RECAP: NUCKS WIN!!! The Game! With 5 Predatory Goals vs the Preds!

Game started quietly and finished with a WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

If you missed the game, bummer. It was so good, other than the tedious first and scary second, that no recap can do it justice.

Thanks for reading.

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Still here? Fine. Read between the little lines, the little smile lines that will cover the screen. Smile lines, not age lines - to be clear.

I know, we’ve all aged more than a couple weeks these past couple weeks. So many questions and so few goals to answer.

That changed tonight.

Was it the full moon? The raw power of NucksNation angst? What powered the Nucks to a victory so desperately needed by fans?

The fans. At the ROG.

With that kind of power powering the Nucks out of the gate, you know there will only be one outcome. Will it be the correct one?

Let’s find out.

1st Period

Period begins and the dreaded predatory game of Smashville is kept at bay. Nucks get some good looks early and almost often.

However, it’s only good looks and dazzling charm, of course. Demko is looking good and sharp, so the Preds can’t break the tie. Or get the first goal.

The Nucks PK loses a key PKer before the PK. Sutter, skating alone, injures/re-injures something something. Goes to the room in pain.

The Faeries of November are cruel. But you knew that.

No matter, the Nucks PK keeps the Preds at bay. Period ends scoreless with each team getting 8 shots on goal. Even if our 8 were the better looking shots. Probably just the lighting in the ROG.

Nucks get a late power-play - with 3 seconds to go.

2nd Period

By sheer time-keeping suspension of time-keeping during the intermission, the Nucks get to play with the 1:57 left in power-play power.

It’s the second unit on the ice. Even better, it’s Pearson with the slick deke and slicker shot that beats Rinne. Woooo! Tanner is off the 100 game goal drought. Ok, just felt like a hundred games since his early season outburst.

He was so happy about getting the gargantuan no-goal ghoul off his back he almost did something stupid to celebrate.

I was about to punch the glass, but I thought I’d break my hand, so I didn’t. It was definitely good to get that one. - Pearson

The ROG is celebrating. And not punching the glass either.

However, Smashville wanted to break something. And did. The Nucks lead.

Those predatory instincts in a visitor jersey ramped up the pressure. Demko was under a deluge of hot shots. Faced what seemed like 125 high danger chances. The entire game thread had to look away and focus on knitting the traditional NM rum cozies.

Didn’t help. Duchene shoots and the rebound comes to Jarnkrok who slams it past Demko.

The game thread, slammed down their knitting and screamed at the TV. Or maybe it was just me.

No matter. It’s a tie game. I had asked just a day or so ago for the Nucks to eek out a 1-0 win until the goal floodgates were ready to flow again.

Preds outshoot (last year’s) Nucks 19-7 in the period. Good thing that Demko is student of history - he quickly adapted to the medieval siege mentality amidst the slings and arrows of shot predation.

3rd Period

1-1 tie. At home. Fine. Just need to hang on until the SO and Pete can undress Rinne in public again. Pete’s first NHL penalty shot shocked Rinne out of his jock last year. But I digress. Won’t happen again. Too soon.

Still... Rinne knows he can’t beat Pete too often. It’s another Nucks power-play and it seems like the 21st best PK in the NHL might have succeeded.

Nope. Pete gathers a rolling groaning puck and whips it past a groaning Rinne. Wow! What a shot. Happy Birthday Pete! And to the ROG!

Two Canucks power-plays and 2 goals! It’s science fiction mystery theater on ice.

Even better, it’s a commanding Nucks one goal lead in the middle of the 3rd.

As if on command, the Preds are back, pushing and shooting and Granlund tips a point shot past Demko. We traded the wrong Granlund.

Fine. Back to Plan B. Win in SO. But still... the game thread knitting is all knotted up. Just like the game. Dammit.

Just when the game thread was chewing on their badly needled rum cozies, Turris takes a stupid penalty in the offensive zone. Except that it’s in our defensive zone, so that makes it a brilliant penalty.

I know, I was watching too, but as the 1st unit failed to cash in on a brilliant Turris moment, I didn’t think the Nucks would/could go 3-for-3 on the PP.

I love it when my thinking is wrong. Except at tax time. Don’t love it so much then. But I digress.

The get ‘em hot ‘n greasy 2nd unit has no issue with playing simple well lubed rebounding hockey. Oh my Gaud! Howdy Gaudy, 3rd time’s a charm.

Woooo! Lead restored. The commanding one goal lead is back.

But, as we might have seen in recent minutes, the Preds don’t obey proper commanding lead etiquette.

So... what would be better than Pete scoring a power-play goal? Correct. It’s a 5-on-5 GWG. (it’s the GWG because it’s who I predicted to score the GWG - spooky, I know)

The killer Nashville D deflect a Brock-shot right to... the freshly 21 year old Alien. Bam!

Woooooooooo! It’s 4-2 Nucks.

No way those Tennessean ice wanders can close the gap now.

Unless they get on the power-play, and the legendary Nucks PK is no longer playing PK killer legends like Motte, Beagle or Sutter. The Faeries of November probably should have gotten the primary assist on the Forsberg goal.

Fine. One goal commanding lead with only 5 minutes to play. How hard can that be?

Hard enough for the scattered remnants of the game thread to seek and siphon hard liquids.

Not to worry. I wasn’t. Worry is such a 2nd period thing this month.

Down to the final 2 minutes and Rinne goes to the bench. That’s good. Nashville replaces him with another forward. That’s not so good.

Back to siege hockey night in the ROG.

With his long drought broken, Pearson is free to wait until the last few seconds of the period, of the game, to loft a luxurious puck of redemption 200 feet into a former well-guarded net.

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

What a game. What a win. Happy Win-Day, Pete!

Preds outshoot the Nucks 37-26. Dat 2nd.... But that 3rd was amazing.

And even better, the 5 goals-a-game Canucks are back in action. And not a game too soon.

Not everyone was winning... Some old cool guy looked kinda grumpy.

The 2 Johns were feeling better as the highlights got brighter.

STATS (Of the WINNNNNNING Kind)

PLAYERS (Happy B-Day to Us and Pete)

Did the better team win? Or the luckier team? Yes and yes. Because the good teams make their own luck. After that 4 game skid towards... you know where that skid leads... it’s a cliff... and ...

No matter. Battered and Faery-whipped, the depleted Nucks gut out a win on home ice.

Wooooooooooooooo!

Let’s hear from the drought-breaker.

And the happy birthday’d Pete.

Coach ‘Gutsy’ Green knew the next win would be gutsy.

Before we get too excited. Ok, we’re already too excited. While we’re so excited, let’s enjoy the win. And start a new home win streak. Why not?

Dallas is in the ROG on Thursday to assist us in extending the one game win streak. I’d thank them in advance, but that might seem a little arrogant. I might wait until later.

Enjoy the best hump day of the month!