Canucks @ Ducks GDT

[rustybadcock]

http://canucks.nhl.com/team/app?gameNumber=452&gameType=2&page=Preview&season=20072008&service=page

Interesting recipe these days. You got yourself a tired team. You toss in a soso injury to your best player....and your opponent...they're ruthless. :eek:

I dunno, it's gonna get interesting.

I think the best thing the boys can do is simply take the forecheck to them. Make them work their asses off and get back to making teams have to out work us. One thing for sure is we've got some youth and energy from the Moose tonight. There's a lot of ways to look at this. Hopefully their energy will be well directed as it could be key.

Sanford's a good goalie. I don't feel bad about having him in there. He can get the job done. Whatever the goalie, I just hate playing the Ducks. :cry:


RB

[Nelson19777]

Well, something tells me we're gonna see alot of the same from the last game against the Unmighty Ducks. The Canucks stay disiplined long enough to take the lead and the Ducks will self distruct and reveal themselves as the stupid goons they really are. Hopefully Pronger gets chucked before he injures anyone. I expect some big thing from Kesler's line as well as the Snazzy line. Sandford has been great for us his year and I sure he won't disapoint tonight. 5-2 Vancouver. It's too bad Morrison is going to lose his Ironman streak if he can't suit up, but hey is gonna happen eventually.

[AtLossForWords]

I don't think Luongo missing tonights game will be as bad of a thing as many of us think it may be. One thing I know for sure is the best way to prove that you're not built completely off the success of your goalie is to defeat the defending Stanley Cup champions with your backup goalie.

A lot of people have wanted to say the Canucks are only a good team because of Roberto Luongo. Luongo is a huge part of our team, but Pittsburgh can win when Crosby doesn't get a point, and I think Vancouver can win when Luongo isn't in the net for a game or two.

The bottom line is that these guys who are in the lineup have a great chance to prove it isn't only because of their goalie that they are good. Having a day in LA to recover might have been good for this team. I bet this team will be fresher tonight that they were against the Kings and the Penguins.

I look to Ryan Kesler to elevate this teams performance, and he along with Pyatt and Burrows will play a strong game that will keep the Ducks at bay.

The key to this game is going to be skating hard and drawing penalties. We had a successful performance on the powerplay last night, and we had a successful powerplay performance against the Ducks the last time we played them. If you skate against the Ducks, they will take penalties. Play this game on the PP and we'll win.

However if this team comes out flat and doesn't skate and takes penalties, this game is lost there will be no hope of winning if they put the pressure on Sanford with a ton of time on the PK.

[rustybadcock]

Well, something tells me we're gonna see alot of the same from the last game against the Unmighty Ducks. The Canucks stay disiplined long enough to take the lead and the Ducks will self distruct and reveal themselves as the stupid goons they really are. Hopefully Pronger gets chucked before he injures anyone. I expect some big thing from Kesler's line as well as the Snazzy line. Sandford has been great for us his year and I sure he won't disapoint tonight. 5-2 Vancouver. It's too bad Morrison is going to lose his Ironman streak if he can't suit up, but hey is gonna happen eventually.

Agreed. This is unbelievable though. Mo's out for a while! :eek:

http://canucks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=346371

Well - lets see what are boys do with this pickle of a situation?! :pimp:

RB

[rustybadcock]

I don't think Luongo missing tonights game will be as bad of a thing as many of us think it may be. One thing I know for sure is the best way to prove that you're not built completely off the success of your goalie is to defeat the defending Stanley Cup champions with your backup goalie.

A lot of people have wanted to say the Canucks are only a good team because of Roberto Luongo. Luongo is a huge part of our team, but Pittsburgh can win when Crosby doesn't get a point, and I think Vancouver can win when Luongo isn't in the net for a game or two.

The bottom line is that these guys who are in the lineup have a great chance to prove it isn't only because of their goalie that they are good. Having a day in LA to recover might have been good for this team. I bet this team will be fresher tonight that they were against the Kings and the Penguins.

I look to Ryan Kesler to elevate this teams performance, and he along with Pyatt and Burrows will play a strong game that will keep the Ducks at bay.

The key to this game is going to be skating hard and drawing penalties. We had a successful performance on the powerplay last night, and we had a successful powerplay performance against the Ducks the last time we played them. If you skate against the Ducks, they will take penalties. Play this game on the PP and we'll win.

However if this team comes out flat and doesn't skate and takes penalties, this game is lost there will be no hope of winning if they put the pressure on Sanford with a ton of time on the PK.

I agree lossy. This is an opportunity for everyone on this team to step up, find another gear and prove we're more than one man. Losing Mo blows however it sorta explains where this guys been of late. I mean previously he had that hip issue which ended up needing surgery which put him in a funk and now this wrist issue which sorta lends some proof to his recent numbers on the score card as well as his faceoff %.

Luo, Mo, Bieksa, Cowan (others??) get well soon guys!

RB

[rustybadcock]

Brilliant win. Nothing fancy - great results.

That call late in the game on Kesler was total garbage. Especially after all the **** Pronger pulls off with such mastery.

Sanford showed us all we need to see tonight. He can do the job.

Raymond. Way to go....

Jaffery. Way to go big time. I thought he had a decent game. Aside from some breakdowns in his own end....which I really shouldn't mention cause it wasn't much....he was excellent. One thing on this kid though. He'd better learn to keep his head on a swivel. He nearly got super-popped more than once tonight.

Linden was good too!

Ultimately spent the last period in their own end dealing with a forecheck. Not the most ideal way to close out a game but none the less a team rife with injury pulled this off. This is why I opened with "Brilliant".

