I said it at the beginning of the series that special teams will decide this series. Bad PK and bad PP don't add up to wins.
- kaptaan

I said it would come down to goaltending.

I have faith Miller will save us and the series. Game 7 here we come.

Well that was a forgettable night out.

Lots of b!tching about defenseman on here tonight. Did no one notice we struggled to score goals once again? It's been our playoff achilles heal for years, it's never been remedied, and yet we constantly seem to be looking to place blame on the D or the goalie.
On a positive note WD finally played the Sedins the most and they scored. Unfortunately they couldn't do it more than once and no one else backed them up.
- AlexF

You don't feel there is a connection between quality d-men and offensive output?

IMO, offense is driven from the back end whether it's defensive zone breakouts, cycling within the offensive zone, a PP quarterback, or having a d-man step up as a 4th forward.

When the canucks played their best it was generated from the back end out. Fixing the defense should be priority #1.

Name me any offensive juggernaut team that has a poor collection of d-men.

To be fair , everyone sucked last night. Our goal was a fluke and our team from head to toe was boys against men.

Once again we are proving we are built for the regular season. The only cornerstone of this team is Horvat. After that everyone should be made available. Three years of drafting top 4 would be then best thing to happen to this club. No more of this retool on the fly. We need two top scorers like the Hawks did and a top Dman . Apply that with our B rated prospect pool then we will have a chance to compete.

Year after year it is the same results . This team needs to grow a pair and stop getting manhandled in the POs .
- VANTEL

I know agree minus top drafting. I think winning atmospheres and effort are very important. It is just to aparent to me that the desire to win on this team isnt there because so many of them have been so close before. We need more young guys who are hungry. McCann was an absolute steal in the draft last year he only makes the kesler deal worth doing.

His true age (16) is shining through.
What's the deal with him changing team and avatar? Seems childish and prockish.
- Scooby_Doo

Lost a bet to a Flames fan.

To be fair , everyone sucked last night. Our goal was a fluke and our team from head to toe was boys against men.

Once again we are proving we are built for the regular season. The only cornerstone of this team is Horvat. After that everyone should be made available. Three years of drafting top 4 would be then best thing to happen to this club. No more of this retool on the fly. We need two top scorers like the Hawks did and a top Dman . Apply that with our B rated prospect pool then we will have a chance to compete.

Year after year it is the same results . This team needs to grow a pair and stop getting manhandled in the POs .
- VANTEL

Lets be honest here; Jim Benning has been on the job for ten months, yes, all of ten months! He's brought in more youth in those ten months than Mike Gillis did in five years, there are no quick fixes, I believe he's doing his job considering the complete lack of organizational depth of 20 to 25 year old players.

The Flames didn't tank to get to where they are and they didn't draft top four multiple times to get the players that they're beating us with. Other than Bennett no one is a top four. Monahan is a 6th overall pick from two years ago, we drafted Virtanen 6th overall last year and Horvat 9th overall two years ago.

It's guys like Brodie (4th rnd), Gaudreau (4th rnd), Hiller UFA, Wideman UFA, Hudler UFA and most of their depth players (which they traded for) that they're beating us with.

I still can't get over 3 shots in the second. The compete lack of heart and pushback was hard to watch.
- CubanBuffet

We have been watching this for years. Many of us were shocked to see even a glimmer of heart this season. But then the playoffs rolled around and there's our good old team again.

Lost a bet to a Flames fan.
- Marwood

What was the bet?

What was the bet?
- Scooby_Doo

Flames making the playoffs I believe.

Lets be honest here; Jim Benning has been on the job for ten months, yes, all of ten months! He's brought in more youth in those ten months than Mike Gillis did in five years, there are no quick fixes, I believe he's doing his job considering the complete lack of organizational depth of 20 to 25 year old players.

The Flames didn't tank to get to where they are and they didn't draft top four multiple times to get the players that they're beating us with. Other than Bennett no one is a top four. Monahan is a 6th overall pick from two years ago, we drafted Virtanen 6th overall last year and Horvat 9th overall two years ago.

It's guys like Brodie (4th rnd), Gaudreau (4th rnd), Hiller UFA, Wideman UFA, Hudler UFA and most of their depth players (which they traded for) that they're beating us with.
- LeftCoaster

You have a point, however it's also grit and desire from an entire team. The Canucks have not demonstrated they can compete at a high level in post season for years. The team needs a new culture, that's Bennings challenge this offseason.

Watching the team in the playoffs, play with little to no effort it seems like. The arrival of Connor McDavid to the oilers. A team like Dallas that lo lost one of its better players for a long stretch. It's hard for me to believe that this canucks team will be contending for a playoff spot next season. I'm on board that everyone gets traded. Bo in my mind should be on the starting roster next season. Its not a retool anymore. It's a rebuild.

the veterans traded for players like Sven and Vey that there isn't space for, or have potential but fallen out of favour.

