Now the real season begins

Kassian with the lowest TOI of all players on the Nucks...........

Didn't watch the game, is Kassian not playing well???

Kassian with the lowest TOI of all players on the Nucks...........

Didn't watch the game, is Kassian not playing well???
- classic321

First game back from an injury, I'm guessing.

Kassian with the lowest TOI of all players on the Nucks...........

Didn't watch the game, is Kassian not playing well???
- classic321

No reason for him to be banging bodies in a pre season game ,where a team wants to take your head off.

Sbisa may have just helped COrrado make the team.

Draisaitl's skating is just awful.
- eternalcashflow

he's reasonable at top speed, but his first step is atrocious

its funny how much more apparent it is just a few weeks in the pros outta junior.

something he can certainly develop, but he'll always be his most effective in traffic and using his size downlow

Sbisa may have just helped COrrado make the team.
- VANTEL

Just saw that Highlight........


BRUTAL

Carole, this is just to augment your fabulous day-blogs. Just came from the game and have the following general thoughts:

Incidentally before I get into it, a quick shout at to Vantel from my bra's (no need to reference, I know, but the several set ups they made were @#$@# magic) If this is the Sedins we see all year, time to get the parade route planned. Yes, they overpassed on a couple of chances but for the most part they were engaged and created chances.

2) Vrbta - looking great with the Twins for most of the night. Created and finished off some nice plays.

3) Hahmuis - didn't really stand out and he didn't impress either. Someone indicated earlier that he might be battling some sort of injury?

4) Eberle - this guy can play - buzzing all night and also made an end to end rush to score with the goalie out and only a few seconds left in the game.

6) Draisaitl - had an ok game - had a great chance down the off wing and let a hard wrister which was Miller's best save of the night. I will tell you this, for a young kid, you can tell this guy's something special. His skating will only get better but his hockey sense and play-making ability are already at a high level

7) Scrivens - oooooo, not so good- 2 bad greasy goals but he settled in afterwards

8) Miller was average at best and made the saves he should have.

9) Vey - this kid is going to open some eyes, me thinks - if he hasn't already you've been living in a van down by the river listening to old 80's hair bands and banged your head to many a time

10) Burrows was his usual pesky self and it was great to see

All in all, pretty big difference from the last week of the season last year. Much better puck movement and much more aggressive puck pursuit. I liked what I saw.

Other notables:

Chris Higgins - great game, haven't seen him play like this in a while
Darryl Nurse - looked quite good and Oilers fans are going to love this guy in a few years if not sooner

Any other thoughts? those are just a few things I noted. If anyone else has any other input on the game, would love to hear your side of things

he's reasonable at top speed, but his first step is atrocious

its funny how much more apparent it is just a few weeks in the pros outta junior.

something he can certainly develop, but he'll always be his most effective in traffic and using his size downlow
- hugefemale dog77

He may be a bit slower but that has never stopped a player from having huge success. You can see the guy is massive and he protects the puck so well it's scary. I think he'll stick (I know I know, what a gamble )

Sbisa may have just helped COrrado make the team.
- VANTEL

Sbisa was a bit all over the place (note to Sbisa - that's not a good thing when you are a defender). Not really impressed, then again he is a bottom guy at best (at least at this time)

First game back from an injury, I'm guessing.
- PetrolSexual

He was pretty much invisible and I was wondering what the hell happened to him It makes sense now if he was playing with a lingering injury (thanks for the info)

He may be a bit slower but that has never stopped a player from having huge success. You can see the guy is massive and he protects the puck so well it's scary. I think he'll stick (I know I know, what a gamble )
- Zogg

agreed completely

he's never gonna be a force carrying the puck end to end, but aside from the fact that it'll improve, it's not really his skillset or what makes him a bluechipper anyways. fantastic passer to create space and get the puck up ice and find speedy wingers (which the oil have plenty of), as well as that brick house frame to protect the puck in traffic.

certainly a gamble to keep with the big club already, but his body of work this preseason has shown he's not in over his head. I like that he hasn't tried to be too flashy and uses his size well

agreed completely

he's never gonna be a force carrying the puck end to end, but aside from the fact that it'll improve, it's not really his skillset or what makes him a bluechipper anyways. fantastic passer to create space and get the puck up ice and find speedy wingers (which the oil have plenty of), as well as that brick house frame to protect the puck in traffic.

certainly a gamble to keep with the big club already, but his body of work this preseason has shown he's not in over his head. I like that he hasn't tried to be too flashy and uses his size well
- hugefemale dog77

well said

Wish I had a chance to watch the game.

Carole, this is just to augment your fabulous day-blogs. Just came from the game and have the following general thoughts:

Incidentally before I get into it, a quick shout at to Vantel from my bra's (no need to reference, I know, but the several set ups they made were @#$@# magic) If this is the Sedins we see all year, time to get the parade route planned. Yes, they overpassed on a couple of chances but for the most part they were engaged and created chances.

2) Vrbta - looking great with the Twins for most of the night. Created and finished off some nice plays.

3) Hahmuis - didn't really stand out and he didn't impress either. Someone indicated earlier that he might be battling some sort of injury?

4) Eberle - this guy can play - buzzing all night and also made an end to end rush to score with the goalie out and only a few seconds left in the game.

6) Draisaitl - had an ok game - had a great chance down the off wing and let a hard wrister which was Miller's best save of the night. I will tell you this, for a young kid, you can tell this guy's something special. His skating will only get better but his hockey sense and play-making ability are already at a high level

7) Scrivens - oooooo, not so good- 2 bad greasy goals but he settled in afterwards

8) Miller was average at best and made the saves he should have.

