RECAP #40: Nucks Win Zippity Do D’uh. Get Shutout 3-0 by the Sens

Mission Accomplished. 3 game win streaks are waay too showy for a team still on a Covid comeback tour.

This was sort of an unexpected loss for the Nucks. If they had played Murray the Sieve from January. This Murray looked like a goalie dialed-in. We had one of those last game. And the one before.

The young gun Sens are under no pressure to do anything but have fun playing hockey. The Covid comeback Nucks were under no pressure last Sunday. But... the 2 game win streak brought up that fun-killing standings watch.

Oh well... let’s move on.

THE FUGLY

The game was over in the 1st. Really.

Because of penalties and a Fedling PK, the Sens jumped out to an early 2 goal lead. Hamonic (the last left side PK vet left) took himself off the ice - maybe to defend honour or something.

With or without Eddie, the burden of Fedling is being shared by many players.

The reffing was terrible. Especially in the first.

are we keeping a running total of the times that the announcers say

“Thing happens to Canuck player: No call!”

Three so far. — Raddy

But it’s the NHL, so good, sharp officiating is an anomaly. They have a low standard to maintain.

Maybe Demmers (actually, Myers) could have been a little sharper on the 2nd goal, but he got zero goal support from his team. Demmers kept them in it until it was obvious the Nucks 5-on-5 and PP weren’t able to help anything - but game thread hard beverage vendors.

THE FATIGUED

The last 2 games Nucks were running on adrenaline and not worried about being sharp.

Tonight, the Nucks looked fatigued - tho not sharply fatigued. But not sharp on the little things, like passes, puck recovery, puck battles. And putting puck in the net play.

Is this Covid fatigue or 3 week layoff game timing? Doesn’t matter.

What matters is the Sens are a young fast team, with decent defence making Murray look like a Cup winning stopper. At the worst possible time. For us.

What is slightly worrying if one wanted to bring up the 10-points-behind-l’éléphant-in-4th narrative, and I don’t. So I won’t.

What is also slightly worrying is... if the Nucks don’t win the next 3 no-pressure games against the Sens, then the Nucks will be the last place team in the division. I don’t like worrying, so I won’t.

Whatever happens can’t happen soon enough in this crazy Covidian season. It’s not a lost season, but it is missing... uh... yeah, it’s a lost season.

VIDEO No-Highlights

At least the 2 Johns are in mid-season form and carrying the weight well.

GAME STATS (Deviating to the meaness)

	SOG	FO%	PP	PIM	HITS	BLKS	GVA
Senators OTT	25	36%	2/4	17	28	19	2
Canucks VAN	31	65%	0/4	27	24	13	6

SHOT COUNTING (Nucks win the stat we don’t care about)

PLAYER STATS (Hamonic giving the kids their own Fedling PK time)

No Goals Presser

It wasn’t a poor effort by the Nucks - other than not getting enough high danger chances, too many giveaways and not enough hits.

No... it was a mismatch of expectations. Our expectations were to continue the 5 game win streak the Nucks had over the Sens. The old Sens.

The young fast skating Sens are upsetting everyone. Except Sens fans. As few as they might be.

This loss would have been expected and more easily accepted against the division’s top team. Instead, the Nucks beat the leaders twice. Now, we hope the Nucks can beat the bottom of the division twice. At least.

Upside down, bottom up hockey. It’s the new normal. Until it’s abnormally normal. So... was this a tough loss or good loss? Or just another bilge pump failure on the good ship 500 hockey?

Doesn’t matter. What matters is the Nucks players, coaches and their families can emerge from this covid comeback without any long term health effects. That would be the best win of all.