Canucks this week: No brakes on the bandwagon, not getting cocky and an unlikely smackdown

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Your weekly roundup of what the pundits, gamers and prognosticators are saying concerning the Vancouver Canucks across the hockey world:

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All fuel, no brakes

There aren’t any brakes on this bandwagon.

Not when the Canucks are taking part in their greatest hockey within the Large Apple and past.

The jap media, lengthy accused of nodding off the second the puck drops within the pacific, had entrance row seats to witness the wagon — and so they couldn’t flip away.

The opinions began streaming in because the Canucks took the mighty New York Rangers to the woodshed on Monday at Madison Sq. Backyard.

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Over on the MSG Community, the broadcasters couldn’t comprise themselves as Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander scored back-to-back beauties to place the sport to mattress.

“Do you need to see expertise!? Wow, what a purpose that was,” mentioned play-by-play veteran Sam Rosen, after Pettersson deked his method to pay filth.

“Oh man! Have a look at that purpose. He went behind the again and thru the legs!” Rosen exclaimed, after Hoglander went ham for the second time on the night time.

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After it was over, it was all accolades for the guests.

“You possibly can’t go to sleep towards the primary goalscoring staff within the league, and the Rangers did,” mentioned former NHL goaltender Steve Valiquette, in studio.

By the point the wagon rolled into Lengthy Island to crush the Islanders for the franchise’s first-ever New York Triple Crown, former Canucks’ goaltender and MSG commentator Cory Schneider knew what was coming.

“The Canucks made fast work of the Rangers and the Devils just lately … they’re coming in on a roll and I feel it’s going to be an ideal take a look at for (the Islanders).”

You possibly can say that once more.

Come Columbus on Monday — with Pittsburg and Buffalo in between — this might be an all-time journey for the native staff and one that really places them on the map.

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Demko deconstructed

Following the Rangers tilt, Valiquette broke down Thatcher Demko’s sport in a method solely a former NHL goalie might.

“Whenever you shut the ebook on this sport, Thatcher Demko was higher than Igor Shesterkin,” he started.

“The way in which I might have approached him is totally different than the way in which the Rangers … approached him — he’s excellent on the quick sport — and that’s the place he dominated the sport. He’s acquired one of many highest save percentages on screens, deflections and damaged performs. That’s the place he’s greatest. He’s not pretty much as good at mid-range photographs. Now, that’s powerful although, as a result of it’s powerful to teach into the (Rangers) gamers and I ponder the place this lies with them.”

“Had the Rangers been taking part in towards Elvis Merzlikins and Columbus, they might’ve scored 5 objectives tonight, net-front. This simply occurs to be (Demko’s) energy.”

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Valiquette thinks Demko’s had a Vezina Trophy-worthy season up to now.

“Proper now I’d say he’s the favorite to win the Vezina, so you bought an ideal efficiency out of him.”

Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck is correct there as properly. The Jets goalie pitched one other shutout on Tuesday for the first-overall staff in what was their seventh straight win.

They hate us: Half 1

The Canucks are getting their due from the most important media figures within the sport.

Canucks followers, then again, are actually not.

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, who categorized the Canucks as a Tier 2 ‘Playoff Lock’ in his newest piece, went on Sportsnet 650’s Halford and Brough present on Tuesday morning and despatched a warning shot to the town.

“Simply don’t get cocky,” he mentioned. “Let’s not do that entire dunking on the remainder of the league factor as a result of the Canucks are lastly good and related once more.

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“That is the sort of behaviour that acquired the entire sports activities world rooting for a staff from Boston within the (2011) Stanley Cup Last. Have you learnt how laborious that’s to get folks rooting for a staff from Boston within the Stanley Cup Last? It was due to Vancouver hubris. I don’t need to see it occur once more. I discover this staff to be fairly pleasant — outdoors of J.T. Miller — however, like, on the entire, I would like the entire hockey world to embrace this staff.”

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Wyshynski was referred to as out on-line, however shot again, conjuring up pictures of a still-smouldering downtown core on the morning of June 16, 2011.

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Factor is, Wyshynski has merely adopted the darkish; Canucks followers have been born in it, molded by it after 50-plus years of Stanley Cup failure.

The shadows will betray him, as a result of they belong to us.

This Wysh conflict shall be gained within the trenches.

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They hate us: Half 2

We’d like a complete and full shut down of Alabamans coming into Vancouver till we are able to work out what the heck is happening.

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Tier 3B slander

It’s evident to everybody now that the great of us at The Athletic have been clearly mistaken of their evaluation that Hughes was a Tier 3B defenceman to start out the season.

