[MUSIC] Conox Central Tuesday, it's Dan Richo, Satyar Shah. Here in the Kintec Studio, Conox Central is for enzyme Pacific Vancouver's premier, Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep Superstore on 2nd Avenue between Canby and Maine or Ben's on Pacific Chrysler.ca, a lot to get into as the Canucks are ready for their penultimate game of the season. Satyar with me all night. How many times am I going to say penultimate in one evening of work? >> I mean, the fact that it didn't even take you 15 seconds to get there. I think we're on in for a very long night. I'm gonna put the over under like 35. >> We do this every year. >> No, no, no, not just every year, it's every time there's a chance to say penultimate. >> Yes, it's the penultimate preseason game. >> Yes, any chance to reach get to say penultimate, he will say it. Penultimate game before the all-star break. >> Yes, the Canucks happen to win their penultimate away game of the season when they beat Edmonton last Saturday. >> Yes, there you go. >> We'll continue to find more and more ways to do this. >> I think we just said it nine times there. >> We're already close to that over under, we can't set the number ourselves. We can't know it either. >> That's the problem. >> That would be fraudulent. All right, let's get to it. It's the open on Canucks Central. [MUSIC] >> Welcome to the Open. >> That's your home. Are you too good for your home? Answer me. >> So the long wait for the playoffs continues as the Vancouver Canucks will take on the Calgary Flames tonight, close out with the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. And yes, there are still things to play for. Canucks need to get one more point to clinch the Pacific Division title. They still have a chance to win the conference if they win both games. And Dallas happens to lose in regulation for their final game of the season. So actually just Dallas happens to lose, yeah, in regulation for their final game of the season, Canucks will have won the Western Conference. And I know people are going to text in 65650 and be like, hey, we don't want them to win the conference. We won Nashville. >> It's still a big achievement if you do. I mean, good achievement at least. >> You think Leaf fans are still happy they chanted, we want Florida last year? >> You got to be careful. >> [LAUGH] >> Be careful what you wish for us. >> Yes. >> I was on with Logan Gordon and Calgary today and he was kind of asking me about who Canucks fans kind of won and everything and I'm like, it's not quite like we want Florida. They're not chanting we want Florida, but a lot of fans want Nashville. And you got to be careful what you wish for. >> And that's not to say I think Nashville isn't the team you want to face. But I don't think there's an easy opponent, so to speak. >> What I like about the commentary or narrative message that's come out of the Canucks room or they're coaching staff all season long. And if you go all the way back to even the early part of the season and Canucks are off to a hot start, they'll go up against a big time team, a contending type team that we thought of early in the season. And all the generic, is this a measuring stick game sort of question would come out? And they'd be like, we just got to focus on ourselves. >> Yeah. >> If we play our game, if we focus on ourselves, then we'll be fine. So, I appreciate that sort of narrative, that sort of message that's come out of the room all season long. And I don't think that it's any different now than it was early in the season. Whether it's Nashville, whether it's Vegas, whether it's the LA Kings, it doesn't matter to the Vancouver Canucks, or it shouldn't matter to the Vancouver Canucks, they have to believe themselves, as long as they play their game, they'll have a chance of winning. >> With that said, what do we need to see from this Canucks team? Is there anything we can see over these final two regular season games that gives you more confidence going into the playoffs? Is it just wanting to see Demko feel the puck a little bit and look like his vesna caliber self? What is it you'd like to see over these last few games? >> Honestly, outside of Demko, there really isn't anything, right? Do you want to see them be healthy? >> Yes. >> Of course, right? Get through them like no more. >> It's kind of like pre-season, right? You're like, okay, just everybody, make sure you're healthy for getting one of the playoffs. >> That's how I feel at this point. You know, you're just get there healthy and hopefully Demko looks good. Those are the two things. Do you want to see Patterson have a big game? Do you want to see Patterson have a game where he snipes a couple? Where he has a moment where he scores like a big goal or something? Like is that something maybe you want to see? >> It would be nice to see, but you know, he had that game time goal the other night against Arizona and it's like, is this the moment? I mean, every time we see Patterson do something where we just keep being like, is that the moment? Is this the one where Patterson finally gets the monkey off his back and the slump is broken and we see the Elias Patterson we've come to know here in Vancouver. I'm not sure that a goal against Calgary or in what's likely to be a completely irrelevant game against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday