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Crazy Canuck Comeback?


SaucyJack

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With a 6-game winning streak, and 6 more to go, these Crazy Canucks find themselves in a dogfight for 3rd place in the Pacific and a slot in the playoffs. If they win their game-in-hand, they’ll surpass Vegas for 4th place, and trail LA by a mere two points for 3rd.

 

Vancouver’s best chance is 3rd place rather than a wildcard spot, it seems.

 

The Western Playoffs race as of April 5th, two weeks ago!  Whooda thunk the Canuck?!

 

 

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Vancouver, by far, has played their best hockey under Bruce Boudreau this season....and I DO credit the coach's approach to his players regarding assignments and ice time.
BB, IMO, was NOT a failure in Minnesota, so much as he simply wasn't the correct "fit" during his time there given who was in charge of the front office and the personnel he had to work with

As fans have seen in Anaheim and Washington, BB really does understand who he has on his roster and encourages those players to be exactly who they are and to use whatever abilities brought them to the NHL in the first place.
Obviously, this could be very good, or very bad, depending on the players, but when you have a roster as talented as the Canucks' overall, it is usually a good thing.

Will the team make the playoffs? I hoping so, because neither Vegas (sans missing players) or LA seem to be able to nail down their spots definitively.
That said, as well as I think Vancouver has turned things around, and as talented as they are, I still don't think they defend well enough to help bolster their outstanding goalie, Thatcher Demko, and, more glaringly, they are still one of the 'softest' overall teams in the league.

JT Miller, Luke Schenn, and maybe Tyler Myers or Bo Horvat.
Those are the only players on the roster who CONSISTENTLY get in people's faces, finish checks, and go to the 'dirty' areas of the ice and not just settle for the perimeter.

If Vancouver is truly to become a playoff contender and/or make progress once there, they are either going to have to swap out some guys in favor of others that will do the above stated, or adopt a bit of that kind of mindset with the players they have.

And since BB likes his players to 'be themselves', I am thinking the Canucks may have to make a trade or two (that DOESN'T involve trading Bo Horvat or JT Miller!) in order to meet those ends.
Also, looking at BB's track record in Anaheim and Washington, seems he likes his players to have a bit of a mean streak in them.

It will be fun to watch and see if these current Canucks can catch a playoff spot holding team, but playing the long game, I really do think GM Patrik Allvin will need to tinker with the roster in the off season (maybe even at the draft), in order to make the team more playoff competitive and better compliment their current in-their-prime players before those guys start to age out.

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56 minutes ago, Wild Thing said:

Another thing is the Canucks are doing all of this without their star captain Bo Horvat.  

 

Hoping for a bit more consistency next season.
His numbers this year are very good, but, they are of the 'all or nothing' variety.
Good streaks followed by stretches of.....nothing.

If he can spread out his production for the entire year, that along with his monster face off prowess giving his team possession more often than not, I think he could at least be in the running for a Hart!

Actually glad to see the 'Nucks shut him down for the year (at least, that was the last I understood)....get him all patched up and ready to lead this team next season, with, hopefully, a bit more of a hard nosed cast of teammates.

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56 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

Hoping for a bit more consistency next season.
His numbers this year are very good, but, they are of the 'all or nothing' variety.
Good streaks followed by stretches of.....nothing.

If he can spread out his production for the entire year, that along with his monster face off prowess giving his team possession more often than not, I think he could at least be in the running for a Hart!

Actually glad to see the 'Nucks shut him down for the year (at least, that was the last I understood)....get him all patched up and ready to lead this team next season, with, hopefully, a bit more of a hard nosed cast of teammates.

I think in his head if they do make the playoffs and if he gets a good report in his last doctors visit he will be able to suit up. Now, I believe that is from his perspective.

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