Vancouver vs Winnipeg

Search

Dice, Sports & Cocktails
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Messages
13,706
Tokens
Okay so we escaped with one last night & I am not going to gloat but humbly appologise to under backers.

Lets move on to Winnipeg...I don't have time to break this game down but after the clunker the Canucks put out yesterday the best thing for them is to get back at it today.

Winnipeg is a funny team they have experienced some self-mutilation with teammates injuring other teammates you'll have to look it up but there 4-5 instances so far this year
They are also 3-5 at home 2-6 as fav and cant score ranked 30th at home 2 goals for
They are also 9-1 in the last 10 vs Vancouver but since they were a cup contender the last 3 years and Vcr has been a dumpster fire I can see why. Who know maybe the flat canucks were looking ahead to tonight.

Enter Thatcher Demko who should provide a calming net presences tonight. You ask any played they will tell you if the Goal is sound they feel more confident. I don't really know what was up with the Canucks last night but I do know Markstorm has been a bit erratic lately. Breaking his stick in an OT loss , roaming far from his net , he did have family issues that took him away from the team early in the season I wonder if that is what is hurting him or maybe he feels Demko and is stressing a bit. But maybe that is what had the whole team just bit off passes were not crisp, SOG missed the mark and Petterson also looked agitated at times.

Oh before I forget - CIRCLE fading the Hawks against the Leafs on Sunday - not sure if you heard them drop this gem last night I was listening to the blackhawks broadcast ( I am growing a dislike for shorty and dont listen to the home broadcast anymore - listening to paint dry is more exciting than him). Anyways back to Chicago they go to PITT for tmr and then back home for TO on Sunday so a classic 3 in 4 with travel the sunday game is at 4pm. & it will be their 6th game in 9 days .

Okay so far this yr Vancouver is 2-0 in B2B's & we get a maybe an angry canucks squad
We get Demko and his .931 sav %
We break the bitch situation
This line is bad for Winnipeg backers

Anyways I can go on I attacked this a few ways b/c I think we may have OT on our hands here

VCR +.5 -158 $1.58
VCR ML +108 $1
Yes to OT +275 $.5

U6 -106 $3 - Did I mention how good Demko has been & how the Jest cant score? Helleybuyck has been even better.

3-2 Vancouver in OT would be just fine

gl Hockey Fans
 

Don't assume people in charge know what they are d
Joined
Aug 16, 2006
Messages
6,473
Tokens
You're on a roll, but Nucks looking past anybody is a laugh!
I was looking at the Hawks Laffs also, almost the old Church of 3/4, except Chi is at home.

Tail Nucks

GL
 

I don't know enough to know I don't know
Joined
Sep 21, 2004
Messages
12,483
Tokens
Oh before I forget - CIRCLE fading the Hawks against the Leafs on Sunday - not sure if you heard them drop this gem last night I was listening to the blackhawks broadcast ( I am growing a dislike for shorty and dont listen to the home broadcast anymore - listening to paint dry is more exciting than him). Anyways back to Chicago they go to PITT for tmr and then back home for TO on Sunday so a classic 3 in 4 with travel the sunday game is at 4pm. & it will be their 6th game in 9 days .

Great catch but I notice the Leafs are playing their 3rd in 4 as well, (back to back), and 4th in 6. Unless the time has changed I show a 7:00 pm EST start.

I don’t know what to make of the Leafs team so far. They don’t look cohesive to me but maybe that’s just the optics of watching a team trying to tighten up the defense. The consequence is their offense just doesn’t flow to me like we’ve grown used to since Austin Mathews' arrival. This franchise understands a run and gun style put fannies in the seats, highlights on sportscenter, but don’t win games come playoff time. FWIW Vegas Knights are doing the same but also handicapped by a horrible shooting percentage, (4th worst SH# at 6.47 5v5) helping to explain their middling offense so far. I shouldn’t be surprised to both implementing a more defensive scheme but it sure isn’t as exciting as what I’ve grown accustomed to.


Freddrick Anderson has three straight wins in November and looked great vs. Vegas. Of somewhat insignificant minutia his best career month is November, 2.38, .927#. He’s 3-2-3, 3.03 .902#, against Chicago lifetime.

All mute points if he starts tonight. Michael Hutchinson has been brutal so far although has tremendous career numbers vs. Chicago, 4-1-1, 1.33, .961#.

The Athletic did a good piece on the Leafs poor shot quality this year compared to last. Leafs are 11th from the bottom in xGF#, (49.76). A huge telling point was four of the Leafs top ten in shot percentage per 60 are defensemen. Their shot map for the year shows a unbalanced tilt of shots from the point and lacking from the slot.

Add in factors like the Leafs struggling PP and the -140, or so favorites they should be and I’m not certain this is such a good spot.
 

I don't know enough to know I don't know
Joined
Sep 21, 2004
Messages
12,483
Tokens
The biggest concern for me isn’t the fact that there’s zero logic behind the Leafs’s style at the moment; I completely understand the desire to force Toronto’s young stars into putting in more effort without the puck. My issue is that it’s coming at the expense of the qualities that separate the Leafs from other teams, which is missing the forest for the sake of a few trees.

You can tighten things up defensively and still lean into your strengths. Carolina is a perfect example. They want to play with pace, counter-attack after every turnover, run an aggressive “five-man forecheck” — similar to how Toronto played in their playoff series against Washington in 2017 — so that they’re constantly applying pressure. The Hurricanes still play tight hockey in all three zones, but they do so with an emphasis on speed and puck possession.

Instead, what we’re seeing is a conservative style of hockey that goes against everything the Leafs’ roster was designed for. They aren’t activating their defence enough on the breakout; they’re trapping more often instead of aggressively forechecking with their speed; the fourth line is playing way too many important shifts. Combine all of those factors, and you get the low-event brand of hockey we’ve been watching recently.

Ian Tulloch
The Athletic
 

Forum statistics

Threads
1,106,144
Messages
13,433,398
Members
99,280
Latest member
dukes007
The RX is the sports betting industry's leading information portal for bonuses, picks, and sportsbook reviews. Find the best deals offered by a sportsbook in your state and browse our free picks section.FacebookTwitterInstagramContact Usforum@therx.com