NUCKS WIN!!! (A Streak) - Loss Streak - Lose 4-1 to Canes - in OT

Hello NucksNation! I’m writing this recap deep in the safety of the secret NM wine strategic cellar bunker hundreds of metres below reality. No bad thoughts or bad games can reach me here. Cell service is pretty terrible too. But, the view is great!

NM and [redacted] have spared no expense to perform fancy death-defying (or not) distractions to keep you entertained during this part of the drooping season. The initial plan to celebrate tonight’s plummet into the abyss was to suspend me high above Georgia Strait while I clung to a remote controlled drone until the batteries failed and I plunged into the sea. Along with our hope.

Unfortunately, yet luckily for me, the batteries in the live video feed cam failed and the stunt was called off and the [redacted] dropped me off in here. They told me they’d tell me when it was safe to come out. So I can tell you.

It’s not safe!!! Do not read any further. Stay indoors, turn off the TV. Do not go on the internet - especially the Hockey Twittlingverse.

Tonight the Nucks were in Carolina. Tomorrow they’ll be on a bus to Arkansas. Or wherever coach Green sends them to figure out how to play hard-to-play-against consistently.

I’m sorry to inform you this game’s terrible loss was not planned and executed by the [redacted] or their operatives.

This 4th loss in a row was sponsored in part by the sick twisted bastards at the Injury Faeries Redux Division. On this short (but brutal) road trip we have lost Gags, Gaunce, Granny. And worse, the worst sort of savagery has taken our season’s Flowing silver lining from us. Brock was out of the lineup with a wrist injury.

And in trying to block our pain, Tanev was injured and couldn’t play either.

At the other end of the ice was a team called the Hurrycanes or NotManyFanCanes or something. Anyhow, they’ve been on a mission too. Not a cool secret mission like our guys, but pursuing the dream of the last wildcard spot in the East. Dream on.

1st Period

How long is 14 seconds? It’s shorter than a TV commercial. It’s longer than 5 blinks of the eye. But, barely.

14 seconds. That’s how long the game remained tied before no-hope OT started. The one thing the players, the coach, even the NM hockeynati have repeated, almost after every game, is how important it is for the Nucks to start the 1st period strong and fast.

Repetition isn’t worth repeating it seems. Lesson learned. Again.

Opening faceoff, Special Ed makes a special clear up the middle, the Canes hopped on the puck and pushed it into the Nucks zone. Stetch cleared it up the boards and again the hoppity Canes grabbed the puck for realsie this time and a couple passes and an own-man-screen later, it’s the first goal of the game on the first shot of the game.

Stop me if you’re heard this before.

At least this first goal wasn’t a MarkStroftie. The 2nd one though.... Oh my...bad angle shot in close went between Marky and the post on the right. While Marky was checking over his left shoulder. It’s confusing to explain. More so to watch.

Down 2-0 in an unsanctioned by [redacted] droop. But wait. Period is not over.

In a display of book ended symmetry, Aho gets a breakaway in the last minute and...well...why not..scores on a backhand. Symmetry is overrated.

End of the first, our road-worn-out warriors are down 3-0. Nucks are only down 10-6 in shots. That’s not so bad.

2nd Period

How many times have the Nucks come back from a 3-zip deficit in the first this last stretch of games. Twice? Thrice? Nice. To pretend tho.

Without Brock, and I’m sorry there’s not much to cheer for...except...MDZ. MDZ? The MDZ that NM rags on for having too many initials and not enough D-game? Yeah, that’s the one.

Maybe Brock lent him his stick or something, but MDZ gives us the Nucks highlight of the game. A game that really needed some light to balance the dark moods in the gamethread.

And... technically we won the 2nd. Only goal scored in the entire period. If we delete the first period from the log books due to travel, low healthy roster count and because NucksNation has the SAADs, we can proclaim almost authoritatively, the Nucks are winning the game, 1-0.

Feel better? Me neither, but string 60+ of those log-book adjusted games and we’re sitting pretty... uh... pretty.

To prove the winningness, the Nucks outshot Carolina 12-9. More math proofing.

2nd (Game Adjusted) Period ends with the road-bone-tired Nucks leading 1-0.

3rd Period

How many times have the Nucks kept a 1-0 lead going into the 3rd this season? Lots. Lots and lots of times. So many times, there’s really no point getting numbers involved unnecessarily.

Because the Nucks have the lead, a big lead by Nucks standards, they don’t need to waste energy peppering that Darling goalie with shots. So they don’t.

Judicially saving their something something for something else, they put 4 shots on goal. Thrifty. Eco-friendly even.

Then the inconceivable was somehow made conceivable by Dowd playing bobble puck in the neutral zone. Canes got bored of the slapstick display and took the puck away from him. Unfair play! Could have gone another bubbly bobbly boo round or two. Instead Williams scoots shoots and leaves. Marky to retrieve the puck out of the net.

Game is tied. Again. Just like the first half of half a minute of the 1st. But as we determined through a show of hands. Or was it a wave of hands? No matter. By showing, waving and gesticulating with our hands, we erased the 1st period from the unofficial record. Probably the official one too.

And that’s how it ended. 1-1 - all tied up with no Bo on it. Each team gleefully accepted the single point and went to their dressing rooms delighted with their play.

Except...there was a fight. Archie is in the NHL now and while he didn’t bury any chances he didn’t have, he did bury a couple punches in Santa Klas. Think that’s his name. Anyhow, Archie had a big impact in his debut. And we needed something to lift our spirits off the floor where the cat probably barfed yesterday.

We love our sparks. A dozen of those can get you a box of stars. And due to gamethread threats prompting, NM has named Archie 1st, 2nd and 3rd star of the game.

Here’s the video recap. NOTE: This was before the score-adjusted (and deleted) 1st period removal.

All’s well that ends tied. Or at least ends.

Canes outshot the Nucks 33-22. Interesting number combo. Is that a sign? They’re not coming back. Or are they. We love suspense and drama almost as much as watching the [redacted] draft position strategy work its way to the top bottom of our hearts stomachs.

Markstrom finished the tie with a decorative .879 SV% pin which he turfed in the garbage. Possibly taking a few D-men with it.

Stech wasn’t pleased about his obsolete plus/minus stat.

Bo Hurricane-Slayer Horvat went vegan in the game and lost his appetite. Because...too much ketchup makes for unpalatable game meals.

And our shining star on his 4 hit night.

Over in the Green room, the presser was shown the door. Just before he slammed it in the face of a group of single non-attending NM reporter, Green did say this:

Just more guys too. Couldn’t hurt. Because math can help - If we had say....48 guys on the roster and only half play well...then that’s 24 well played guys to put on the ice. The other half could wait on the bus keeping the beer cooler cool.

And that’s how the tie was pulled out of a sloppy 4-1 loss. With the easy game over with, a nasty back-to-back roadkill complete we can focus on the abyss. No...I mean...Dallas. Nucks are there Sunday to shoot more pucks than we can count in a single period game week.

Remember...when gazing into the abyss, that better times are near the bottom. Like that last yummy bit of peanut butter in the jar you scoop out and savour... just before you jump.

jimmi.cynic

Have a sad/mad/sappy Saturday and a tremendously sunny Sunday.