You have a point, however it's also grit and desire from an entire team. The Canucks have not demonstrated they can compete at a high level in post season for years. The team needs a new culture, that's Bennings challenge this offseason.
- VanHockeyGuy

You know damn well that there will be no culture change until the twins retire.

Bieksa needs the Old Yeller treatment
- bezz44

Watching the team in the playoffs, play with little to no effort it seems like. The arrival of Connor McDavid to the oilers. A team like Dallas that lo lost one of its better players for a long stretch. It's hard for me to believe that this canucks team will be contending for a playoff spot next season. I'm on board that everyone gets traded. Bo in my mind should be on the starting roster next season. Its not a retool anymore. It's a rebuild.

the veterans traded for players like Sven and Vey that there isn't space for, or have potential but fallen out of favour.
- manvanfan

Glad to see people are realizing there is some merit in the tank.

High draft picks needed. I don't see JB getting high 1st rounders trading away our group of veterans. Tanking might be the only way.

You know damn well that there will be no culture change until the twin retire.
- bloatedmosquito

3 more years of "I thought we played well enough to win."

You know damn well that there will be no culture change until the twin retire.
- bloatedmosquito

Therein lies a large part of the problem, good regular season players, playoffs not so much. You need guys that will go to war and will stop at nothing to win. Like Calgary is showing everyone.

Lets be honest here; Jim Benning has been on the job for ten months, yes, all of ten months! He's brought in more youth in those ten months than Mike Gillis did in five years, there are no quick fixes, I believe he's doing his job considering the complete lack of organizational depth of 20 to 25 year old players.

The Flames didn't tank to get to where they are and they didn't draft top four multiple times to get the players that they're beating us with. Other than Bennett no one is a top four. Monahan is a 6th overall pick from two years ago, we drafted Virtanen 6th overall last year and Horvat 9th overall two years ago.

It's guys like Brodie (4th rnd), Gaudreau (4th rnd), Hiller UFA, Wideman UFA, Hudler UFA and most of their depth players (which they traded for) that they're beating us with.
- LeftCoaster

I got no issue with bennings handling of the roster. Its the guy behind the bench

3 more years of "I thought we played well enough to win."
- Marwood

Markus Naslund "We Choked"

Therein lies a large part of the problem, good regular season players, playoffs not so much. You need guys that will go to war and will stop at nothing to win. Like Calgary is showing everyone.

- VanHockeyGuy

Really, because Calgary's top line has been crap 5 on 5. Even more so then the sedins have been

Therein lies a large part of the problem, good regular season players, playoffs not so much. You need guys that will go to war and will stop at nothing to win. Like Calgary is showing everyone.

- VanHockeyGuy

Really, because Calgary's top line has been crap 5 on 5. Even more so then the sedins have been

3 more years of "I thought we played well enough to win."
- Marwood

They are the fuel that drives this engine. Unfortunately, the fuel is biodegradable vegetable oil...

We need diesel!

Therein lies a large part of the problem, good regular season players, playoffs not so much. You need guys that will go to war and will stop at nothing to win. Like Calgary is showing everyone.

- VanHockeyGuy

Really, because Calgary's top line has been crap 5 on 5. Even more so then the sedins have been

I got no issue with bennings handling of the roster. Its the guy behind the bench
- Bieksa#3

He's getting out coached for sure.

Really, because Calgary's top line has been crap 5 on 5. Even more so then the sedins have been
- Bieksa#3

The canucks are making fringe NHL plugs look like stars. Hartley and his coaching staff have done a great job identifying canuck weaknesses and using it to their advantage.

Any team that plays a hard hitting, aggressive game has a really good chance to beat the canucks every night.

Odd that a coach would stick the 1 guys who need a meat and potatoes partner together. This is more a coaching problem then personel
- Bieksa#3

I'm not sold on the coaching either. Refuses to read the writing on the wall

Lets be honest here; Jim Benning has been on the job for ten months, yes, all of ten months! He's brought in more youth in those ten months than Mike Gillis did in five years, there are no quick fixes, I believe he's doing his job considering the complete lack of organizational depth of 20 to 25 year old players.

The Flames didn't tank to get to where they are and they didn't draft top four multiple times to get the players that they're beating us with. Other than Bennett no one is a top four. Monahan is a 6th overall pick from two years ago, we drafted Virtanen 6th overall last year and Horvat 9th overall two years ago.

It's guys like Brodie (4th rnd), Gaudreau (4th rnd), Hiller UFA, Wideman UFA, Hudler UFA and most of their depth players (which they traded for) that they're beating us with.
- LeftCoaster

Calgary won't win the cup . Teams that do win cups went through a few years of high draft picks. Chi LA Pitts . I know Edm suck but let's revisit this in two years