Game 3: Ducks 3 Canucks 2

Despite the positives that Markus Naslund scored again, and it was on the powerplay, where Vancouver has been atrocious, it really didn't matter at the end of the night. This is because the Ducks scored twice on their 5 chances with the man-advantage. The Canucks were only 1-for-8. Frustrating. Vancouver played a disciplined game for the most part, and the Ducks did not, and we still lost.

Luongo, you twit!!!

I almost hate to say it, but Roberto Luongo did not bring his A-game tonight. The Canucks had all the shots and momentum in the early stages of the game, but Luongo coughed the puck up behind the net right onto the stick of Corey Perry, who fed the puck the Dustin Penner, who put it into the open net. It was a gaff of Ty Conklin proportions, and the Ducks' first shot on net. At least the Canucks hung in there after that, and still managed to outshoot Anaheim to tie it late in the 1st (Naslund) and outshoot the Ducks 13-2 in that frame. But how the f*ck can you feel good about being tied 1-1 after outshooting your opponent 13-2?
Giguere was the better goalie tonight. But he did not have to make a lot of great saves. He had to be steady. The same applied to Luongo. These 2 teams are playing their tight D structures and not allowing golden opportunities either way. In a lot of ways, that is what made Luongo's gaff so unacceptable.

Powerplay Woes

At the same time, the Canucks' futility on the powerplay may decide their fate in this series. They are still only 1-for-20 against the Ducks. That is not good enough to advance to the next round. Adjustments will have to be made.
One thing you could see tonight, especially earlier on, is that the Canucks refused to dump the puck into the zone and forecheck while on the PP. They constantly tried to carry it in and then coughed it up. As soon as they finally dumped it in, they gained possession and bango, Naslund scored. I can't even recall why they couldn't capitalize on the rest of their chances with the man-advantage. They also don't have
any speed breaking out of their own zone on most occasions. Perhaps that is because of all the Ducks in the neutral zone.

Hank and Dank Stank

I didn't like the Sedin's effort tonight either. Sure, Dank scored the Nucks' 2nd goal, but aside from that, they were not strong on the puck, they turned the puck over too much, and they didn't get their cycle game going. What seemed to be a travesty to me was that the Sedins were given so much of the icetime in the final minutes, while Bulis and Hansen sat on the bench. Bulis and Hansen were the best Canucks out there again. Too bad Bulis brain cramps so often when he shoots, because he sure generates a lot of chances.

The Future

What can we expect in Game 4? How about the Sedins sit on the bench on the power play if they continue that horseshit? They must rebound and start producing more consistently, especially on the PP, where they can be the most dangerous.
Besides dumping the puck in the Ducks zone more often, I'm not sure what else they can do to get out of this PP funk. But they have to get it going or their chances are slim.
I heard Vigneault say post game that they can match the Ducks 5-on-5 and need to make some personnel adjustments with specialty teams. Good.
When is Brendan Morrison going to have his coming out party? Damn he is disgraceful!
I just can't count the Canucks out yet. They will most likely come out hard again on Tuesday. Luongo is a pro. He will put this game behind him and play superb on Tuesday, we know that much for sure.
We now have to win on Tuesday.

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T Tags: Canucks Ducks Game+3 Shit Powerplay Luongo