RECAP: NUCKS WIN! Edge out the Refs, the Curse, the Sabres 6-5 in OT

It’s two strikes against the Nucks before the game begins.

Strike One: It’s another retro day and the curse of the retro jersey.

Strike Two: It’s a matinee game. Games that have not been kind to us.

At least it’s a matinee game in the ROG, not in some stinky eastern rink where the lighting is dark and our thoughts darker.

It’s 80s night... er... throwback day. Crank up the boombox. Stretch out that 40 year old lycra. Oh... and NM voted worst jersey in 50 years.

That NM vote for the worst Nucks jersey raised so much controversy we’re lucky to still have any goalies left.

But we do. And he’s pretty good. Except he gets shelled. No matter, we still win. Barely. Close wins in OT are just as good as closing out the game in the last few minutes of the third.

Ok, they’re not. But a win is a win and to watch Eichel have a hissy fit at the end of OT is almost worth watching the Nucks give up lead after lead.

Meanwhile... the game thread just wanted to have fun...

1st Period

The Retro-Nucks are flying at the start. Maybe it was having Steamer part of the opening ceremonies. Maybe it was just a change-up strategy.

Whatever it was, we liked the look. Even if there was a little jersey-shock.

The V’d-up Nucks were buzzing. In the first few minutes had 3 excellent chances.

By the 10 minute mark the Nucks had put 12 shots on Hart Hutton, where the visitors (not wearing retro jerseys - vibe killers) only had 2.

With that much yellow and black streaking around the ROG, you just knew that Benn would loft a puck upto Leivo and leave it behind Hutton.

Leives is on fire right now

Triple shift him, Trav - ‘82

Wooo! Scored the first goal of the game. Wearing a retro jersey. That’s a pretty good start.

It should be noted that the Nucks received a bonus power-play 2 minutes into the game - which of course hurt momentum which is why the refs wouldn’t grant another one for a really long time. Thanks, refs.

The flyin’ Vs outshot the stoggy visitors 9-5 in the period - according to the NHL official log - which we know was doctored - because I can count to 12. Not reliably, but still...

2nd Period

1 goal lead going into the 2nd. That’s good.

Even better. Rooouse is back in the house and on the board.

On course for a 90 point season? Probably.

Krueger was thinking of challenging for goalie interference, but decided against it. Good decision, but bad awareness. Sabres don’t have our video guy, so they missed a probable offside on the play. Oh well... can’t call them all. As Pete, Bo and Nucks will find out soon enough.

2-0 Retro-Nucks! It’s like a dream.

That turns into a nightmare as Buuufaloo scores 2 quick goals to tie the game. Told you they were vibe killers.

Worse they seemed to want more. But Dem said no.

And the tie-breaking Nucks break the tie on a pass from 99-points-in-101-games Pete. Passes to Leivo, who, of course, scores! Wooo!

As the game game thread noted,

It’s Leivo Day today - radivel

It’s Nucks 3-2. The 2 1 goal lead restored. Keep on rockin’ in the free ROG.

And then the freedom was crushed by a missed call and a bad call. Pete is knocked into the Saabers’ net. No call. Play goes up the ice. Johansson tries to go 1 on 2 through Myers and Quinn. Myers checks him and he falls into Quinn’s stick.

And yes, the refs call Quinn for tripping. Bad call. Made worse as the Vibe-Killers from NY state score on the unearned PP.

Even the 2 Johns were upset about that sequence. You know it’s bad when they get upset with the refs. These refs, Garrett Rank, Ghislain Hebert have never officiated a single playoff game. Probably just a coincidence.

Game thread concurs.

Eichel didn’t deserve that assist

the refs did - radivel

The refs did call 3 penalties in the period tho. All on the Nucks. Maybe they were just following NM’s worst jersey vote and keeping the retro-jersey curse alive and horrible.

We’ll never know.

What we do know is that the game is tied 3-3. And the pointy-sworders outshot the V-Nucks 15-10.

3rd Period

Fine. Tied in the 3rd is better than the dreaded 2 or 3 goal lead.

Early in the period the Nucks are pressing. That means it’s time to call a penalty. The refs call Roussel. For tripping. Whatever.

The retro curse is getting help from everywhere. Who ya gonna call?

A former Sabre would be apropos. It’s a shortie for Myers! His 1st Nucks goal! Wooo!

Thar be on-ice justice.

The retro-lead is restored and the break dancin’ ROG-ladites can consider purchasing some retro-merc after the well-deserved retro-regulation win.

But’s it’s only a 1 goal lead. We need insurance.

Who else is on fire? On course for a 90 point season? Oh, yeah. Rooooooooous!

5-3 retro-lead with just 9 minutes to play. 9 long and 2-goal-dreaded-lead to play.

And then it’s a 1 goal lead.

And guess what... with a minute to play, it’s a 0 goal lead. The Sabres get the dreaded EN tieing goal.

And that puts a damper on slaying the the retro-jersey curse, despite the retro-shots advantage of 9-8.

Especially since Bo isn’t available for OT as he’s following concussion protocol. Why? Could it be another missed call on a cheap blindside headshot from Montour? Yes, yes it could.

OT

The non-retro spoil sports have a better record than the (not quite)-V-necked-Nucks. The Nucks have never won in OT this season.

Until today.

Jokiharju gets called for interference on Jake. Then Eichel scores. Except he scores nothing. He’s an angry Eichel. Feels the refs are unfair. Haven’t called a Buff penalty since the 1st period. Why now?

Game thread is, as always, sympathetic to the visitor’s lost cause.

Suck it up, Jack

you got like 7 stupid calls in your favor in a row, stop your whining - radivel

The (not)-V-Nucks are on the PP. Quinn Vs-up the V-goal from Miller. It’s a V-ictory!

Ok...I may have taken a little liberty with my V-tale. The Nucks didn’t wear the democratically despised V-jersey. They wore that barely disliked Yellow Black Skate jersey. So... you caught me on that one. But totally missed when I went offside.

No matter.

The retro-jersey curse is over. Barely. Until the next retro-game.

RETRO GAME STATS

PLAYER STATS

Poor .95 Demko gets stunned into sub-90s. It is an 80s retro game, however, so it’s historically accurate at least.

Let’s here from the ‘Ripper’

Rooouse is feeling good and loose - but not happy about those loose leads.

The game-winning shortie from Myers was a boost. (for a few minutes)

In the Retro-Green room, Trav is thrilled with the 80s run ‘n gun game.

The good moral fibre point from this game is that the game was won. After giving up the lead in the 2nd and 3rd, the Nucks never got behind, they just got evened. That’s progress. That’s 80s hockey.

Those Flying V Yellow Black Skate jerseys look better after a win. The 2 game win streak looks better than the 1 game streak. And we want more.

On Tuesday night, the Babsocks-less Laffs visit the ROG to face a tougher team than those pushover Cup champs. Keep the streak in the streets, rinks and game thread, NM.