Proper? Proper??

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It’s one other instance of East Coast media favouring the fellows they watch regularly.

For these nonetheless languishing on the battlefield, it’s time to face down.

Hughes appreciators have gained this one.

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All-star hijinks

It didn’t need to be this fashion.

The staff sending out pleas on social media. Followers firing off tweets, hitting the vote button on-line, hoping they will do their star gamers justice.

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As of Tuesday, Canucks nation has accomplished an admiral job — with all 5 of the staff’s stars making the reduce.

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With Hughes already in, Demko is the runaway vote-getter amongst goaltenders whereas Pettersson and J.T. Miller seem set to get in.

That leaves 25-goal scorer Brock Boeser simply 20,000 votes forward of the Rangers’ Artemi Panarin and his 26 objectives for the ultimate spot.

In the meantime, Seattle Kraken ahead Oliver Bjorkstrand and his 11 objectives, respectively, goes to Toronto in early February.

Even he isn’t enthused with the surprising flip of occasions.

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You possibly can blame the present format, with one participant from every of the 32 groups making it and the remaining 12 gamers voted in by followers on Jan. 11.

Professional hockey analysts Andy and Rono checked out how the sport would form up had the East-West format nonetheless been in place and voila — the entire Lotto Line would make it (simply not in their canonical order of 6-40-9).

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Simply accurately, with out handing out participation awards to each staff.

Deep blue-line

Some extra reward for the depth the Canucks have assembled, this time from sunny Palm Springs.

With the Abbotsford Canucks on the town on Sunday, the Coachella Valley Firebirds broadcast staff had variety phrases for the wonders that Patrik Allvin and Co. have been capable of work on the again finish.

“They’ve numerous defencemen of their system,” mentioned play-by-play man Evan Pivnick.

“They do — and numerous good defencemen,” replied color man and hall-of-famer Grant Fuhr. “And it’s a pleasant surplus to have, particularly once you’re trying with the commerce deadline developing.

“It’s a kind of issues the place you may by no means have sufficient. It’s a pleasant asset to have as a result of everybody needs defencemen. Defencemen and goalies. Should you’ve acquired a surplus of that, you’re method forward of the sport.”

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It’s been a very long time for the reason that group’s blue-line has been deserving of recognition.

The PDO machine

Overlook the charts: we would have liked to see what the PDO machine truly appears to be like like.

Feast your eyes.

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Rush hour

Whereas the PDO machine continues to go brrr, the Canucks rush probability taking pictures share is equally as spectacular.

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Smack discuss

The WWE got here to city for Friday Evening Smackdown and the Canucks caught some severe strays.

First, it was social media star and pay-per-view boxer Logan Paul digging into Canadian wrestler Kevin Owens and the hometown hockey staff.

“You beating me for the U.S. title is just like the Canucks profitable the Stanley Cup … it’s by no means going to occur,” Paul mentioned.

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Owens, naturally, decked Paul earlier than he might end.

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If the title Kevin Owens rings a bell, it’s due to former Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau — an enormous wrestling fan and buddy of Owens.

Boudreau even appeared on Monday Evening Uncooked in Might 2023 to offer Owens and Sami Zayn slightly teaching recommendation following their tag-team match.

No surprise there have been some “Bruce, there it’s” chants ringing round Rogers Enviornment with Owens within the squared circle.

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The Canucks present coach needn’t fear — although a tag staff of Adam Foote and Sergei Gonchar might do some injury underneath Tocchet’s tutelage.

No less than somebody repped the Canucks proper on Friday night time — or so we thought.

Hometown lady and WWE star Chelsea Inexperienced induced a stir by sporting a glittery blue-and-green Canucks-themed outfit in her untelevised bout with Bianca Belair.

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The design was by Florida-based Jolene Jilnicki, a self-described WWE seamstress who makes “tiny pants for giant males” and costumes for “Homicide Gymnastics.”

Inexperienced has an enormous following on-line, with almost 900,000 on Instagram alone. She’s not fairly royalty in these components — that’s reserved for the likes of Canucks proprietor Francesco Aquilini and Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger — however the 31-year-old former WWE tag staff champion match into the crew simply superb.

For all of the hullabaloo and Ferrari excursions, Inexperienced went rogue with a tirade towards the Vancouver devoted.

“I truly left this depressing place,” she mentioned, digging in as a heel. “I did what my buddy Luongo did and I moved to probably the most magical place on Earth: Florida.”

The way in which the Canucks are going, Inexperienced could need to rethink.

As Wyshynski mentioned, it might be an absolute riot come playoff time.

[email protected]

twitter.com/mike_raptis

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