Carol Schram: Ryan Miller spectacular as Vancouver Canucks win rematch vs. Maple Leafs A fight was fought, but it was Ryan Miller who earned top honours as the Vancouver Canucks held off the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 3-2 shootout win on Saturday night at Rogers Arena.

Thanks Carol....hopefully we can put this Leaf/Canucks hatred to bed for another year!!

Great job Carol.

I was wondering when that comment from TL re re signing miller would pop up.

Any bans last night?

Any bans last night?
- VanHockeyGuy

Skimmed some of the comments last night and saw reference to a ban for our most notorious or controversial poster...just not sure who that is...

Thanks Carol, hopefully now we can focus on everything but the Toronto/Vancouver rivalry of bottom-feeders for another year. Again, I think this is a make or break trip for the team and for WD. We need to pick up at least 6 or 7 of the possible 10 points if we want to have any shot at climbing the standings and at least appear to contend for the WC.

If we have another losing roadtrip, my guess is that over the Christmas break, TL and JB will be looking to make some sort of a move to bolster the club whether via trade, firing WD or start pulling veterans to take more maintenance days and work on getting the best draft position possible without pulling a complete tank.

Thank you for your comments that it is over for another year.

We were talking earlier about Miller. Seems WD still regards him as the number 1. Markstom has been okay but just okay. Maybe we are looking at trading the wrong guy.

Skimmed some of the comments last night and saw reference to a ban for our most notorious or controversial poster...just not sure who that is...
- dbot

Nuck4U, and thank the gods. In small doses he's... well, no, I guess he's horrible regardless.

Thanks Carol, hopefully now we can focus on everything but the Toronto/Vancouver rivalry of bottom-feeders for another year. Again, I think this is a make or break trip for the team and for WD. We need to pick up at least 6 or 7 of the possible 10 points if we want to have any shot at climbing the standings and at least appear to contend for the WC.

If we have another losing roadtrip, my guess is that over the Christmas break, TL and JB will be looking to make some sort of a move to bolster the club whether via trade, firing WD or start pulling veterans to take more maintenance days and work on getting the best draft position possible without pulling a complete tank.
- DariusKnight

I think WD is safe this year. The firing would have to come from FA because firing Willie the bullseye moves to Jim .

This is a 500 team and the guys are still playing hard for Willie

Nuck4U, and thank the gods. In small doses he's... well, no, I guess he's horrible regardless.
- DariusKnight

never would have guessed

never would have guessed
- VanHockeyGuy

Our own ref gave him the ban

I think WD is safe this year. The firing would have to come from FA because firing Willie the bullseye moves to Jim .

This is a 500 team and the guys are still playing hard for Willie
- VANTEL

I don't think it's a .500 team myself, I think with how injury prone our veterans are, we're probably closer to bottom 10 maybe bottom 5 in the league. That said, I don't think WD is getting the most out of the lineup, so this is why I say either he's gone if they don't go 3-0-2 or 3-1-1 on this trip or JB makes some sort of deal to bolster the lineup.

I also think the bullseye is on JB at this point, he was hired with the promise that he could keep the team making the playoffs while turning over the roster. He hasn't done that, were it not for the long term injuries to Edler and Tanev, you could have said that last year was an anomaly. Now as they've been injured again (along with Dorsett and Hansen) it's clear that depth on the team isn't enough to compete and that's on JB.

I'm not saying that he's done a bad job, just not a great job save for drafting and that's only part of the equation. I know FA, and I know how impatient he is when it comes to his 'toys' (which the Canucks are one of) and if things aren't going right he's quick to wipe the slate clean which also is why I say WD is a lame duck coach and JB is on the hot seat. At best WD has the rest of this year and then gets let go after the season ends, JB has this year and next before he gets toasted.

Nuck4U, and thank the gods. In small doses he's... well, no, I guess he's horrible regardless.
- DariusKnight

Can we take a vote and give him the UG treatment?

I don't think it's a .500 team myself, I think with how injury prone our veterans are, we're probably closer to bottom 10 maybe bottom 5 in the league. That said, I don't think WD is getting the most out of the lineup, so this is why I say either he's gone if they don't go 3-0-2 or 3-1-1 on this trip or JB makes some sort of deal to bolster the lineup.

I also think the bullseye is on JB at this point, he was hired with the promise that he could keep the team making the playoffs while turning over the roster. He hasn't done that, were it not for the long term injuries to Edler and Tanev, you could have said that last year was an anomaly. Now as they've been injured again (along with Dorsett and Hansen) it's clear that depth on the team isn't enough to compete and that's on JB.

I'm not saying that he's done a bad job, just not a great job save for drafting and that's only part of the equation. I know FA, and I know how impatient he is when it comes to his 'toys' (which the Canucks are one of) and if things aren't going right he's quick to wipe the slate clean which also is why I say WD is a lame duck coach and JB is on the hot seat. At best WD has the rest of this year and then gets let go after the season ends, JB has this year and next before he gets toasted.
- DariusKnight

Right now they are a 500 team . Injuries is hard to predict.

There is an old saying , they aren't as bad as you think and they aren't as good as you think , they are somewhere in the middle. That is probably a realistic look at Canucks.

I like this D (sorry Makita)

I like Stecher . I think he is gift. I like Tryamkin and what he can bring and hopefully hasn't started to scratch the potential level.I think Hutton is having a better year and has 3 goals already. I like Gudbrandson and last niight he showed why we need him. He also did it against Kassian.

