Losers Of 3 In Last 4, Canucks Need To Play Good Enough To Win In Carolina

“I thought we were pretty good. We didn’t get the result we wanted but we did alot of really good things. I just told the guys, you play like that and finish a couple more times on the chances we had, you’re going to win alot of hockey games.”, Coach Bruce Boudreau

Vancouver is in the middle of arguably their toughest road trip of any team in the NHL this season as the Canucks have faced legitimate Stanley Cup contenders in Florida and Tampa Bay to begin the first extended road trip of the new year, losing both 5-2 and 4-2, respectively.

More Stanley Cup contenders are being visited, with Carolina tomorrow (Saturday) @10 am PST; Washington (Sunday) @ 11 am PST and Nashville @ 4 pm PST (Tuesday).

At the media availability today, Boudreau said of the Tampa Bay game, “We played good, but not good enough to win, I guess… but we did alot of good things”.

Getting any points would be preferred but not looking likely unless the Canucks can pull out a supreme 60-minute effort.

That effort includes drawing penalties leading to power play goals from a “shooting power play”, as Boudreau has told his players.

Playing disciplined and staying out of the penalty box; putting in a great forecheck and backchecking performance, utilizing everyone, are also big factors the Canucks need to do.

Most of all though, taking high percentage shots that make the net; not passing up but putting the shots infront of the net, traffic infront of the net; capitalizing on their scoring opportunities, taking the wind out of the Hurricanes, putting them on the defensive, would go along way to getting that first “W” on the road trip.

Coach Boudreau at Friday media availability.

As for the game Thursday night against the Lightning, Boudreau wasn’t short on his responses:

“I liked the compete, I thought we were much better than the other night, for sure.
“Any time you can limit that team to 21 shots, I don’t know what the chances were, but I know they didn’t have a lot of them. I think you’ve done a good job.
At the same time, we have opportunities, we have four power plays and we don’t get anything, and that’s my fault for putting the same guys back out there all the time.
I think that’s gotta get better. I think we’re 0 for6, 0 for 7, in the last couple of games. We’re a team that needs to have some success on the power play and we didn’t get it.”

Coach Bruce Boudreau Post-Game Thursday night.

If Boudreau, his coaching staff and the players leadership can get the team to execute with the results expected from all the video review and trying to correct the wrongs through various things in practice, the first win on this road trip could be sooner than later.

Better it be sooner, than later.

MATCH-UP INFO

Today marks the second and final meeting between the Canucks and Hurricanes this season: Dec. 12 (2-1 W), Jan. 15 (road).
Vancouver is 5-4-1 in their last 10 games vs Carolina (2-2-1 in their last 5).
The Canucks have a 39-29-11-1 all-time record in 80 games against the Hurricanes. Vancouver holds a 15-18-5-1 record on the road against Carolina.
Among active Canucks skaters, J.T. Miller leads the team in scoring vs Carolina with 12 points (4-8-12) in 21 games.
Thatcher Demko has faced the Hurricanes twice in his career (1-0-1), posting a .934 SV% and 1.92 GAA
Jaroslav Halak has played 14 career games vs Carolina (6-6-1), owning a .921 SV% and a 2.961 GAA.

QUICK NUMBERS

Brock Boeser has seven points (5-2-7) in his last eight games.
Bo Horvat has seven points (4-3-7) in his last 11 games.
J.T. Miller has 16 points (4-12-16) in his last 13 games.
Quinn Hughes has 12 points (0-12-12) in his last 13 games.
Tanner Pearson has seven points (2-5-7) in his last 11 games.
Thatcher Demko has posted a .933 SV% and 1.98 GAA in his last nine games (7-2-0).

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