San Jose 6 Vancouver 4
Thoughts from the game: New thingiemabob circling the area. Yay. New ways to advertise. Does this mean the ticket prices are going down? It did look rather snazzy though. Don't like the removal of the out of town scoreboards, shot counter, penalty counter and time. Too hard to see the numbers of what they do offer between adverts.
I think this was the first time that they hauled all the players on the ice for the home opener. Nice to get a look at all the players, but when did we pick up Kevin Linden?
Goaltending: Luongo had a tough night. Shit happens and sometimes a God will look human. He'll be fine.
Defense: Ohlund's starting to look a little more like Ohlund. Maybe in a couple of games he'll get back to normal. Mitchell is probably worth his money, but haven't seen that yet. Having said that, haven't really seen that in many of the players yet. A few of the boards have been ragging on Fitzpatrick. Being a minus three will give that sort of attention. It is too early for me to give the thumbs down yet. Krajicek didn't leave any impression on me which can be a good thing as I tend to notice either really good plays or really idiotic ones. Poor Luc. Looks terrified to make a mistake yet the one time he decides to pinch the puck ends up in the back of the net. See you next game, Luc. What I don't understand is that you have this rookie that makes rookie mistakes and he gets punished for it? Uh, okay. Last but not least - Bieksa. I was really impressed with him last year and was hoping that he would make the team this year. Some really smart plays and a goal with two assists. Nice.
Offence: The Sedins. They are going to be a treat to watch this year. I am not quite sure what to think of a linemate for them. There have been arguments for and against Naslund staying with them, but they really need someone who will crash the net and have a little finish. Naslund probably should be anchoring his own line. One line that I saw in preseason that looked good was the Kesler/Cooke/Burrows line and really haven't seen it again. I wonder why? Bulis was brought in obstentiously for the twins yet he isn't really playing with them.
Bulis and Pyatt showed a little skill but not able to finish. Hope that changes. Hope a lot of things change from last night's game. Can't really say anything about any of the other forwards as they didn't really exist. They skated and no one got hurt but.....
Honestly, though, it would have been nice for the Canucks to have won the game and they looked good at times (hello Mr. Sedin and Mr. Sedin) but there was no finish, spotty passing, tentative play, dubious defensive coverage (two breakaways ended up in the net including the sixth back breaking goal) and odd line pairing.
Having said that, the Sharks looked good last year and are pretty much intact while the Canucks have gone through wholesale changes. Not to make excuses, but a little time should sort some of this out. If they are still playing this way on the 20th game then perhaps they have a serious problem.
If I were the coach: I'd start to work those lines a little. Yes, Crawford made me batty with his insane line changes, but in this case with so many new faces there has to be a line combination that works that doesn't include a Sedin. Try them for a whole game. See how they look. Three shifts just won't do it.
Obligatory rant: Some Vancouver fans are idiots. First home game and already hearing garbage about how Luongo a is bum. STFU, have another beer and relax. Then, because of too much beer (or just because they are idiots) there were almost two fights in my section. It's really hard to watch the game with five security guards in front of you. At least this time security didn't have the guy fall on my legs as they were trying to drag him away.
Next game: Edmonton Oilers Monday, October 16 at the Garage
I think this was the first time that they hauled all the players on the ice for the home opener. Nice to get a look at all the players, but when did we pick up Kevin Linden?
Goaltending: Luongo had a tough night. Shit happens and sometimes a God will look human. He'll be fine.
Defense: Ohlund's starting to look a little more like Ohlund. Maybe in a couple of games he'll get back to normal. Mitchell is probably worth his money, but haven't seen that yet. Having said that, haven't really seen that in many of the players yet. A few of the boards have been ragging on Fitzpatrick. Being a minus three will give that sort of attention. It is too early for me to give the thumbs down yet. Krajicek didn't leave any impression on me which can be a good thing as I tend to notice either really good plays or really idiotic ones. Poor Luc. Looks terrified to make a mistake yet the one time he decides to pinch the puck ends up in the back of the net. See you next game, Luc. What I don't understand is that you have this rookie that makes rookie mistakes and he gets punished for it? Uh, okay. Last but not least - Bieksa. I was really impressed with him last year and was hoping that he would make the team this year. Some really smart plays and a goal with two assists. Nice.
Offence: The Sedins. They are going to be a treat to watch this year. I am not quite sure what to think of a linemate for them. There have been arguments for and against Naslund staying with them, but they really need someone who will crash the net and have a little finish. Naslund probably should be anchoring his own line. One line that I saw in preseason that looked good was the Kesler/Cooke/Burrows line and really haven't seen it again. I wonder why? Bulis was brought in obstentiously for the twins yet he isn't really playing with them.
Bulis and Pyatt showed a little skill but not able to finish. Hope that changes. Hope a lot of things change from last night's game. Can't really say anything about any of the other forwards as they didn't really exist. They skated and no one got hurt but.....
Honestly, though, it would have been nice for the Canucks to have won the game and they looked good at times (hello Mr. Sedin and Mr. Sedin) but there was no finish, spotty passing, tentative play, dubious defensive coverage (two breakaways ended up in the net including the sixth back breaking goal) and odd line pairing.
Having said that, the Sharks looked good last year and are pretty much intact while the Canucks have gone through wholesale changes. Not to make excuses, but a little time should sort some of this out. If they are still playing this way on the 20th game then perhaps they have a serious problem.
If I were the coach: I'd start to work those lines a little. Yes, Crawford made me batty with his insane line changes, but in this case with so many new faces there has to be a line combination that works that doesn't include a Sedin. Try them for a whole game. See how they look. Three shifts just won't do it.
Obligatory rant: Some Vancouver fans are idiots. First home game and already hearing garbage about how Luongo a is bum. STFU, have another beer and relax. Then, because of too much beer (or just because they are idiots) there were almost two fights in my section. It's really hard to watch the game with five security guards in front of you. At least this time security didn't have the guy fall on my legs as they were trying to drag him away.
Next game: Edmonton Oilers Monday, October 16 at the Garage
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