[MUSIC PLAYING] Knocks Central Wednesday. It's Dan Reicho, Satyarsha here in the KinTech Studio. Knocks Central is for enzyme-specific Vancouver's Premier Chrysler, Dodd, Ram, and Jeep Superstore on 2nd Avenue between Canby and Maine. Or at enzyme-specific Chrysler, Dodd, CA. A lot to get into as the Canucks seal up the Pacific Division and are now looking ahead to round one of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Still a lot to-- that needs to develop, Sat. We can't officially start breaking down the first round opponent, because although it is most likely going to be the Nashville Predators, it's not guaranteed to be the Nashville Predators. No. We could find out as early as tonight, whether the-- Dallas gets a point. Yeah. The issue is-- and we'll get to it-- when do we find out when game one is? That's an interesting question, and we got a little hint at how Rick Talkett and the Canucks are maybe feeling about which way the schedule is headed. So let's get into it. It's Canucks Central. It is the Open, here on SportsNet 650. The Open. [MUSIC PLAYING] Welcome to the Open. Oh, that's your home. Are you too good for your home? It's to me. Yes, it's the Open where we bring you the latest on the Vancouver Canucks. And what did we hear today from Rick Talkett after a morningscape before they flew out to Winnipeg for the season finale tomorrow against the Winnipeg Jets? It sounded like he's not thrilled about the idea of having to play on Sunday. At least if I'm reading the tea leaves and reading body language, I know. I'm just a radio host, but sometimes I'm a body language expert. And I'm a months an expert at many other subjects. Yeah, some part-time doctor when I want to be, trying to evaluate injuries. But a lot of people nowadays with us, by the way. It's kind of the way it goes in today's day and age. But the thing about this is Sunday feels like where it's headed, as we talked about yesterday, even on the post-game show. And as Irv mentioned to us on Canucks Central yesterday, but is that necessarily what the Canucks are pushing for as a team? And it doesn't feel like that. Well, at least not the head coach. Yeah. You know, PJ, I think you mentioned how even the Canucks didn't love Tuesday, maybe organizationally. I think Talkett himself said he preferred Monday or Tuesday. I don't think he loves the emotional playing on Sunday. Yeah. And he pretty much laid it out. It's up to TV, not us. Yeah. So which TV networks do we blame? Is it the American TV networks? It's just like the Americans are not ours, because I don't think it's ours. Is it our bosses in Toronto? We might have to be yelling at some people in Toronto about this. Maybe some evil telecom, perhaps. What I do know is the way Rick Talkett laid it out. And he said, well, I'd prefer to have two days of meetings getting the guys intel on their upcoming opponents. But we may only have to do one day. And then how much do you want to give them in one day? And plus practice time and all these different types of things. And as we sit and look at Nashville as the most likely opponent, I've heard the talk that Nashville didn't love playing on Tuesday either, because they would have more than a week off from their last game. And then it becomes OK, this is now too much rest for our guys and puts us at a disadvantage, which maybe a little bit overblown. But it's clear that Tuesday is not something either group is in love with. It would force them into potential of a back-to-back at some point in Nashville to make sure they got the series on schedule at some point, because they would be starting later than most other series. And then I start looking at it. And I'm wondering, well, doesn't Monday just make the most sense then for this series to start? Logically, Monday. And you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure this out and do a quick search of building availability and those types of things to figure out that Monday, the 22nd, would be sort of the ideal start for this series. It would be the idea, because they can make it work. I mean, up until game seven, it works out perfectly. So based on building availability, you could have Monday, Wednesday at Rogers Arena. Then you could have Friday, Sunday at Bridgestone. And you can't do the 24th or the 25th. So if they were to start on Sunday, they would play game one Sunday the 21st, game two Sunday, Tuesday the 23rd. Then they'd have to take two days off. There's a concert on the 24th and 25th at Bridgestone Arena. So as you were just mentioning, this way, if you start on Monday, then you can just, at least for the first four games of the series, it can be easily laid out in a game every other day, proper routine as it were. This is what makes the most sense. The only area you might end up into a little bit of an issue is where game seven might land. - Honestly, it's game seven that's the issue, because up until game, you can play every other day, up until game six. Now, if you play game seven, however, game six would get played, then I guess it would be what, the Friday or the Saturday? - It would schedule-wise, you know, if you were to do it every other day, it would line up to be May the 4th, which is the Saturday and Pearl Jam is in town on Saturday, May the 4th. - Now what complicates it even further is on the 5th as a day off. - Yeah. - So it's available technically on May 5th, but Pearl Jam is another show on May 6th. - Yes. - 'Cause it would have to tear it down and then put it back up. - But conceivably, you could be done by the 5th. - So you could do it. Now the issue is we can see the path to it, so it's doable. - Yes. - But if they're not doing it, then there are other matters. There are other things that dictate why this is happening the way it's happening. - Yeah. And that is television networks trying to make sure that they get their schedule