RECAP: NUCKS WIN!!! Tough Loss - Hogtied 3-1

Ah, youth. It’s wonderful to be young. It’s been wonderful to watch our young guns play hard and learn hard. But, when youth learns the hard way, it’s hard on us.

Let’s get this Little Thing out of the way early. Loui didn’t score, so we didn’t win. Simple statistics can be cruel.

With the 3 game WINNING Streak on the line a majority of the SPW thread was confident that the WINNING streak would continue. SPW confidence isn’t a great measure of success.

It’s true, the Nucks have beat Calgary in their previous 3 ice-tanglements. But, stretch run tangling is a different type of tango and 35 year old Giordano is playing like he’s 25. So...unfair advantage.

1st Period

The 1st starts in the traditional way. The Nucks spot the visitor some shots and puck possession stats.

Yet Brock almost gave the game thread the will to watch a HNIC game with the sound on, but Smith took the fresh buds of hope and smacked them away with a lunging glove save. Mute buttons reengaged.

But that wasn’t enough tough luckies. So the Nucks use their defensive breakdown mojo to give Calgary an early Giordano tally. And HNIC, the 70 screaming points salutation. Ugh. (NOTE: Turn down the volume or face the voice of rusty nails on a screeching chalkboard)

After the goal, the game thread had some pushback.

The Nucks were saving their big pushback for another period. Or two.

Shots were 12-6 in disfavour of Vancouver. Much disfavour in the gamethread as well. Ok, not as much if we weren’t riding a 3 game win streak. We’re not greedy, but beating Calgary is better than not.

The Nucks were lucky to get out of the period just one goal down. The game thread wasn’t as lucky. They already saw the 2nd GA. Earlier than hoped.

2nd Period

The period had more edge. More snarl. Would have been a great Roussel game. We asked to have it postponed until later, but the league only postpones games for eastern teams.

Harmonic and Motte took self-cancelling unsporting conduct penalties.

And then the game thread pre-ordained 2nd GA occurred. Maybe we will insist on non-ordained comments in future.

This was an unfortunate series of events. Pete had beat the icing and then got tangled with a Cowtown puck-poker and lost control of the poked puck. He was tired and went to the bench as the play came up the ice. Flames shoot the puck into the Nucks zone. Beagle is on the ice, but in the middle part.

With his wingers going the wrong way and no center to cover, Brisebois passes to Schenn who attempts to send a hailing Mary to whoever can carry Mary the other way.

But, 25 year old, Giordano intercepts the hail and brings it into the soft defensive under belly and passes it off to Halfway who puts half a backhand towards a half-screened Marky.

Not a good look for the play-from-behind gang.

The game thread wasn’t as chipper as the hockey which was getting more chippy. It appeared that Bo had knocked out Johnny Hockey. Or at least a couple teeth. Actually it was worse. Johnny’s stick had smacked Johnny in the face. The Flames wanted to smack Bo, but the refs settled the score with penalties to Granny and Backlund.

The shots were more even, even if the play wasn’t. Vancouver just undershot 9-10.

Oh well. 2 goal lead. We know how treacherous those can be.

LotteryLuck was playing the devil’s optimist:

The Plan - Give Flames the dreaded 2-0 leadScore 2 in the last 5 and win it in OT

3rd Period

Ok, no fooling around. The two goal lead will fall. The Nucks mean it.

But how? The Flames are possessed with a puck possession fetish. Who do they think they are, Vegas?

Doesn’t matter.

Because the period starts 4-on-4 which means one less red puck possessor. And it gets better, because Johnny Hockey makes a stupid play on Jake, takes him down - almost slew foot style. To the box with him.

The crack 4-on-3 Nucks 1st unit takes its sweet 10 seconds and scores the almost tieing goal with a Brocket! A point for Pete and Eddie.

The comeback is almost complete. The outmatched Nucks are playing hard on the puck, the boards, the game thread nerves.

And then the comeback was derailed by a Jake fly-by at the point. 24 year old (gets younger with every point), Giordano was holding the puck in at the point, Jake could have checked him. Or smacked the puck out of the zone, but chose to follow the Goldy path of no resistance.

One pass later, it’s a 3-1 game. In the wrong direction.

The bigger the comeback, the bigger the effort. Or the chippier the effort.

Whatever.

The Nucks keep pushing and Smith keeps flopping. He’s out to handle the puck behind the net, Eddie moves in and brushes Smith to intercept the puck. Smith explodes. Limbs, mask launch into the air like a hollywood special efx.

Eddie gets 2 minutes for setting off the effects artist. That’s pretty much the end of the game. Except for the How To Get Fresh Baked Cookies moment. Toughchuk is getting gnarly around Marky. Marky gives him a heavy goalie stick slash. Chicky will be baking Marky specials for days.

Stech took a puck in the face by getting low enough on the ice to get it fresh and hard. Went to the dressing room. He’s tough, expect he would’ve be ready for OT, if there was an OT ready for him. But, there wasn’t.

Anyhow, the game ends with a token win for the Flames. We beat them in the season series 3-1, so that makes us the best of the worst in the West.

Here’s the HNIC vid recap, just to make you long for the 2 Johns.

Country & Western Stats

Young Gun Stats

²⁄₃ small mistakes + ¹⁄₃ not enough isn’t enough for Pete.

Here’s our Brocket launcher.

Over in the Green Room, you could feel the intensity.

No time to whimper or gripe. We’re back on the NHL Scheduling B-2-B time compression bus. Fortunately, the bus is only driving in a circle.

Nucks are back in the ROG to face Torts and his team of 3 points out of last seed in the east. Could be another intense game. Could be a better game. Or not.

Could be some new or old faces on the ice. Sven is likely back - with Schaller cruising the pressbox popcorn maker. Quinn likely won’t play, but new kid, Josh Teves could. Replacing Brisebois, who only played 9:21 and was a minus 3.

Demko will face the crass American team because he can stop their crass puckery using the native lingo. And other goal tending techniques.

Enjoy the short sting of a bad Country song sung out of tune by a drugstore cowboy. It’s time to start a fresh new winning streak in the most important Sunday game of the day.