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Apr 12 2015 10:04pm
Quick recap of the last two games:

Almost everyone had a good game against Coyotes. We did give up a few more quality chances than one would like against a terrible roster but Lack was sharp and we did score 5 goals.

Didn't pay too much attention to the Oilers game 'cause it was meaningless and the players played like it. Miller doesn't look like he's ready, Lack must be the starter for the playoffs.


Onto the playoffs!

Baertschi sent down, so at least one of Richardson, Matthias or Kassian will play. If all 3 are ready that gives us some amazing bottom-6 depth.

Richardson is probably the most important out of the 3 because he can anchor the 4th line. Kassian would help if he bumps Burrows down, but that probably won't be the case.

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One important thing that should give Canucks fans confidence is our special teams going into the playoffs. The PP has been clicking lately (both units) and our PK has been amongst the best all year. Even if our PP dries up, it's been shown that you can survive in the playoffs as long as you have an excellent PK.

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Will be interesting to see how Lack does in his first playoff year. This series might just come down to goaltending (albeit you can say that about most series).

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Secondary scoring was the biggest question mark coming into the season, but it's almost been a strength. Nervous about it slowing down in the playoffs when things are much tighter.

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Apr 13 2015 02:06pm
Shinkaruk 11 points in his last 13 games :) Good sign after an awful first half of the season.
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Apr 13 2015 09:45pm
Sort of long IDC go cry.

My player grades for the entire regular season, based on their role and expectations:

Chris Tanev = A+ ... 22 point pace while playing very little power-play time. Can't think of many D-men in the league (if any) better than Tanev in his half of the rink. Chews up and spits out top forwards on a nightly basis.

Alex Edler = A+ ... Went from scapegoat last season to a tank this year. The Edler - Tanev pairing (top-5 pairing in the league) is one of the main reasons we're back in the playoffs. Still need him to be better offensively but his all-around game was excellent.

Radim Vrbata = A+ ... 65 point pace including over 30 goals. Guy scored clutch regular and shootout goals all season and gave the team the pure skill and talent it desperately needed. I was going to give him just an "A" but him being able to produce on the 2nd line without the Sedins makes him an "A+" player.

Jannik Hansen = A+ ... 33 points from 3rd liner who was great defensively, added a lot of energy and helped Horvat take a step. Awesome season all around for the Honey Badger.

Henrik Sedin = A ... Henrik continued on being one of the premier two-way centers in the league. Took on a heavy workload and handled it well. A few more points would have put him at a PPG pace and earned him an "A+" grade.

Daniel Sedin = A ... Big bounce back year for Daniel when most (including me) thought he might not hit 70 points again. Unfortunately he hasn't regained his sniper form but was still an elite player overall. Like Henrik, a PPG pace would have made it an "A+" grade.

Brad Richardson = A ... I've never been too high on him but I can't argue against the numbers: 38 point pace while playing tough minutes with lower-end line-mates and no PP time... that is amazing. Would have gave him an "A+" but missing half the season lowers his grade a bit.

Nick Bonino = A- ... 42 point pace for a 2nd line center who faced tough match-ups with ~3rd line wingers for almost the whole year is awesome. Probably could have had 50-55 points if he had Vrbata on his ES and PP line all year. "A-" because he did go through a major slump in the middle of the year.

Bo Horvat = A- ... Kind of a tough first half of the season (partly because the coach didn't trust him or use him enough) but by the end of the season he developed into a legit 3rd line center. Can't wait to see this guy grow up over the next decade, he's a beauty.

Dan Hamhuis = B+ ... Had a "B" season overall because of some consistency issues but that stretch of games he had where he carried an AHL defense during our injuries upgrades him a bit. He isn't as mistake-free as he used to be but there's no denying that he always makes his partner look good (Weber, Sbisa, Bieksa, etc).

Derek Dorsett = B+ ... We hate how many minutes he gets but that's not his fault. 25 points from a 4th liner that can fight/add toughness and has supposedly been very important in the locker room? I'll take that everyday.