lined up and probably wanting to have a full loaded schedule of playoff hockey this coming Sunday, April the 21st. - There's only so many series that could be started on the 20th, I would imagine, given that so many teams are finishing here on the Thursday of this week, especially in the Western Conference. So you're forced into probably trying to jam a couple of extras onto the 21st. And let's remember, a couple of weeks ago when it was announced that the playoffs were going to be moved up, it was, again, because of the television networks. Initially the schedule had the playoffs not beginning until the 22nd of April, but they moved it up to start on the 20th because the television networks wanted it to start on the weekend. - Yes, so here we are. - And that's the reality of what's gonna happen. - It's clear though, the team, as you mentioned, the coach isn't overly enthused about it, right? And he was kind of bemoaning the fact that, okay, we have to get a rest day in. He got the guys to skate today a little bit before they flew out. And he's like, based on the fact we're playing on Sunday, I felt like they needed to do a little something, get a little bit of a sweat going, and then you have to consider things for Friday, 'cause now it means Friday, you have to have a meeting day, you can't skate, you can't let the guys have a full day off 'cause you have to prepare for the team on Sunday, and that means you have one practice out of the playoffs, which would be the Saturday. - Yeah. So it puts the Canucks at a little bit of a disadvantage going into the series, assuming it's Nashville, like Nashville's home and cooled out, they could be scouting every possible opponent that they currently have for days on end before the Canucks are even finished their season. - Yeah, and I think the talk has kind of been that both organizations are assuming, they're gonna face one another, and I think the net predators have been assuming that for a few days, a couple of days now, they're at the moment preparing for Vancouver. - Yeah. - And why wouldn't they? - Yeah, and the only way that changes is if Dallas loses, and all of a sudden the game on Thursday means something where the Canucks if they wanted to finish first, like that's the only time that they would maybe flip and start really focusing on somebody else, but right now that opponent is getting ready to play Vancouver, whereas Vancouver, yeah, they're probably thinking about Nashville, but they have a game still to play tomorrow. - Yeah, and it's an interesting spot that they put themselves in. Raymond, Dan, NHL and make sense, do not go together. - No, that's true. I mean, it's one of those things, like, you know, it's not even just the NHL, you have other, and even the telecom stuff, they have other properties too, especially American telecoms, it's not a simple one. - Oh, TNT's got NBA playoffs. - Exactly, there's a lot going on, you know, so a lot of things to juggle, and unfortunately, sometimes somebody gets a short end of the stick, it just kind of, and honestly, like, is it going to cause the Canucks to not win the series? Probably not. - Yeah. - It's more about, it just puts so much more focus on game one all of a sudden. Like, it doesn't game one matter so much more. - It puts a little bit more focus on game one. Like, you know, you're not losing the series in game one, but you like to get a head start, right? You like to be, especially this team, they've preferred to be in the lead all season long, they've been good with leads, and you'd want to start on the right foot in that spot, but it's a little bit of a situation that they've got themselves in. Is it something they can't overcome? Absolutely not, you know, it shouldn't be used as that kind of an excuse, but it certainly, I think, in the interest of fairness, would make the most sense to start on Monday. At least give the Canucks two, like, one kind of rest day, and then two prep days for the start of a series. - Yeah, but, you know, like we saw this text coming in from Jamie and Richmond, Canucks just sent out an email for booking sports bar seats for game one and two. They list game one as Sunday, April 21st, and game two as a 23rd is what Jamie and Richmond says. And it's all tentative, but I do know, it's kind of, even like talking sounded resigned to the fact that it's gonna be Sunday, didn't he? - Yes. - Didn't it sound like sound like somebody that's like, well, we will see what happens. He mentioned it, we'll see, but he didn't seem like somebody who assumed that this could change from Sunday. - It's really pointing to Sunday being the day for this thing to start. - I like this text. - I haven't even started the playoffs, and then whining has begun. - Yes, that's the way that it goes. Tyler can't wait for Pearl Jam on the 4th. I would imagine Pearl Jam puts on quite a show. May the 4th be with you, Tyler. - Oh, yes, by the way, major. - That's right. - Forgot about that. - You think Eddie Vedder makes a May the 4th be with you, Joke? - Probably not. - He doesn't seem like a Star Wars guy to you. - I guess maybe you could surprise. Who knows? I don't think so. - No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. - No, mumble something. Well, yes, great. - Oh, no, no, no. - By the way, I like Pearl Jam, so don't, you know, I like to just make fun of Eddie Vedder, but. - Hey, I mean, they had the SNL skit back in the day, so it's fair game for everybody to go down the same path. Dan Richo, Satyar Shah, that's the latest on the Canucks, and playoff scheduling. You know, there's a couple of things I did want to get to here, and one of them is J.T. Miller, because there was a lot of discussion about the Team MVP award. We talked a little bit about it on the post-game show last night, Sat, and yeah, J.T. wins Team MVP as voted by the fans, and I don't want to make this a