Nurse with the motivational hit/penalty seems to be the game changer.

PP is way to predictable. Campbell and the Oilers knew the play and he made several very easy saves, as a result.

Miller to Hughes to Pouty, back to Hughes and back to Pouty for a one-timer, with the occasional howitzer from Hughes thrown in.
- Reubenkincade

Yes PP wasn’t good enough. 5v5 play was good but lost on special teams.

Nurse scoring short handed to tie end of 2nd was the killer. His dirty play resulted in a 3-0 lead so can’t say that had an impact but missed high stick on QH did.

Canucks outplayed them in the 1st... PP stunk... PK stunk... 5 unanswered goals... A small few players looked on their game. The rest didnt.
- boonerbuck

Yeah the result was expected. The hot start was a tease. Some positives but team has a lot to prove.

Yes PP wasn’t good enough. 5v5 play was good but lost on special teams.

Nurse scoring short handed to tie end of 2nd was the killer. His dirty play resulted in a 3-0 lead so can’t say that had an impact but missed high stick on QH did.
- Quinn's Quest

“They really didn’t have anything — 5-on-5 we controlled the whole game,” said J.T. Miller. “We had a couple of breakdowns, but when you play a team like that, you’ll take that any day,. We played really well and we’re going to hang our hat on that. The stuff tonight is fixable — that’s for sure.”

-

“I thought we played outstanding in the first half of the game,” said Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau. “You could see them building, but in the end, if our special teams were better, I don’t think it would have been much (for the Oilers).

“We had two breakaways when we had a 3-1 lead and that should have made it difficult for them to come back and we had some open nets. You give a team too many chances and they’re going to come back, especially those two guys (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl)."

-

“That obviously stings a little bit,” said Bo Horvat. “Our power play let us down tonight. I’m not concerned about the PK. That’s a pretty lethal offence over there and it’s one game and move on. They took away the middle PP option that we like to use and that put us in a bind. We just have to make adjustments.”

5v5 was pretty solid outside of a couple of bad breakdowns that could've been avoided.


special teams cost them big time. PP too predictable and perimeter oriented. The best powerplays have better player movement and multiple one timer threats. PK also way too passive. Hopefully Mikheyev and Myers can help.



Kuzmenko looks legit so far, I like that he's not afraid of being around the net.



I liked Burroughs-Stillman. OEL-Poolman pairing looks slow to me, I think faster teams would cause them problems. Hughes was good until he got injured.


I like that Aman kid too, doesn't seem like he'll do much with the puck but he's a puck hound in all 3 zones. I'd like to see him on the PK.

5v5 was pretty solid outside of a couple of bad breakdowns that could've been avoided.


special teams cost them big time. PP too predictable and perimeter oriented. The best powerplays have better player movement and multiple one timer threats. PK also way too passive. Hopefully Mikheyev and Myers can help.



Kuzmenko looks legit so far, I like that he's not afraid of being around the net.



I liked Burroughs-Stillman. OEL-Poolman pairing looks slow to me, I think faster teams would cause them problems. Hughes was good until he got injured.


I like that Aman kid too, doesn't seem like he'll do much with the puck but he's a puck hound in all 3 zones. I'd like to see him on the PK.
- Nucker101

You do realize the coach is Bruce Boudreau, and he has a bit of a history of liking to overplay his ottensive players like Miller and Hughes, you know, players that struggle defensively, in those situations.

Oilers taking liberties against the Canucks? Thankful for the ref's.
- VanHockeyGuy

Shocking lol

What else are they going to do about it????

- VanHockeyGuy

How did 'making them pay' on the PP in 2011 work out??

Totally agree.

But there's a small part of me that would like to see Bo fight him again. I think Bo won the last one. He had more land on the button.
- bloatedmosquito

Only thing on Bo's mind is that 7.7 mil per year. Other than that he skates to the bench very well.

- VanHockeyGuy

Said 4-2 and was only one goal off each way.

How are the baseball picks doing?

Well I predicted 4-3 but gotta be honest I didn’t see it going this way lol
- Nighthawk

I did.

lol

Hughes taken out of a preseason game with a high stick no call. Hughes leaves his next game bleeding because of a high stick. No call....


- boonerbuck

Remember there is no corruption at all. Gary's schedulers with the big road trip to start the year...could be a couple of Travis Green weeks here could be real ugly in here...

I think people were more worried about slow starts to the season. One and a half periods isnt enough.
- boonerbuck

I think we are a few weeks away from 60 min Hockey lol

Oilers have been clinical, Canucks have been pretty wasteful. McJesus and Drais are just insane.
- manvanfan

They just bide their time and hit you on the PP. Refs no help but still blowing a 3-0 lead and giving up the shorty is sad. Should have at least got it to OT

As predicted.

Canucks blow a 3-0 lead... 5 unanswered goals. Don't see much reason for the glee in here... Some good things but a lot of crap out there as well.
- boonerbuck

No panic. Oil are easily a top 10 team in the league now game pretty much went as expected. Although after Demko's start there were a few Marky moments there yikes.

Agreed.
The Oilers bullied us tonight and we didn’t make em pay.
- dbot

If we hire some more diverse staff for the front office as the season goes on we should see the benefits. Percentages are in our favour there.