Chris Higgins = B+ ... He's an elite 3rd liner that's asked to be a 2nd liner, so I don't want to blame him for his lack of production based on his minutes. A 38 point pace is still decent considering he admit he had trouble focusing during his slump in the middle of the year because of his name being in the rumor-mill while his wife was pregnant and they were getting settled in a new house.

Eddie Lack = B+ ... Up and down season but he was pretty good overall considering he's supposed to be our backup. Really raised his level of play down the stretch which makes most Canucks fans confident with him going into the playoffs.

Ryan Miller = B ... I think he was better than most Canucks do but the stats can't lie that much. Very average, or even below average, GAA and SV% numbers. Still, I think he offered stability and a veteran presence in net. Don't know if Lack would have succeeded if he was our starter from the beginning.

Yannick Weber = B ... All over the map which makes it really tough to give him a grade so I'm just going to go down the middle. For a lot of the season he looked like a #6/7 guy at best but at other points he did a solid job in a #2-4 role. At the end of the season he was stable on a 2nd pairing with Hamhuis and gave our top PP unit some life.

Shawn Matthias = B... Decent stats for a 3rd liner but most of his production came from one hot streak in the middle of the season. Still he was good defensively and very versatile, which made him a valuable piece of the puzzle.

Alex Burrows = B- ... Didn't have that good of a season outside of the games he played with the Sedins. He still has great chemistry with them but if he's not on their line he's a 3rd liner at best.

Ryan Stanton = C+ ... Inconsistent season after being a solid bottom-pairing guy all of last year. Wasn't awful but his regression was disappointing. Sbisa being re-signed probably means the end of his time in Vancouver, at least as a regular. Good guy to keep around as a #7 if he wants to stay.

Linden Vey = C+ ... 26-27 point pace for a rookie is decent, especially since he didn't always have the best line-mates. But he did get a lot of PP time and he wasn't exactly great defensively. Just an "okay" season but I see potential in him going forward.

Kevin Bieksa = C ... Inconsistent defensively most of the year, so bad that it even looks like he makes Sbisa worse at times. Also didn't do anything with ample PP time. Would be a "C-" grade if it wasn't for his grit, toughness and leadership.

Luca Sbisa = C ... He was good for only half the season, max, so an average "C" grade here is fair. He has a tendency to do dumb things but if he's paired with a smart, responsible guy, he can be a valuable part of our D.

Zack Kassian = I ... 42 games should be enough for a grade but this one's hard to judge. Didn't get along with the coach and had injury issues throughout the season. A lot of games he looked lazy and uninterested but in others, mostly with the Sedins, he had some strong showings.

Ronalds Kenins = I ... Only 30 games and he was kind of up and down, so I can't really give a fair grade. The players say he gave the team a jolt of energy during the doldrums of the season because of the way he plays. Can be a gritty 3rd liner going forward if he consistently sticks to what makes him successful, which he always didn't do.
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Apr 15 2015 11:20am
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Apr 15 2015 11:36pm
https://vine.co/v/ezWOd2YXhvJ

Markstrom got into a fight tonight.
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Apr 18 2015 10:57pm
Utica clinches 1st in the Western Conference! AHL playoffs start soon.

Would be a great experience for our prospects to make it deep. We should have an even better team next in Utica next year.


This post was edited by LuLer on Apr 18 2015 10:57pm
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Apr 19 2015 12:02am
Junior playoffs prospects update:

- Cassel's Oshawa Generals advance to the 3rd round of the OHL playoffs. He has 16 points in 10 games so far.

- McCann's Soo Greyhounds advance to the 3rd round of the OHL playoffs (against McDavid's Erie Otters). He has 10 points in 8 games so far.

- Virtanen's Calgary Hitmen advance to the 3rd round of the WHL playoffs. He has 12 points in 12 games so far.
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Apr 21 2015 10:56pm
Hope some of the core players will grow some balls and waive their NTCs.

3 different seasons, 3 different coaches, 3 similar failures.

It's over :P
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Apr 21 2015 10:58pm
dang it!!!
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Apr 21 2015 11:05pm
not looking good boys
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