debate about J.T. or Quinn Hughes. Like, both had incredible seasons, right? There are clearly some that are going to say J.T. was the most valuable player, and the engine of the team, and all of those things, and you wouldn't be totally wrong in saying that. Well, could you say that-- and I'm not totally mixing metaphors and everything here, but that Quinn is the engine of the team, and J.T. is the heartbeat of the team? I guess you could-- Yeah, sure. I wouldn't dispute that too much with you. Quinn Hughes, the engine, and J.T., the heartbeat. Yes. Who's the radiator? [LAUGHTER] What was the radiator? It's a thankless job. Who are the tires? It's Connor Garland, the spark plug. Oh, hi, Sat. He is. He is. Connor Garland is a spark plug. That's perfect. Same size too is perfect. So yes, Quinn Hughes, the engine, J.T. Miller, the heartbeat of the team. But as I said, I don't want to make this a debate about J.T. or Quinn Hughes, but I think there's a story behind the fans voting for J.T. as MVP of this team. Considering J.T. 15 months ago was like, get the guy out of town. Pittsburgh offered anything for him? You make that trade. It's just seventh round pick. I don't care. Make the trade. Don't keep the contract. Get rid of the contract. Anything you can do, get rid of it. That's where a lot of people were. I know we weren't necessarily here on the show. Saying that, we always, when we discussed it, it was-- it would take a pretty big offer and a well-sized offer for the Canucks to move off of J.T. Miller at last year's deadline. But there was a lot of discussion about it. There was a lot of discussion about how could they choose Miller over their captain, Bo Horvat, and on and on and on it went. That night in Calgary where there was a lazy back check, there was the night with Colin Deelia. Slamming is stick on the net. Colin Deelia. Anything that could happen with J.T. Miller to get the fans all up in a tizzy, it happened. And they were mad. And they threw their fury at J.T. Miller about where the team was headed. Some of it was fair. Some of it was hyperbole. But the idea that he's completely now won over the fan base to the point where he's won team MVP as voted by the fans over the captain of the team. Quinn Hughes, who might win the Norris this year, should win the Norris in my humble opinion. I think that says something about how much of a 180 this fan base has taken on with J.T. Miller. - It absolutely does. And it kind of goes both ways, right? That frustration he showed and he kind of became the target of people's frustration. And some of it was earned, as you mentioned. - Yeah, and boy were the takes, amazing. Especially around the deal. - The takes were fired. - Oh, they were fantastic. I mean, looking back at it now, even more so. But it was a lot of really interesting takes around J.T. Now, as you said, a lot of it was earned too. - It was like Max Kellermann on Andre Agudala. That's how hot the takes were. - Because it was. And some of it, as you mentioned, was fair and everything, right? But when the tables turn and the team all of a sudden is successful and he's playing his best hockey, that passion becomes more fuel for your passion as well, right? What does everybody want to see? They want to see a player that plays for the rest. - Yeah. - That goes out there and does things out of sheer will 'cause he wants the team to, like he wants. Fans want to see somebody care as much as they do. Sometimes some players do, a lot of players don't. They don't care the same way you do in terms of, you know, winning for the organization. They view success a lot differently. But clearly he's a guy who wants to win. And also, he's playing incredible hockey. - Yeah. - And it's hard, you don't find, like, and we always talk about power players. And in hockey, there's always a big soft spot for big power players that can produce and have a bit of snarl to the game. My Todd Bertuzzi was a massive fan favorite here. - Yeah. - Brian Kester was a fan of fan favorite. Now it turned around obviously. Again, it cuts both ways. When things get bad, he became a big target of frustration 'cause that same type of attitude was detrimental to the team to some degree, right? And I think JT's of that. It's just, I don't think the team has been good enough. - Yeah, for it to matter. And when it finally mattered, you truly appreciated what JT Miller could bring to the table. - He, as you mentioned earlier, is the, can be the heartbeat of the team. How many nights did he start for Rick Talkett, right? He was first guy over the boards. This is the guy we're going to set the tone of this game with. And so often, he answered the bell to that job, to that duty. The Canucks top line this year was not led by Elias Pedersen. It was led by JT Miller. JT Miller and Brock Besser were the duo of the Canucks best forward line from start to finish. - Yeah. - You know, Pedersen had his moments, had his time when he was the guy leading the way. But Miller has been and the numbers bear this out, even just looking at the raw numbers and his 103 points compared to Pedersen's 88 or 89, whatever it's at right now. It shows this guy has been the more consistent player. And he did that while on most nights, taking the toughest competition, taking the other team's top line, having to deal with that, winning face-offs in bundles and really being the player that they've needed him to be and answering to the bell of, we need you to be the heartbeat of this team. And when he did that, it's, you know, like with JT, we've always said, like, yeah, he's got a lot of energy and he can have his frustrations, get the best of him. But so often this year, his energy fueled him into positive areas, into ways to help the team get back on track, get back into a game, set the tone of a game. And that's where I think the biggest difference is, you know, his