That is a young 4 guys. There is mistakes now but I think in three years it is going to be very good.

I like the Granlund trade now. Still not sold on Baertschi.

I think we are going in the right direction even if we finish bottom 5 this year

Can we take a vote and give him the UG treatment?
- A_SteamingLombardi

Yesterday he was just out of it, I suspect he was in the sauce. He doesn't make sense most of the time with his lack of punctuation but yesterday he was

Skimmed some of the comments last night and saw reference to a ban for our most notorious or controversial poster...just not sure who that is...
- dbot

... ...

Right now they are a 500 team . Injuries is hard to predict.

There is an old saying , they aren't as bad as you think and they aren't as good as you think , they are somewhere in the middle. That is probably a realistic look at Canucks.

I like this D (sorry Makita)

I like Stecher . I think he is gift. I like Tryamkin and what he can bring and hopefully hasn't started to scratch the potential level.I think Hutton is having a better year and has 3 goals already. I like Gudbrandson and last niight he showed why we need him. He also did it against Kassian.

That is a young 4 guys. There is mistakes now but I think in three years it is going to be very good.

I like the Granlund trade now. Still not sold on Baertschi.

I think we are going in the right direction even if we finish bottom 5 this year
- VANTEL

This is a pretty positive outlook. Nooner and a Double Caesar?

This is a pretty positive outlook. Nooner and a Double Caesar?
- thundachunk

I remember when Gardiner started for the Leafs it was Yikes. He turned out Ok same with Schultz. Our guys will be OK .

I think WD is safe this year. The firing would have to come from FA because firing Willie the bullseye moves to Jim .

This is a 500 team and the guys are still playing hard for Willie
- VANTEL

He is a players coach. My friend used to assistant coach with him. Had nothing but good things to say about him. I don't think he is that great a coach but my opinion is changing a little. You may be right.

This is a pretty positive outlook. Nooner and a Double Caesar?
- thundachunk

he was Debbie Downer for awhile there but now he's Mr. Positive. I do see his position though, we FINALLY have some kids to be excited about, that hasn't happened since the Sedins, Kesler, Edler, Bieksa era.

Right now they are a 500 team . Injuries is hard to predict.

There is an old saying , they aren't as bad as you think and they aren't as good as you think , they are somewhere in the middle. That is probably a realistic look at Canucks.

I like this D (sorry Makita)

I like Stecher . I think he is gift. I like Tryamkin and what he can bring and hopefully hasn't started to scratch the potential level.I think Hutton is having a better year and has 3 goals already. I like Gudbrandson and last niight he showed why we need him. He also did it against Kassian.

That is a young 4 guys. There is mistakes now but I think in three years it is going to be very good.

I like the Granlund trade now. Still not sold on Baertschi.

I think we are going in the right direction even if we finish bottom 5 this year
- VANTEL

Defense is fine, I will totally give you that, it's the forwards I don't think we're good on and I worry that JB isn't the guy to build a forward group. I look at who he's packed our team with and they're all very defensively responsible 2-way forwards with very little offensive upside save for Baertschi who I'm also not sold on.

I look at his history and how he helped build Boston and his centers he helped draft and the fact that he pushed to trade Seguin who could have been their piece to build around for the future for LE. That's not encouraging when you think about it, he signed LE and while it's too early to tell how that's going to work out, it speaks volumes about the sort of player he likes. Bo is going to be an excellent 2C by the end of this year and the captain after next year once Henrik retires, but as a 1C he's not going to be the driving force on that line and that's going to be an issue.

Boeser for all that he's being touted, isn't enough, JV if he can ever get it together might not be enough, I worry that JB isn't going to be willing to pick highly skilled guys at forward to balance out the amount of grinders he likes to stack the forward group with.

he was Debbie Downer for awhile there but now he's Mr. Positive. I do see his position though, we FINALLY have some kids to be excited about, that hasn't happened since the Sedins, Kesler, Edler, Bieksa era.
- LeftCoaster

Oh I know .I screamed for change . I was the chicken little here.

Defense is fine, I will totally give you that, it's the forwards I don't think we're good on and I worry that JB isn't the guy to build a forward group. I look at who he's packed our team with and they're all very defensively responsible 2-way forwards with very little offensive upside save for Baertschi who I'm also not sold on.

I look at his history and how he helped build Boston and his centers he helped draft and the fact that he pushed to trade Seguin who could have been their piece to build around for the future for LE. That's not encouraging when you think about it, he signed LE and while it's too early to tell how that's going to work out, it speaks volumes about the sort of player he likes. Bo is going to be an excellent 2C by the end of this year and the captain after next year once Henrik retires, but as a 1C he's not going to be the driving force on that line and that's going to be an issue.

Boeser for all that he's being touted, isn't enough, JV if he can ever get it together might not be enough, I worry that JB isn't going to be willing to pick highly skilled guys at forward to balance out the amount of grinders he likes to stack the forward group with.
- DariusKnight

JV will either develop or be traded. Boeser will be one addition, I think soon as we are healthy we will make a trade for one of our Dman . I also think we will draft a forward next year.

Small steps

JV will either develop or be traded. Boeser will be one addition, I think soon as we are healthy we will make a trade for one of our Dman . I also think we will draft a forward next year.

Small steps
- VANTEL

Funny, you say that but you expect Buffalo to be a contender after three years of building from the ground up