NUCKS WIN!!! (3rd In A Row!) Foil the Oil 2-1

THREE GAME WIN STREAK!!!

There’s been longer streaks this season - but those start with L and finish with ooze.

The biggest, longest win streak of this season has finally arrived. That it took this long is probably Our New Hockey Gaud’s fault. If only he had deemed to give his divine hockey affections to us sooner we might have streaked sooner. Or not.

Great to see Adam’s debut happen on a winning night. Great to see consecutive win number 3 happen against a tanker tribute team.

Want to get started? Me too.

1st Period

Let’s start with the Sedin Stat Watch.

30,000 shifts! Most were night shifts too. Fortunately, the NHLPA union has ensured no shift exceeds 20 minutes.

Anyhow we have a game to play and some players to watch. It’s unfortunate for the possibly the best player in the game is toiling away in tOil country. McD is so fast and strong on his skates, wicked with his shooting and pretty much a failure as a captain. Oh well...2 out of 3 isn’t bad. (McD was a no show in the post game pressers - captains always take the loss on the media chin. Or nickel. Too bad he doesn’t have the Twins as a mentor.)

The Oil get the opening goal courtesy of McD from an alley-oop play. Gags starts off with a blueline to redline advantage in the race to the ooping puck. Guess who cuts in on Gags, gets the puck, fights off MDZ and startles Marky? Yeah, the guy with 41 goals on the year.

Marky made a number of key saves from some sloppy turnovers early on. Maybe he asked the guys to give him a little adrenaline boost - like half the Nucks locker room, Marky was reportedly not feeling good - fighting a bug. Or...maybe he ate too many of those imported Tankerista spoiled fruit rollups that mysteriously appeared in the locker room after last game.

No matter. He stopped all 9 of 10 shots he faced, some while on his face. Talbot also stopped 10 shots. So the game is deadlocked. Like a tie, but slightly worse since it’s 1-0 OilTankers.

2nd Period

Remember way back when the season was fresh, the injury faeries were myths and the 2nd periods were all ours?

Me neither. But, pretend you do and we can continue.

Going to say the Nucks carried the play. At least one really key play. For Gags. He showed up at the right time in the right spot to shoot the penultimate winning goal from a Danny rebound. Hank with the 2nd assist.

Gags’ dawdling in the first was fully undawdled with his 10th of the year. Another Canuck gets into double digits for the season. Just slightly later... by oh...30 games than hoped. Oh well. Not every team can peak early and often.

Success breeds confidence. Confidence breeds success. But you knew that. The team is still ravaged by the ragged bandages of the Injury Faeries - 8 men down - but unlike the early faerie assaults, this late season Nucks roster plays with confidence. And it shows.

Vancouver undershoots the Oil 8-14 and scores. So not so much an under as an over. And almost done with. Tied 1-1 going into the final frame. Are you not excited?

3rd Period

You could feel the tension across the carpet to the TV. Probably static buildup, but let’s pretend these last few mean nothing games are something to get intensely hyped up about. Wootie WootWood!

Sure, that was a little fake enthusiasm, but just watch this winning play - watch Pouliot fake Talbot out of his pads.

Winning the battle in the corner, Jussi gets the puck to Goldy. A neat little fake-out play by Goldy sends the ingredients to the Pouliotric fakery for a freshly baked basket of win.

Pouliot holds a record in the NHL - his first 5 NHL goals have been game winners. If his next 10 are all GWG markers, then we know we’ve won the lottery in ways no one could imagine.

Let’s savour this highlight reel...not many left, so savour now, or forever and a summer hold your savour.

Gaudette went out and did something special - played hard and saw almost an hour of ice time in the 3rd for a total of 10:39 in his debut. Had 2 shot, 2 hits, 1 block, 25% in the dot and a hat trick. It was a theoretical hattie, so wasn’t acknowledged by this suddenly fact-based league. But, my mind saw it happen on the radio play by play. Probably during the commercials.

The Sedins have contributed 100 points this season. Where will we find two 50 point players next season if they decide to keep the Sedinery at home?

This 3 game win streak is hot on the laces of 4 wins in the last 5 games. Team Tankers were apoplectic last game. Team NM: Paper Bag Division have devised a simple infographic that full tankers or even water closet tankers can quickly scan between hyperventilating mishaps.

We’re safe. A win with no change in lotto oddity standings. Everybody WINS! Pretty much. We’re still 28th. Wings won too, so Nucks didn’t make the great leap to step 27.

Was this the best home win of the season? Not quite. You know which one that was. But it might have been Marky’s best game yet. His near Gaudly .972 SV% and perfect 3 for 3 on 2 powerplays made him the game’s first star. Only the game’s second star could stop the shutout streak. The almost shutout streak of the past 5 games.

Good Gaud! Good debut!

Over in the home Green room, the mood was looking forward to more Gaud mode.

That was fun! Watching the Nucks win tight games is not something we’ve too many times this season of 29 wins and counting. Do we dare hope for 30? Sure.

But maybe not in the next tussle at the ROG. Our 2nd top scoring sniper who deserted us in late February is tearing it up with the Jackets. And our almost not quite interim coach returns to terrify Eddie with his steely stare. Be sure to give Torts an old and stale welcome.

It’s a 1 PM PDT matinee game. Which is a fancy way of saying, don’t dawdle over lunch.

Have a fabulous Friday and simmering satirical Saturday.