turnovers, I think he still has a lot of turnovers, but it's more so like, this guy has the puck a lot. So he's going to have a lot of turnovers. His giveaways happen in better spots on the ice. There's just so much about JT's game that was more sound, more well-rounded this year. And a lot of that, I think goes to the improved structure of the roster as well. - Well, he epitomizes the buy-in that each person has had. And the fact that he's one of those players too that has produced at a high level, like he's been one of the most prolific connect scorers of all time. The only player who has a higher point per game, and I've mentioned this for a very long time, is Pavel Berry. Yeah, you know, and yes, like he, and when you add that with a player who's bought in, a player who's at least showing far better leadership, and it's not like he's a perfect player still. He still has moments when, you know, it's not perfect, but, I mean, show me a perfect hockey player regardless, right? And everybody in a Canadian market gets scrutinized a lot more than anywhere else. And, you know, you will still hear criticism from time to time. And sometimes it's fair, you talk about game to game, and you have to tell the story. Sometimes players play well, sometimes they don't. But when you're scoring 103 points, and you're putting up all-time numbers for an organization, like how can you not become a fan favorite? Like we were asking the question, why isn't he a bigger fan favorite? - Yeah. - Maybe six months ago. - Yeah. - And then now it really turned. - Now he wins the team MVP. Couple of texts coming in. Do you guys actually get paid for this? Yes, yes we do. It's quite the living to have. We appreciate it. - Amro the actor, JT needed to be traded? Nah, you crazy. We're harkening back to some of the takes that were going on last year ahead of the trade deadline when the rumors around JT potentially going to the Pittsburgh Penguins started to flare up and even go further back. And before he signed his contract, the draft that year, if he was being traded to the New York Islanders or not, there was a lot of trade discussions around JT Miller prior to him signing the long-term extension with the Vancouver Canucks. That's what we were reminiscing about to a certain extent and how far his reputation has come with the fan base now a day after winning the team MVP. This, the process of the team awards reflects one of two possibilities. One, the fans are not as smart as they think they are. Two, there is a major flaw in how fans' opinions and votes are collected. Not all fans are on Twitter nor their email lists. That is another text coming in. And it's a good point. We often say it here. Like the fans on Twitter are actually the minority of the Canucks fan base. It is a small section of the people that actually go to fill out Rogers Arena on a regular basis. But they are often the loudest bunch of Canucks fans as far as their opinions on certain things. Bottom line is JT Miller, team MVP, and is won over the fan base 10-fold from where it was 15 months ago. And even those that didn't love the contract when it was initially signed by JT in September of last year. Yeah, absolutely. Hey, it's one of those things, right? Where it's okay to be wrong on players? Yes. And it's okay to also get more information that informs the new opinion of the player. And I think JT has also given you plenty and more new information for people to change their minds on and to. It's also part of something that the front office talked about quite a bit and how their success this year is absolutely no fluke. And that's something I want to get into tomorrow, head of the game against the Winnipeg Jets. Canucks Central round up a couple of things you need to know. Talk it not sure who will sit and who will play tomorrow night in the season finale against the Winnipeg Jets. He said, "Everyone except one player will travel." I'm not going to speculate as to who that one player is. But it sounds as though Talk it is still very much mulling over which players he might sit for the finale against the Winnipeg Jets and which will play. So that's what's going on. What we do know, Talk it mentioned this, Demko is the expected starter against the Winnipeg Jets. Felt great today. Clearly wants to play another game, get more reps in. So Demko is going to get a second start before the playoffs begin. Yeah. And to me, it makes sense. Yeah. Is one game really enough for you? Yeah. I mean, you got enough shots. Yeah. Yeah. It made 39 say. He himself said he's like, yeah, I felt pretty good. A couple of things or whatever, honestly, I think two games. It's more-- I think it's more about rhythm than anything else, kind of getting back into the rhythm of game, off day, game, off day, game. Players are creatures of habits. Professional athletes are creatures of habit. And I think that's as much of it for Demko as anything else. But as Talk it said, if we're giving up 40 shots at the end of two periods, I don't know if I'm going to play Demko for the third. So we'll see how tomorrow plays out with that in mind. All right, speaking of the goalie, Kevin Woodley, our goalie guru. He's going to join us his take on how Demko looked. In his first game back was pretty good making 39 stops against the Calgary Flames. We'll get to Woodley next on Canucks Central. