GAME RECAP #18: NUCKS WIN! REALLY! Scrub Jets 3-2

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Miracle #1: Nucks get the first goal of the game. On the PP!

Miracle #2: Nucks PK didn’t give up a goal. Technically, the Nucks PK didn’t get on the ice - and that’s not a bad thing. The Nucking 5 on 6 play at the end of the 3rd had the passive static PK taste that many all find distasteful.

Miracle #3: The Nucks WIN a hockey game. At home. In regulation.

THE RELIEF - PP EDITION

After a scant 17 games, the stubborn Green finally changed up the PP unit personal. Only something that we have been calling for at least dozen games. Maybe he finally heard us through the ‘noise’. Or with looming job action, he felt it was time to be a bit creative.

Whatever. It worked. Twice! Against the league’s 2nd worst PK. I’d tell you who is the league’s worst, but saving the surprise for later.

OEL gets on PP2 and gets the puck on the net from a pass from Pete.

Petey: Nah, I don’t shoot.

Petey: passes back

OEL: Screw you Passy McPasserson, Ima shoot it myself. — Twitchy

We take a break from the awesome Nucking PP, for our new local Burrows Burroughs to get his first NHL goal. In the ROG!

Now we return to the regularly scheduled unscheduled multi-PP-goal game. Gnarland style.

The Home Nucks with jobs, seasons, possibly lower mainland civilization on the line managed to get a lead. And surprisingly, kept it.

Even better, the desperate to get a break Canucks managed to break 8 game streak Winni had in the ROG.

THE NOT-TOO GOOD

The Nucks are a great decent 5-on-5 team. Relative to special teams. But they weren’t great 5-on-5 - especially since they faced a tired Jets team on the 2nd of a B2B. But the Nucking special teams were special enough.

However, there were some (lots) of stuff to cleanup. Just ask the game thread.

The Nucks keep turning the puck over with bad no look passes from scrums behind the other team’s net.

A forward or two gets entangled with the opposing players behind the net and tries a blind pass straight to the slot. The passing lane is almost always covered because the other team is an NHL and not a beer league team and has collapsed towards the net. The pass goes straight to the other team who immediately start their transition out of the zone.

The safer play is a hard pass along the boards back to the point. Regroup and restart the attack or get a shot from the point. — Gwailoh

What about Capt’n Bo?

Bo looks bored, right? — Darren_Pinecone

No worries.

he hasn’t shown up outside a faceoff circle for weeks now — copey

Also...

There’s the blind pass to the slot resulting in a turnover and transition offence for the other team — Gwailoh

And the Nucking 5-on-6 strategy at the end nearly sunk the win. Hideous passive PK flashbacks for the game thread and beyond.

That was a lot better, but the big mean Jets still sure pushed the Nucks around a lot, and there was little push in the 3rd period. Prototypical Travis coaching. Even Shorty was like “too passive on the 6-5” and wham in the net. And a lot of trouble of getting the puck out. — copey

Pete and the Confidence Dragon

He looked more engaged tonight. Still not nearly the Sneaky Pete we so clearly need, but he got an apple playing on PP2 and had 3 shots on goal. He seemed to be seeing the ice better and more on the puck, despite the 2 offensive blueline puck bobbles.

If the Nucks can win a few more games with a few several more PP goals, that will help Pete help us get near the top of the division - 500 edition.

Brock, like Pete, was on the ‘3rd’ line with Diki. That got Pete’s attention. Brock didn’t seem to notice and finished the game with no shots. Oh well, the Nucks top goal scorer from last season can’t have forgotten the pleasure of sniping a goal every game or so.

A Happy Vid Replay

The 2 Johns give us something to cheer about. For a few hours.

GAME STATS (stats you haven’t seen - in a very long time)

	SOG	FO%	PP	PIM	HITS	BLKS	GVA
Jets WPG	39	33%	0/0	8	24	7	5
Canucks VAN	29	67%	2/3	2	22	18	10

SHOT COUNTING (More Nucking Shots Count)

PLAYER STATS (Hey! We have some good players)

Talented Pressering

GWGnarland talks about the changed up PP.

Demmers saved the game at the end. And at the beginning. And in the middle. And the game’s 1st star. He and our local D-hero shared the twin podiums.

Over in the Green room - sorry Westy - the mood is much much better than it could have been. Again, sorry, Westy.

A win is a win. And it feels good. A feeling we haven’t felt much.

A win that seemed more rare than getting regular gas on the south Island this week.

A win that might help the Nucks dig out of the pit of doom powered by the gravity wells of the PK. Maybe the secret of the PK is to never take a penalty. Or even better, for the remaining games perhaps NM could supply fully vetted one-eyed refs, rather than the blind-game-deciding NHL ones.

Or... maybe Green gives more motivational locker room speeches.

This is what I imagined that the coach did before the game. He walked into the locker room and said: “Listen everybody. Hey, look at me when I’m talking!! If you take a f”cking penalty today, I swear to God that you sit the rest of the game”.

Then he stormed out. — Atty

Or maybe...

But not before getting down on his knees and pleading “Pleeeeaasssseeeeee play hard today!! I like this job! Jim likes his job! We like you guys so please please pleasepleaseplease play hard! I’ll buy everyone who plays hard a big steak supper!”

Petey, thinking to himself: “I don’t really like steak...” — Atty

Nucks are a better team when playing with the lead. Maybe they could try that more often. Score the 1st goal of the game on the PP. How hard can that be?

This is only the start of the beginning of the clawing back to mediocre. No cellies. Sorry. It’s back to work on Sunday.

They’ll beat Chicago, but then the road trip will determine if Green and Co. keep their jobs. — copey

Small steps. Win the next game. Then go on out and win some tough road games. Then see if this roster has a 500 future to give us for the holidays. The summer holidays.