Well seven points out of ten on the road ain't bad, but WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY, did they forfeit three points to the weakest teams?
to begin with, the difference between the 'so called' weak and the strong isn't much at all, the difference
in points don't tell the whole story.
if you remember when the canucks were a 'co called' very weak team long ago, the basement dwellers, they lost
many more games than they won BUT I also remember when canucks played one of the top teams in the league,
they quite often did very well. Pride comes into it, they get 'up' for those games, and raise the level
of play. It is all just human nature, they don't want to be embarrassed.
If you recall both of those games, canucks could have won either
one of them, the play did go back and forth during the 60 minutes.
Columbus in the last 10 games has improved, their team is getting better, but one won't see that very
much in the point column, their start to the season was so bad.
In the carolina game 'ward' was brilliant, stopped everything, he is one of the best goalies in the
league, and can stone a team from time to time, which he did with canucks.
Schneider played well, but didn't make a couple of 'over the top saves' like ward did, and that can
make the difference quite easily.
There just ISN'T that much difference in teams all thru the league, since the cap came in, the league
has become much more of a level playing field, and that is good, and just because a team is sitting
near the bottom of the league, don't ever think they automatically should lose.
Look at Islanders, in the standings they look poor, but they are a very good team, just can't seem to
win enough to climb the charts, and the deeper they get into the season, the harder that is to do.
The players are all professional hockey players, the best players in the world,and if any one of us skated beside the worst player
in the NHL, and watched how good they skate and how talented they can handle a puck on the ice, we
would be blown away by any of them.
When vineault is interviewed before each game by media, he is 'always' trying to
explain how good each team is that they are going to play, he should be taken
seriously by all of us, and don't pay any attention to how the media play up all
the games, as they talk about how canucks should win this game or that, no vineault
knows what he is talking about, he knows how close all teams are, and how anyone
can win at any time.