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] We're back on Canucks Central. It's Stan Reicho, Sad TR Shaw. Canucks Central is for enzyme-specific Vancouver's premiere Chrysler, Dodd-Ramm, and Jeep Superstore. On 2nd Avenue between Camby and Maine, or at enzyme-pacific Chrysler.ca. We're in the Kintec Studio. Kintec Canada's favorite orthotics provider, powered by thousands of five-star Google reviews. Soarfeet, what are you waiting for? And we welcome in our next guest. He is the goalie guru in goal magazine and NHL.com. And weekly here on Canucks Central, it is Kevin Woodley. And he is a presentation of White Rock Hyundai. What's happening Woodley? Not much, boys. It's a beautiful day. And I am looking forward to, whether it's Sunday or Monday or whenever the hell this gets started, going to the rink in the sunshine. I remember we talked about it last year when I got to go to Seattle and sort of cover playoff hockey for the first time. And eight years then, it'll be nine years now here in Vancouver. There's just nothing that beats it, right? Like weather like this and popping to a rink for a few hours. The energy, like I'm an old man, so I don't get excited about much, boys, but I'm excited about this. Well, they made the city wait long enough for playoff hockey in Vancouver, certainly, that the tension and the hope is built up for a while now. And of course, they get the win last night over Calgary. And now we're still just waiting on the opponent. But the biggest storyline last night or one of the bigger storylines was obviously Thatcher Demko. And he makes 39 saves. Looks incredible, as he normally does, is Vessna Caliber self. What did you make of Demko's return? Yeah, I mean, pretty much everything you said, right? Like there was a number of sort of post-to-post backdoor opportunities, at least a couple of real doozies, where you saw that explosiveness that I talked with you guys about seeing him practice right from the get-go last week. Like, I wasn't worried about him physically, frankly. Because of watching him in practice because of having conversation about where he was at physically and how he felt about his game and his movements and all the elements that we'd seen on the ice before they dropped the puck on an actual game, the only thing was the timing. And there were a few moments, and he talked about it afterwards, about a few things he still wants to work through. There were some times when he got caught moving back and forth behind screens, and maybe arguably ended up on the wrong side of them, there was one play behind the net, where he went into where he burst tracked double seal, where he's got a skate on each post, and picked a side, so to speak, a little early. And the puck went out to the other side. And if it had connected, he was on the wrong side of the net. So those are things that are tough plays, for sure. But they're details that when he's really, really, really dialed, he doesn't miss, right? Like, he doesn't get caught going to the wrong side on a play behind the net. So you want a few more reps, and I expected all along, frankly, I know there was conversations about it, but I expected all along for him to play both, and that that would be his preference to be ready for game one of the playoffs, and it sounds like that's what's going to happen when it takes tomorrow night. And in terms of where he feels, he can kind of get better. You know, he didn't really get into any real details on it. But after your first game, that second game, not to say that you couldn't use anymore, but going into that second game, like, what are some areas you think that he could maybe have fine tune a bit more? I just think it's seeing finding pucks through traffic, through the inevitable chaos that comes with a game, and the pace of that chaos that you can't replicate, you know, in a practice, no matter how hard you try, because guys don't want to be in those lanes with a guy winding up from the point in a practice. Like, that's just the reality. You don't want them there. They're going to get hurt, right? Like, you don't want to be blocking shots. You don't want to be in lanes. You don't want to be in the wrong spot. Even, you know, once your teammates is forwards, right? So it's just, there's a level of chaos. You know, I know Ian Clark has referred to it as the jungle. You know, you've just got to engage in it and get comfortable with your reads behind it. I've talked to you guys before about, you know, the pro reads that we do at Ingor, where we sit down and review videos with NHL goalies, including, you know, there's, I think we got nine or 10 up with Thatcher Denko at the website. We're, you know, from a 45-minute video session I did with him last year. And it really is mind-blowing the amount of detail that these guys are cracking and accounting for in real time in order to make those decisions on, you know, positioning, post-integration, save selection. It's staggering. And most of it, if not all of it, frankly, by the time you hit the ice, is innate, right? Because to go to the old top gun line, if you think out there, you're dead. It has to become natural. And I think most of it comes back really quick. But it's just the more reps you get, the more comfortable you are with not thinking with just reacting in those moments. And knowing, hey, like, yeah, this guy pushes me on a flash screen to the short side. I'm good till here. Do I keep following him to the point of getting outside my lane? Or when do I cross over to the middle? Like, you can't consciously go through that as it's happening. It all just kind of has to become instinct. But when they watch video after, like, again, like the amount of information they're processing is incredible. And I just think the more you do that at game speed amid that chaos, the easier and more comfortable you become in that environment. You know, 'cause let's be honest, in the playoffs, what are we gonna hear? We're gonna hear both sides, right? Traffic to net, take away his eyes. That's what we heard out of the flames last night. They generated a fair bid. Almost 3.16 was the expected goals. Seven high danger chances. That's where their only goal came from. But even after the game there, they felt like, hey, against an elite goaltender, we need to get in his eyes a little bit more than we did last night. And that's what he's gonna