RB

[AtLossForWords]

A good game on almost all accounts. Maybe Morrison and Isbister being hurt is a blessing in disguise where guys like Jaffray, Raymond, and Grabner can get a crack at making an impact.

Raymond was almost invisible after his goal, but hey he stepped up big when he got the chance.

Jason Jaffray played a very good game, he was at the center of the offensive action all night. Perhaps he could help this team more than Isbister.

Honestly there was a point in tonights game were I saw a huge save and yelled "LOU!!!!!". Sanford made me forget who I was watching. Especially when he stoned Getzlaf and Perry on a one timer and a rebound chance. Great game from him.

Tomorrow night however I'm a little more fearful. The Ducks don't have anyone who can dominate the ice like Joe Thornton, and he be playing on a night's rest while our team is on its way to San Jose right now.

[TimmyTabasco]

Nice win for the Canucks, onto the next

What more can I say?

Sanford played well, did his job. He's solid

Jaffray? Nice to score a goal..but I see him as this seasons Moran..

Raymond? Again, good to see him contribute..but this seasons Reid

BTW, Whats up with Cowan? I know he's injured(and has been alot), but before that..really didn't notice him as much as last season

[rustybadcock]

Nice win for the Canucks, onto the next

What more can I say?

Sanford played well, did his job. He's solid

Jaffray? Nice to score a goal..but I see him as this seasons Moran..

Raymond? Again, good to see him contribute..but this seasons Reid

BTW, Whats up with Cowan? I know he's injured(and has been alot), but before that..really didn't notice him as much as last season

Really? Difference is, neither Moran nor Reid scored much. Time will tell on Jaffray and Raymond but truth be told, they actually made the score sheet which is great for callups. Moran and Reid never seemed to take their chances that far...I see a difference here.

Cowan's been hurt repeatedly this year man. He just can seem to find a break. He made it back into the line up after that hip injury sustained on opening night I believe?? and was just getting his legs back 6 or 7 games into his return....what can be expected from him really. Injuries come in bunches...he's a guy who will show up in March I think...

RB

[KB in Kelowna]

Tomorrow night however I'm a little more fearful. The Ducks don't have anyone who can dominate the ice like Joe Thornton, and he be playing on a night's rest while our team is on its way to San Jose right now.
I was thinking the same thing myself. This game will tell us a lot about this group, but the schedule still sucks. Anahiem is basically a suburb of LA so there is a day off between games. San Jose is like 3 hours or so up the coast and that game is a the day after?:shrug: Nice win last night, but if the team can play well tonight and then in Edmonton on saturday, they might be able to put to rest the rumours or perception of being a one player team.

Jaffray is not the biggest player in the world and he took the long route to get to "the show", same with Sanford, both were undrafted and toiled in towns and leagues most of us don't pay attention to. Here's hoping they continue to shine.:thumb:

[gordphish]

I hope that with the injury to Morrison, the forwards called up get the same opportunities that that have been afforded the younger defensemen over the last few seasons. In other words, if Jaffrey and Raymond are the guys that deserve to be here, then let's leave them here for a while and give them a chance to find their games at the NHL level. Both Bieksa and Edler struggled early when they were first called up, but patience has paid off.

My concern with the current lineup, however, is the lack of size with Cowan and Isbister out. They aren't the biggest team to begin with. Over the long haul of the 82 game season, this could be what really ends up killing them in the end. And tonight's game could be an excellent indicator. The Sharks are a big team that like to use their size to wear you down rather than just bully you all over the ice with cheap shots.

But with Jaffrey and Raymond, their skill level increases, that's for sure. And I like the way they brought them up together and played them on the same line. I have often wondered why they never did that with Kesler and King.

Naslund is fading again, and that line is showing signs of why they may be ineffectual in the playoffs. When teams determine to keep them to the perimeter, they can be shut down with relative ease. They need Naslund to start driving those scoring lanes again and firing the puck with authority, or that line is going to get split up.

[AtLossForWords]

Naslund is fading again, and that line is showing signs of why they may be ineffectual in the playoffs. When teams determine to keep them to the perimeter, they can be shut down with relative ease. They need Naslund to start driving those scoring lanes again and firing the puck with authority, or that line is going to get split up.

I've noticed this lately too. Naslund has what like 16 in his last 13, that's decent production, but since this team ended its homestand and went on the road, this line hasn't managed to produce well other than against Nashville. Against Pittsburgh they put up zero points and in LA Naslund had an assist on the powerplay. Daniel's goal was the only point the line recorded in Anaheim.

What makes me become sceptical of this line is that even though they generate chances five on five, they don't finish. They can control the puck and get that good scoring chance, but those chances haven't been finding the back of the net lately.

I think reason why Vigneault is keeping this line togethor is because even though they aren't putting up points of late, they are still getting chances.

[rustybadcock]

Let's not forget that since the big line went on it's scoring tear opponents are checking them more vigorously. It might take them some time to adjust.

RB

[gordphish]

I've noticed this lately too. Naslund has what like 16 in his last 13, that's decent production, but since this team ended its homestand and went on the road, this line hasn't managed to produce well other than against Nashville. Against Pittsburgh they put up zero points and in LA Naslund had an assist on the powerplay. Daniel's goal was the only point the line recorded in Anaheim.

What makes me become sceptical of this line is that even though they generate chances five on five, they don't finish. They can control the puck and get that good scoring chance, but those chances haven't been finding the back of the net lately.

I think reason why Vigneault is keeping this line togethor is because even though they aren't putting up points of late, they are still getting chances.

And Naslund now hasn't scored in 9 games. This is why he takes so much criticism and most of it is justified. With Luongo out and the team visibly lagging, this is when you need your leader to step up and carry the team for a bit.

Where were you Naslund? You have what you wanted now, playing on the top line. There's no more excuses left.