would do anything to suppress my concerns about Elias Patterson. >> Yeah, and it's funny because I started off saying there's nothing we want to see and then got to Patterson and already got a sad, what are you talking about? There's anything you want to see? I'm not worried about Demko at all. I want to see PD start to play like a $12 million player. Well, the good thing is he doesn't get paid close to 12 million to next year. >> Yeah. >> So it's like, so do you need to see it now or next year? And I just jest with that part, but the other part of it is we were getting to the whole Patterson aspect. The reality is if he has one game, is it an indicator of he's back or one game? >> It's one game. >> And that's why, yes, I'd like to see him have a game and snipe it. But if we're being honest in terms of like, what does that truly mean? A single good game or one or two good games at the end of a season? Does that really mean a player is quote unquote back? >> Yeah. >> And I don't know if it does. That's why it'd be nice, I don't know if it truly tells you anything. It's the playoffs where you want to see him arrive in the playoffs is the way where you want to see him level up. That's what you want to see. >> Well, the playoffs are completely clean slate for everybody, right? A new day begins. It's day one. Wipe away all your stats from the regular season. They no longer matter. It's now the tournament, it's the playoffs. And even this year, you know, you could say, oh, you want to be winning and feeling good about yourself going into the postseason. There's going to be like four or five days off between the final game of the season and game one of the series against potentially Nashville. >> And I think people need a reminder, and I know people will watch other teams playing the playoffs, but a reminder of what it feels and looks like when your team's in the playoffs versus regular season hockey. It's going to be such a different world that it's going to be where we'll look back and say like, yeah, anything we talked about in the regular season does not apply anymore. This is a completely different game. And I think that's something that that's why I don't been overreacting to either, you know, good or bad. It's the last like 10 games or so or 12 games even. It's just about getting to the playoffs healthy and they've flashed at times their top form as a team like we talked about yesterday. The only guy who hasn't showed his top form recently is probably Elias Petterson. >> It's funny you say that because a player who I think most fans would say is in form and has been in form is J.T. Miller. He's got a 10-game point streak running and he was asked today at practice about his recent play and how he's feeling going into the playoffs. And even though he's on a 10-game point streak, his answer might surprise you or not if you've just gotten used to hearing J.T. Miller talk about his own game. Here it is. >> Yeah, I definitely wouldn't grade it based on the 10-game point streak. A lot of power play stuff, a lot of, you know, I feel like I'm driving play like I have been earlier in the year. Not bad, just I think I have another level and I don't know if that's naturally since we clinched, I don't know if something in me has taken a little emotional step back and resting, but I certainly don't like playing like that. And, you know, I want to play really good game tonight and, you know, for me personally feeling good going into the playoffs, but it's definitely that little more over the last couple weeks. >> So there's J.T. Miller talking about his own game and despite the 10-game point streak, despite eclipsing the 100-point mark for the first time in his career, even he feels like his game isn't at its best level. Almost that, as to his own admittance, he's taken a little bit of a subconscious step back since they've clinched their playoff spot and the stakes of the season just haven't been where they were earlier. >> Yeah, and I think we've seen at times his game, like I thought against Vegas, for instance, everybody, everyone was up for it. He had a really good game. >> Yeah. >> And I think we've seen in moments him him flash that for him, but I do agree overall that he's been collecting points the last 10-12 games. We haven't really consistently seen his top form. The reason it's not an issue is, number one, he has 102 points or whatever it was on the season already. And he's shown to be dominant for much of the campaign anyways, that you'll easily forgive a final 10-12 game stretch, whatever, when the team's been as good as they have been this year, where he's not his dominant self. Do you have any concerns about him finding that emotional level in the playoffs? >> To me, that's like uneasy. >> He's almost the last guy that you would worry about. >> Yeah, so I have zero concerns about JT Miller's emotional level when the playoffs begin, and not to make it all about PD, but it kind of comes back to PD again. >> Yes. >> It's like, can he show that? And he hasn't shown it late in the season enough for you to be confident that it's going to be there. It's more about hoping it's going to be there. I know people text it, and some people still believe this one says, "Peterson is saving his energy for the playoffs." We're certainly hoping that he has another level in the playoffs because that's what they're going to need. And we talked about this yesterday that everyone's flashed at this point late in the season. Their top four more times, like Hughes, Bester's had a couple of good games showing what he can do. Miller's had it. It's just Peterson that hasn't quite showcased it yet. And Demko hasn't because he's been injured. >> Yeah. >> And that's what you're hoping to see him be healthy and be good to go for the playoffs. >> We haven't seen it from Peterson since January, when he was one of the three stars of the month. 