9) Vey - this kid is going to open some eyes, me thinks - if he hasn't already you've been living in a van down by the river listening to old 80's hair bands and banged your head to many a time

10) Burrows was his usual pesky self and it was great to see

All in all, pretty big difference from the last week of the season last year. Much better puck movement and much more aggressive puck pursuit. I liked what I saw.

Other notables:

Chris Higgins - great game, haven't seen him play like this in a while
Darryl Nurse - looked quite good and Oilers fans are going to love this guy in a few years if not sooner

Any other thoughts? those are just a few things I noted. If anyone else has any other input on the game, would love to hear your side of things
- Zogg

Before we get too excited , let's remember it was a nothing game in the last of the PRESEASON,where a bottom team sent out their AHL club.

Before we get too excited , let's remember it was a nothing game in the last of the PRESEASON,where a bottom team sent out their AHL club.
- VANTEL

Other than the Sedins and Vrbada I thought it was a pretty lack luster game. Our bottom 3 line were disappointing. Burrows and Higgins still looked average against as you say and AHL line up in Edmonton. Nothing and no one stood out for me in this game. Don't get me started on the D that were playing. I know its a nothing game but I was left wanting something. I can see a noticeable difference in Willies coaching and style of play which is a huge improvement but its a long season.

Before we get too excited , let's remember it was a nothing game in the last of the PRESEASON,where a bottom team sent out their AHL club.
- VANTEL

I wonder what your response would have been if the Sedins and Burrows stunk

For me, it was a nothing game in the last of the PRESEASON, where a bottom team sent out their AHL club. It means nothing

I wonder what your response would have been if the Sedins and Burrows stunk:

For me, it was a nothing game in the last of the PRESEASON, where a bottom team sent out their AHL club. It means nothing
- Zogg

I thought Matthias looked really good last night, he got his legs moving and was also good on the PK. He's definitely better at center than on LW.

Other than the Sedins and Vrbada I thought it was a pretty lack luster game. Our bottom 3 line were disappointing. Burrows and Higgins still looked average against as you say and AHL line up in Edmonton. Nothing and no one stood out for me in this game. Don't get me started on the D that were playing. I know its a nothing game but I was left wanting something. I can see a noticeable difference in Willies coaching and style of play which is a huge improvement but its a long season.
- thundachunk

I can appreciate your opinion, but the game I was watching had a lot of good scoring chances. It seemed like the Canucks controlled the play and had quality chances the whole first half of the game. The second half may have been more 'meh' but I stand by my original summary as concerns the players noted (just on the one note, maybe he wasn't the star of the game, but Higgins sure looked better out there than he's looked for a while. And it was nice to see Burrows back to his pesky self and looking like he was HEALTHY. The key aspect.

Other than the Sedins and Vrbada I thought it was a pretty lack luster game. Our bottom 3 line were disappointing. Burrows and Higgins still looked average against as you say and AHL line up in Edmonton. Nothing and no one stood out for me in this game. Don't get me started on the D that were playing. I know its a nothing game but I was left wanting something. I can see a noticeable difference in Willies coaching and style of play which is a huge improvement but its a long season.
- thundachunk

Perhaps I should have underscored that part of things. In that, it seemed like a fairly large improvement over what I saw the last few weeks of last season. Just a more up-temp and aggressive forechek - quite a few times with two guys down low

I wonder what your response would have been if the Sedins and Burrows stunk

For me, it was a nothing game in the last of the PRESEASON, where a bottom team sent out their AHL club. It means nothing
- Zogg

preseason is preseason. Lets talk after next month and see how everyone is doing.

I can appreciate your opinion, but the game I was watching had a lot of good scoring chances. It seemed like the Canucks controlled the play and had quality chances the whole first half of the game. The second half may have been more 'meh' but I stand by my original summary as concerns the players noted (just on the one note, maybe he wasn't the star of the game, but Higgins sure looked better out there than he's looked for a while. And it was nice to see Burrows back to his pesky self and looking like he was HEALTHY. The key aspect.
- Zogg

That's cool that you enjoyed the game. Let's see how the team does against NHL teams now.

Banging fat chicks? I think a tall, rich Italian can get some nice ass.
- Nucker101

Will we have our proper teams listed today so if we need to make any final teaks we can?

That's cool that you enjoyed the game. Let's see how the team does against NHL teams now.
- VANTEL

Fair enough, but we didn't have Sestito in the line-up either

I saw some very positive signs, regardless of if it was pres-season or not. First of all, as Thunda pointed out, the game was uptempo with some aggresive forechecking and quite a few chances created. Second of all, it looks like *tap wood* (no, NOT my noggin'), Sedins, Burrows and everyone (other than Bieksa, whom I hope is out only for a few games) looks healthy. It's a HUGE difference from what was last season's debacle - you could say the same thing about the games they played at that time, in that they, like these pre-season games, meant nothing. The Canucks fiinished with with nary a whimper

So, yes, pre-season games do count for something - maybe they are meaningless in the grande scheme of things but they are important to get your team set up properly for the real deal. And you could see and feel the new energy in the team, which was the biggest positive

PS I think it was a mistake to sit out Nuge and Hopkins and Perron - the last pre-season game should pretty much contain your opening night roster, with the exception of one or two players on the bubble.