face in the playoffs. And that's the stuff he has to get comfortable with, you know, in this next start against Winnipeg. - Yeah, and you know, he's going to get the start. He's expected to get the start against Winnipeg tomorrow. And I imagine too, just from a routine standpoint, coming off, you know, he's out for over a month. He probably just wants to kind of get back into that routine of game, day off, game, or not day off, but like, you know, get ready for the next game kind of thing and just get back into the routine of playing every other day. - Yeah, absolutely. And like I said, like, I know there's been a lot of people that, you know, there was consternation about there only being two games. And I know when the injury first came and we heard it was gonna be towards the final week of the season, I said, look at the pre-season, look at the fact the only place two, maybe three starts in the pre-season. And he was the best goalie in the world for the first six weeks of the season, like literally lap to field in goal saved, above expected. Lion's share of his vesna case was built in those first six weeks. So that's what you're hoping for. When I sort of pitched that to him after he, the first sort of media session that he did, we had a sort of pretty lengthy back and forth afterwards, one on one. And I asked if I had oversimplified that. And he said, well, why? Like I said, 'cause there are people that are worried about like two games not being enough. And he's like, let's just put it this way. He has not worried about it at all, right? So like, I think you want that confidence, but it wasn't a false bravado. Like he just feels like that's more than enough. It's not like he's been out for three or four months. He's only been out for four, you know, I guess five weeks between games. And he just feels really confident through the work he does on video and worries out with this game that all he needs is two games worth of reps and he'll be fine. - You know, Casey Dismuth was pretty great in his final showing before Demko's return in that game against Edmonton on Saturday. Overall, the team's record from Demko getting injured seven, five and two. And I was thinking about the Boudreau season where the Canucks finished hot that year. And Jim Rutherford comes to the podium for his end of season availability. And one of the first things he says was we need to become a team that doesn't rely on our goal-tending so much. And a seven, five and two record without your Vesna Caliber starter in the lineup isn't incredible, but I don't think the record was, like the record was more about their inability to score goals than it was on their ability to defend and the type of goal-tending they were getting. They've done essentially what they set out to accomplish as a front office, Kevin, and that's build a team and build a structure of a team that's not as reliant on its Vesna Caliber goal-tender as it was in the past. - Yeah, no, and they, hey, look, it wasn't just Boudreau, it was Mark Sherman's final year here too, right? - Yeah. - Lean on the goalie really heavily. It's kind of what we've seen here for a while and you're absolutely right. They're not that team anymore. And so whether it's, you can't forget that seven, five and two record, that's at a time of year where it's arguably the toughest to win, especially in some of those sort of matchups against some of the better teams, right? Like things, it gets tougher to score. We knew the margins were gonna shrink on them in the second half of the season as if we got closer to the playoffs. And could they win a few three to two or two to one instead of five to two and six to one? And to do it without Demko, I think it just kind of all points towards the strides this team has made defensively. You know, under Rick Talkett, not just this year, it started last year. My biggest question coming into the season 'cause I think there were fourth and five on five after Talkett took over last year. I just wasn't sure, could he sustain it? Would this group buy in? Were they willing to do the work? And in fairness, you know, all their talk about changing the narrative, they backed it up. They did it. They are third in the National Hockey League right now and expected high danger goals against five on five. Second in the National Hockey League on the season in that metric against the rush, which is a really important one come playoff time. Those are the free goals that you can't afford to give away with mistakes. And that isn't all, you know, we've talked about this. That isn't all defending. It's making smarter at times safer, less risk averse decisions in the offensive end as well, right? So PK still middle of the pack, D zone, there's times where they, there's times where some of their big bodies will chase in their own end. They're 16th, five on five in the defensive zone in terms of settled play, you know, once it's sort of set into in zone play, what they give up. And there are times where, you know, some defense will sort of veer outside of that structure and chase plays on the perimeter and open up seams and give up backdoor chances compared to where they were before the coaching change. Like you're talking about two completely different worlds. Bottom three in the NHL and these metrics to top three. It's just such a massive change. It gives them a chance to win without leading too heavily on their goal center. And as you saw in a game last night, you've still got a goalie that can make those game changing, momentum changing saves, whether it's the backdoor on Pospasil or NASM cadre at the top of the crease on a low high pop pass on the power play. - One thing that, I mean, by this time next week, Woodley, we might be, you know, past game two or about to play game two or maybe even after game two of the series against Nashville potentially. So, and before