What would happen to the oilers if mcdavid got injured long term? Canucks outplayed them I thought, lots of chances. Special teams need to be better, high stick on Hughes they didn’t call changed the game, oilers were undisciplined, short handed goal near the end of the second hurt. Should have never lost this game but it was entertaining.
- Bettmanhatesus

Nothing. Drai showed us he could carry the load on the last few McJesus injuries. All good in the Hood dude.

5v5 was pretty solid outside of a couple of bad breakdowns that could've been avoided.


special teams cost them big time. PP too predictable and perimeter oriented. The best powerplays have better player movement and multiple one timer threats. PK also way too passive. Hopefully Mikheyev and Myers can help.



Kuzmenko looks legit so far, I like that he's not afraid of being around the net.



I liked Burroughs-Stillman. OEL-Poolman pairing looks slow to me, I think faster teams would cause them problems. Hughes was good until he got injured.


I like that Aman kid too, doesn't seem like he'll do much with the puck but he's a puck hound in all 3 zones. I'd like to see him on the PK.
- Nucker101

Yeah the result was expected. The hot start was a tease. Some positives but team has a lot to prove.
- Quinn's Quest

Thankfully we don't play McD and Drai every night wow...

Still a PO team however.

Not sure who the defenseman was that ended up on the opposite side of the ice, right beside his defense partner, on the game winning goal, but, if this team ever wants to get better, that type of nonsense has to stop.

“They really didn’t have anything — 5-on-5 we controlled the whole game,” said J.T. Miller. “We had a couple of breakdowns, but when you play a team like that, you’ll take that any day,. We played really well and we’re going to hang our hat on that. The stuff tonight is fixable — that’s for sure.”

-

“I thought we played outstanding in the first half of the game,” said Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau. “You could see them building, but in the end, if our special teams were better, I don’t think it would have been much (for the Oilers).

“We had two breakaways when we had a 3-1 lead and that should have made it difficult for them to come back and we had some open nets. You give a team too many chances and they’re going to come back, especially those two guys (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl)."

-

“That obviously stings a little bit,” said Bo Horvat. “Our power play let us down tonight. I’m not concerned about the PK. That’s a pretty lethal offence over there and it’s one game and move on. They took away the middle PP option that we like to use and that put us in a bind. We just have to make adjustments.”
- NewYorkNuck

The Canucks had their chances to close out the game and didn't really do it. 30 goal scorer Horvat had at least 2 very good chances in the slot set up by Podkolzin.

Edmonton is a very good club with 2 elite superstars that are maturing and coming into their best years.

I can honestly say I kind of missed Myers last night.

Not sure who the defenseman was that ended up on the opposite side of the ice, right beside his defense partner, on the game winning goal, but, if this team ever wants to get better, that type of nonsense has to stop.
- Reubenkincade

Too bad the Canucks didn't have a chance to pick up one of your favourite defenders from the 2017 draft.

Too bad the Canucks didn't have a chance to pick up one of your favourite defenders from the 2017 draft.
- manvanfan

Yes, it is too bad they never picked up the only defenseman I wanted in that spot, Noah Dobson❤

Edit, sorry for pointing out how terrible he is defensively, I know it is not just you that absolutely loves this guy.

Yes, it is too bad they never picked up the only defenseman I wanted in that spot, Noah Dobson❤

Edit, sorry for pointing out how terrible he is defensively, I know it is not just you that absolutely loves this guy.
- Reubenkincade

Yeah it said '17 draft. Noah Dobson was drafted in '18.

I'm talking about the guy you said was a top 5 defender in the '17 draft. Valimaki.

Hughes isn't the best defender in his own zone, he is also still a lot better defender than 75% of NHL defensemen. He's in the top 10% for defensive men in scoring every year also.

Yes PP wasn’t good enough. 5v5 play was good but lost on special teams.

Nurse scoring short handed to tie end of 2nd was the killer. His dirty play resulted in a 3-0 lead so can’t say that had an impact but missed high stick on QH did.
- Quinn's Quest

Canucks got bullied out of the game. Nurse Tea-bagged them Ala 2011 Marchand on Danny Sedin. Same old weak Canucks, same old result. Turn the other cheek and accept their nutts on the forhead.
When the going got tough, the Canucks caved and disappeared, handing the oilers the game.

“They really didn’t have anything — 5-on-5 we controlled the whole game,” said J.T. Miller. “We had a couple of breakdowns, but when you play a team like that, you’ll take that any day,. We played really well and we’re going to hang our hat on that. The stuff tonight is fixable — that’s for sure.”

-

“I thought we played outstanding in the first half of the game,” said Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau. “You could see them building, but in the end, if our special teams were better, I don’t think it would have been much (for the Oilers).

“We had two breakaways when we had a 3-1 lead and that should have made it difficult for them to come back and we had some open nets. You give a team too many chances and they’re going to come back, especially those two guys (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl)."

-

“That obviously stings a little bit,” said Bo Horvat. “Our power play let us down tonight. I’m not concerned about the PK. That’s a pretty lethal offence over there and it’s one game and move on. They took away the middle PP option that we like to use and that put us in a bind. We just have to make adjustments.”
- NewYorkNuck

Good to see the excuses fly after the first game. Should be a fun season.