14 goals, was it? In the month of January, he was great through New Jersey and New York. That was when they had briefly reunited the Lotto line, and they got off to a great start before their success and their chemistry started to fizzle out. And their success started to fizzle out as well. But Peterson, even after the Lotto line went away, and Rick Talkett went back to the lines that are similar to what we're seeing right now. He still carried that through all the way into the all-star break before then slowing down a little bit to where we've been now for over a month, really, since he even signed the contract. A lot of people were hoping, okay, now he's got that off his mind. He can start to play a little bit better, but we just haven't seen it consistently, that next level. That level we saw, frankly, in the bubble, the last time the Canucks were in the playoffs when Peterson was still a very young player in the league. He was great against the Vegas gold denights, the Canucks second best player behind Thatcher Demko in that series. So he has done it in what little playoff experience he has, but I think all of these guys have another level. We've seen Miller get to that level. We've seen Hughes get to that level. We've seen Peterson, although not recently, get to that level. But the playoffs are an animal where, yeah, even that level, you've got to be even higher than that. Not even just from a point scoring perspective, but everything in your game has to be clicking. Every single thing matters in the postseason. Every single shift matters in the playoffs, right? So the value of every shift goes up exponentially, so you have to meet that responsibility of the stakes being so much higher in the postseason. And again, the organization clearly believes in Peterson, because otherwise it would not be investing in him. And they believe that he's going to be that player. I believe he's going to be that player. We all should. I mean, he still got 90 points on the season. Yeah, I mean, or close to it. We can get into it. Honestly, like everyone said their piece about Peterson at this point. I think we all know where everybody stands on the issue. Everyone agrees. He needs to have an impact in the playoffs. We need to see more in the playoffs. And ultimately, that's going to have to be a big part of this team's success that they're going to go far. It's just, is there also something going on that's going to prevent that from happening? We can't just assume he's going to be good in the playoffs. There is a world where, hey, maybe he doesn't make that impact. And what are the reasons why that didn't happen? And that's going to be a fair issue to debate. Long term, I believe the player is going to live up to it. Players have ups and downs. Players will have some years better than others. Some years where maybe you doubt the level they can get back to and they'll usually prove you're wrong and come back to that level at some point, especially guys as talented as he is. But that's kind of the question, is he actually going to be able to make that difference in the playoffs this year? The Canucks absolutely need it. We've talked about Lindholm quite a bit. He's getting to a level that you can see him having success in really helping this team out in the playoffs, especially in the role that he's being deployed in. Rick Talkett was also asked about, well, essentially, who could be an X-Factor? Who can be an under the radar type player that makes an impact for the Canucks? The question was sort of mostly centered around Dakota Joshua, and if he could be that player. I almost feel like we should have expectations of Joshua going into the postseason at this point for how good he has been. I'd consider Ilya McKayev more of an X-Factor, a guy who's been in a slump for the last 50 games, basically, only has the one goal. Like there's a guy that I think has more to give to this team and actually has a level that we've seen, whether it was with the Leafs before he came to Vancouver. That's a guy that does have more to give to this team in a scenario where he could make a difference in the playoffs, whether it's with a big play, short-handed, or just finally finishing off some of the chances that he's been getting in these last few games. If he just finishes a couple of those chances, I think people feel differently, too, about how that entire line, Hoaglander, Pedersen, and McKayev played. If he finishes a couple, even Hoaglander had a great chance, even Pedersen had a chance. So if those guys bury one or two, there's a different feeling about how that line played. This person texted into a Dunbar Lumbet text in the box, 656.50. I'd like to see McKayev score an empty net goal, he could have done another last opportunity. Is the confidence