. I think being frustrated right now makes sense but long term, I don’t think I’d bet against him figuring it out. There’s just way too much talent. And it’s clear he cares. Heck even if he’s emil pettersson again next year, Brock had two god awful ones before this 40 goal one so it’s tough. I don’t know. I just think there’s a dominant Barkov level player hidden in there if he can put it together.

 

[Chairman Maouth]

 

[SopelFanThe3rd]

Just read the Montreal board. Wow what a nice and positive group of people. They were cheering hard for the Canucks too.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

Just read the Montreal board. Wow what a nice and positive group of people. They were cheering hard for the Canucks too.

Montreal Vancouver

We were united in 2011 due to our immense hatred towards Boston.

Toronto fans were in contrast rooting for the Bruins. Karma though since they continue to get destroyed by Boston...

 

[Petey O]

Just read the Montreal board. Wow what a nice and positive group of people. They were cheering hard for the Canucks too.

Going exotic and chasing the French tail now, huh?

 

[biturbo19]

yep that's what i would do also.

Mikhayev is just getting nothing accomplished other than skating fast when he's in no mans land. At least Podkolzin would provide a forecheck that could yield some turnovers and his hits would further wear down the Preds D

I honestly don't get what some people are watching here.

Mikheyev has zero finish, his hands have somehow gotten worse...but the reason people are frustrated with him, is because he's constantly using his skating and North-South play to get the puck to the other end and create opportunities. Which are not finished. But he's getting the puck there. He's creating chances. It's like the Mason Raymond Effect.


He's also logged a ton of SH minutes on a PK that has genuinely been pretty good.

Shiny new toy is not better here.

 

[SopelFanThe3rd]

Going exotic and chasing the French tail now, huh?

They like to separate...











.....





















...









..




Their cheeks.

 

[Jyrki]

I honestly don't get what some people are watching here.

Mikheyev has zero finish, his hands have somehow gotten worse...but the reason people are frustrated with him, is because he's constantly using his skating and North-South play to get the puck to the other end and create opportunities. Which are not finished. But he's getting the puck there. He's creating chances. It's like the Mason Raymond Effect.


He's also logged a ton of SH minutes on a PK that has genuinely been pretty good.

Shiny new toy is not better here.

Yeah, Mik keeps being played despite his lack of production for a reason... he actually does the "little things" well and has a simple game that doesn't cause the team trouble. If he didn't have bricks for hands he'd score a lot.

That does mean he's kind of useless besides Pettersson who's been very deferential with the puck but his wingers simply aren't going to pick up the slack.

 

[SopelFanThe3rd]

Mikheyev is paid too much and his expectations are too high.

He also doesn't fit with EP. But nobody does.

 

[tradervik]

I finally figured out that PDO stands for Post anD Out.

Silovs suffers from a rare neurological condition: he has no nerves.

 

[biturbo19]

Yeah, Mik keeps being played despite his lack of production for a reason... he actually does the "little things" well and has a simple game that doesn't cause the team trouble. If he didn't have bricks for hands he'd score a lot.

That does mean he's kind of useless besides Pettersson who's been very deferential with the puck but his wingers simply aren't going to pick up the slack.

Yeah. I think you need to get Mikheyev (and Hoggy for that matter) away from Pettersson at this point. Neither is helping the other's problems. They're not a line that's gonna dig their way out of it.


Which is why just a simple swap of Pettersson and Suter...it potentially fixes a lot of problems right now.

Petey can just play wing and focus on getting his offense going alongside our two biggest play-drivers right now.

Suter can just keep plugging away and basically have a competition between himself/Mik/Hoggy for who can "un-brick" their hands first. With probably a real ugly goal.

 

[TruGr1t]

I honestly don't get what some people are watching here.

Mikheyev has zero finish, his hands have somehow gotten worse...but the reason people are frustrated with him, is because he's constantly using his skating and North-South play to get the puck to the other end and create opportunities. Which are not finished. But he's getting the puck there. He's creating chances. It's like the Mason Raymond Effect.


He's also logged a ton of SH minutes on a PK that has genuinely been pretty good.

Shiny new toy is not better here.

You basically described Blueger who is paid $1.9M AAV.

 

[sting101]

I honestly don't get what some people are watching here.

Mikheyev has zero finish, his hands have somehow gotten worse...but the reason people are frustrated with him, is because he's constantly using his skating and North-South play to get the puck to the other end and create opportunities. Which are not finished. But he's getting the puck there. He's creating chances. It's like the Mason Raymond Effect.


He's also logged a ton of SH minutes on a PK that has genuinely been pretty good.

Shiny new toy is not better here.

Lafferty could replace his minutes on the pk and in fact would help Pettersson on faceoffs

I would be trying something to help get Pettersson going 5v5

Mikhayev down low has been poor and we all know he can't finish and refuses to drive hard to the net. At least Pod would give you some strength along the walls where Hog and Petey are getting manhandled and has a net drive and a different look.

i'm beating a dead horse probably but i'm getting tired of seeing that line unable to hold a puck in the offensive zone and the Mikhayev button hook to the boards and impending turnover

 

[VanillaCoke]

I honestly don't get what some people are watching here.

Mikheyev has zero finish, his hands have somehow gotten worse...but the reason people are frustrated with him, is because he's constantly using his skating and North-South play to get the puck to the other end and create opportunities. Which are not finished. But he's getting the puck there. He's creating chances. It's like the Mason Raymond Effect.


He's also logged a ton of SH minutes on a PK that has genuinely been pretty good.

Shiny new toy is not better here.

Huge yikes. Same exact garbage excuses as his whole career, skates fast, alleged elite defense, pk utility blah blah still accomplishes nothing.

He does the same exact impact on the game from the 4th line as from ep wing, a near unmovable anchor, dragging down your star 1c.

 

[I am toxic]

Just read the Montreal board. Wow what a nice and positive group of people. They were cheering hard for the Canucks too.

Don't make me like your posts

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

That come back would have given even Ken from Barbie a boner.

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

The amount of Saros blaming in the Preds forum when this was their team "defending" the tying goal:

I was so sure he had missed the net I was busy screaming at the TV when he scored

 

[arttk]

The amount of Saros blaming in the Preds forum when this was their team "defending" the tying goal:

Looks good to me

 

[Red]

 

[Luongos Knob]

View attachment 861637

Empty net says no

 

[kanucks25]

View attachment 861637

 

[crazychimp]

I'm convinced Pettersson is injured just doesn't move his feet or shoots and honestly looks like he doesn't have much in the tank whenever you look at him. If you look at shots Miller and Boeser are at 10 11 shots each in the series, Pettersson is at 3 the entire series.

Edit: That being said I'd still like to see him center Joshua and Garland, that is the line that sparks anyone, put Lindholm with Boeser and Miller. I'm not saying this to start the game or anything but at some point if they are down or need a different look try it out.

 

[Another Empty Netter]

was looking up the 1971 cup final stats- and discovered Dryden nickname -

The thieving giraffe

Courtesy of Phil Esposito

I'm convinced Pettersson is injured just doesn't move his feet or shoots and honestly looks like he doesn't have much in the tank whenever you look at him. If you look at shots Miller and Boeser are at 10 11 shots each in the series, Pettersson is at 3 the entire series.

Since before all star break certainly