we get to the match up against Nashville here with you, the way Casey Smith played his last start against the Oilers in Edmonton, how important do you think that start was for him? And is that something that is giving him and the team a bit more assurance being the backup in the postseason? - Yeah, I mean, yeah, I would say so. Like, I think that was an important start for him. You know, it's funny I tweeted 'cause I watched him just work his butt off all week. He was out there late, you know, and Ian was out there with him for most of it. And, you know, I got a lot of responses though, you know, the inclark reset and bounce back and things like that. And it's all true, but talking to Casey when they came back after their next practice, it was really a mental battle for the most part. The extra reps in practice were just 'cause there was three of them, right? Thatcher was getting a lot of the net. He stayed out late to make sure he got his work in because, you know, between Thatcher and Arters being on the ice, he wasn't getting his many shots. And he wanted to make sure he put that work in and started to feel good about his game, but it was mostly a mental battle. You know, the game in Vegas, I think we can all agree, wasn't on him entirely. There was a lot of, probably more odd man rushes in that game than we're used to seeing in a month, like not characteristic of this team. And then he tried a little too hard in LA. He admitted that. He tried, he pressed a little too much and caught himself maybe going outside of what makes him best. And so that's a mental fight and that shows you the mental battle he had to sort of reel it back in, both positionally and just sort of mindset-wise for that ending game. And that builds well. And I think the other part that makes me maybe reconsider, and I still think in the off season that decisions on backup, goaltending may largely come down to salary cap considerations and where you spend your money. But when you see that moment between Demko and Dismuth after the game, after the post-game interview, the hug there, the relationship, those two have built. You know, it makes me wonder if there isn't a better chance or maybe more than I was considering just 'cause Artur is as cheaper for Casey Smith, Dismuth to come back to this team next year, that maybe that relationship and the stability that he provides in the backup spot. And the points he's earned in this team, 'cause there is no Pacific Division title without him, as much as people were all over the last month and some of the starts that were sprinkled in there, there's also a lot of points and a lot of starts. And so I'm curious to see which way that goes, but don't underestimate the value of that relationship between those two. And it was sort of on display for everyone else to see. To be honest, it reminded me a little bit. I'd kind of ignored that. I'd seen it in the room and been part of discussions where it's the three of us talking, goal-tending, and sort of seeing how that has grown. But I kind of maybe was a little too dismissive of what I talked about what they do for next year with the backup goalie and seeing that was a really good reminder of the value he provides. Now on the flip side, if flour gets two and a half, you know, that might be the market for premium backup goal-tenders in that two-plus range, and I'm not sure they can afford that. So the most likely opponent for the first round of the playoffs is the Nashville Predators. We know it's not guaranteed, but it is the most probable of the opponents the Canucks could still face. And UC Sorrows happens to be the goaltender who has played the most games in the National Hockey League this year. 64 games played. He ends up with 35 wins in that time. And I know he hasn't always been the Vesna caliber UC Sorrows we've become used to seeing, at least from where I sit, that's not what I've seen from him this year. What have you seen out of UC Sorrows this year and how Nashville is setting up in this first round? - Yeah, it's, it just, you're right. Like in summary, it hasn't been that year, like interestingly enough as, you know, we're at that time of year where I get questions, frankly, I get the firm goalie coaches who slip lists to their GMs for Vesna and media around the league about what some of the numbers say and somebody mentioned Sorrows and I looked it up and like he's just barely above expected guys. Like this is a guy who's been, you know, top 10 in the league, you know, for the last number of seasons, pretty much since taking over and should have been a Vesna trophy finalist last year. It was absurd, he wasn't. And right now he's 38th in goals saved above expected. He's below that in adjusted save percentage. So very uncharacteristic season, a lot more ups and downs than we're used to seeing out of UC Sorrows and I just think the pedigree's there that you can't count on that. But certainly based on the seasons they've had to date, we know what he's capable of. He's capable of stealing a series. Like we've seen how good he can be. But they also wrote him hard in the regular season. Last time that he played this many games, he didn't make it to the playoffs. And obviously they had to play Connor Ingram in the postseason a couple of years ago. So on paper, the advantage is Vancouver Canucks and Thatcher Demko. But again, I think it would be a mistake to dismiss Sorrow. So one of the, what couple of things that I've seen, you know, in this probably boats well, just given the way Vancouver attacks is, well, I mean, one doesn't break away. So one on ones has been a shockingly bad statistic for him this season, uncharacteristically so, but it's not like the Canucks generate a ton off the rush. Although, you know, breakaways include everything, like half ice, one on one, parcels in tight. And the other one is broken place. Screens