that low, that even a new slate's not going to bring the best of him back? That's the question, but that's why he would be an X-Factor. Is there a way that he can actually finish a few of these chances and get going? The coach thinks so. Talk has been very vocal about him believing in the player and thinking the turnaround is coming. There's some other players we could talk about. You could send in your thoughts on that, 656.50 on the Dunbar Lumbert text message inbox. A lot still to get to, Irfan Gefar is going to join us. Also Chris Mason, a Predators analyst, former NHL netminder is going to join us after five o'clock, get a look in at the Preds who have now finished their season and are the Vancouver Canucks. Most likely first round opponent. The Canucks Central round up a couple of things we'd like to hit on before we get to our next guest, Thatcher Demko getting the start in net. And as some of our textures are saying, Demko has to look healthy. They have to stay healthy. Other than that, the Canucks are the first or second best team in the Western Conference and the top five team in the NHL all season. They don't have to show us anything in the next couple of games. Just win the first round. That's Steve in New West. But his biggest point, Demko has to look healthy. And that starts tonight against the Calgary Flames. And I don't know, yes, you can be confident in Demko, but until somebody comes back from an injury and gets through a game and feels fine, like you just don't ever truly know. And that's why it matters. Even through the most basic expectation of how do you handle it, especially knee injury for a goaltender. I'm hoping that he's going to be fine. I'm expecting that he's going to be fine, but it's still a big game. And you're hoping that at the other side of it, you feel confident going into the postseason. Yeah, I'm curious to see how this game does play out. The Canucks, basically when asked about Calgary, all sort of mentioning they've got a guard against getting caught into a pond hockey game because Calgary is right now looking to pad their stat sheets going into the off season. He's ready to play and his knee will get tested. But in the first game back, do you want to make him go post to post a lot? Probably not. And I think that's something that, you know, as a team, it's like, yes, we want to be good for ourselves. But also our guys coming back from injury, let's play a good game in front of our goalie as well. Interesting note from practice today, Elias Lindholm and Phillip Ronik went on to the ice early with the rest of their teammates on the second power play unit to try and get in some extra work and see if they can get the second unit clicking a little bit better. First thought, good leadership by Lindholm and Huronik. Yeah. Second thought, as we were discussing before, every single shift in the playoffs matters so much more. That unit doesn't get a lot of practice time in games because the first unit dominates. It won't be leaned on at times and you have to make your time count in the post season. So I think it's a good leader move and I think it's smart for them to work on these details ahead of the post season. Even just have a few things that you want to go to when you get those 30 seconds on. So you really sometimes only have chances of creating one player and one look, right? So what are the types of looks we want to get when we have a short amount of time to work with on power play too? So yes, good to see Elias Lindholm and Phillip Ronik taking that on their own. And Andrei Kuzmenko back in town, he was already back in Vancouver once before but the conversation continues because Andrei Kuzmenko is on a 42 goal pace since his trade to the Calgary Flames. Yeah, he's been red hot. Yes. And even Jim Rutherford himself mentioned he's going to score goals again. Yeah, the question is whether it's going to be here or elsewhere, the answer is elsewhere. Yes, the answer is most certainly elsewhere. I saw a there was an article I don't mean to call people out, but I thought the headline was kind of funny. Like the flames need to not make the same mistake that Canucks did and sell high on Andrei Kuzmenko. And my first thought is in theory, yes, makes a lot of sense, but also I'm not sure there's a lot of contending teams like bearing down the door to get Andrei Kuzmenko onto their roster. I think he's going to be really fascinating for a team in transition behind over team that's maybe knocking on the door a little bit. He'd be intriguing in Chicago, for instance, right, like we're a team that's you kind of want to be smoking. I don't think Calgary is going to be any great shakes next year. He's probably perfectly situated where he is right now. Sell him high at the deadline. Yeah. It doesn't mean that Kuzmenko can't be good on a playoff team at some point. So far, the only times he's been able to score goals has been when he's been on teams that aren't going anywhere. Yeah. And teams that are looking to play a little bit of defense, that's where Andrei Kuzmenko might have to change his game a little bit. But good for him and also good for Calgary. They end up getting an asset that's going to be an actual asset for them at the end of the day, one way or another. Dan Richel, Satyarsha, Erfan Gefar are going to join us next on Canucks Central.