aren't bad, but they're not great. And that's sort of an area where, you know, we know, you know, what the Vancouver Canucks do in terms of screen. Like layered screens on an area where he's underwater. And guess what? The Canucks are really good at creating layered screens. Broken plays, he's underwater. Well, that usually comes from having bodies and winning battles in front of the net and around the net front. So doesn't necessarily mean it's going to translate, but there are certainly some statistical trends in areas he's struggled. And I would argue traffic as much as we'll hear it about all good goalies at this time of the season. For a smaller goal, it becomes even more of a challenge to sort of find sight lines through those big bodies. And the Canucks are a team that's done a really good job of taking sight lines away and having a defense group that can get not just puck through, but pucks through to the right areas from the top of the ice. And so, you know, again, does it mean that translates and they go to town on that specifically? Not necessarily, but if it's a difference of finding you an extra goal or two goals in a series or even a goal every couple of games, you know, in what could be a tight series, that can be the difference. One thing I find interesting about them is if you look at some of the, you know, the public data, so to speak, they're one of the good analytics teams. They've been kind of top 10. From what you've seen from them and from the fielders around them, like are they a really strong overall team or are they kind of, you know, carried by a few guys? Honestly, Sat, I haven't dug in as much as I'd like to and I guess I probably should. Let's just say that I've done enough research over the years and spent enough time digging in on the old goalie projects I used to do where I'd look at, you know, every goal, every playoff goalie had given up and basically stay up for five straight days that I've learned not to spend too much time on a series until you actually know who it is. Because that can quickly become wasted time. So a lot of this stuff is surface level, just looking at some of the analytics I have access to through clear sight. But to be honest, they're very mediocre team in the underlying numbers when it comes to both creating and giving up high danger chances against. Like, and that's why I thought the adjusted numbers for Sorrows, like the raw numbers aren't what we're used to seeing, but I thought maybe the adjusted numbers would be kinder because the defensive environment, like five on five they're 16th against the rush, they're 22nd. Now, does that matter if you're playing the Canucks who generate almost nothing off the rush? Maybe not. PK is the only thing on either side of the ledger, four or against that's in the top 10 in high danger chances, four or against for the national predators and it's 10th. Like they don't jump off the chart in terms of their numbers on either side, offensive or defense in any way. And again, when I looked at Sorrows, the number even relative to a tougher environment, it's just slightly above expected, not where we're used to seeing. As a matter of fact, Kevin Langkin in the backup who is gonna be very high on my list of guys' teams should really consider for a larger role and probably had a reduced salary, has outperformed him on a per shot basis on the season as a whole. - Woodley, we're gonna have a lot of time to break down the series and get more into it. And hopefully by then, we'll know at least when it's starting and who the actual opponent is officially by that time. But it's springtime in Vancouver and golf clubs aren't out just yet. We're getting ready for playoff hockey. It sounds good. - Yeah, it's gonna be awesome guys. And like I said, I haven't done all the homework yet, but me and Dallas get to point tonight and we can dig in on Nashville and just hit me up anytime I'll be able to give you a lot more in depth than I've gotten to date. And I look forward to doing that work. - All right, it is Kevin Woodley. Thanks for this. - Thanks guys. - Kevin Woodley on Sports at 650, brought to you by White Rock Hyundai. This is the showroom on King George in White Rock or whiterockhunday.com. - He really is the best man because, I mean, he's like, yeah, I haven't really dug into it, but essentially like you just kind of give you a pretty good indication of where things are at. - I've really dug into it, but here's the lowdown. - Yeah, exactly. - Here's everything you need to know about the Nashville budget. - And I felt bad. I kind of put him on the spot a little bit too, 'cause we didn't throw a buy-in before, 'cause if we ask him ahead of time, we'll dig into something a bit more or whatever, but he still gave a great answer to it. And I think that's one of the things about Nashville we can talk more about and we'll see if it ultimately will be Nashville. I'd be very leery of reading too much into the public data. In terms of expected goals for per 60 minutes, they're third in the league. - Yeah. - But they're nowhere near the third, most dangerous offense in the National Hockey League. But they do generate some shots and chances and their metrics are positive, generally speaking. But I wouldn't be, I wouldn't buy into those as being as indicative as their standing publicly has. And I thought it was interesting that he mentioned, they're pretty much mediocre and we dig a bit deeper. - Yeah, even if you look at what natural stat trick has, predators would be sixth in expected goals for percentage. But as Woodley just mentioned, maybe not quite as strong when you go to some of the analytics companies that have a lot deeper data than what we are allowed to get to publicly. Stan Richer and Sati Arshah. Hopefully we'll know in the next 24 hours who the Canucks opponent will be in the first round of the playoffs. - Well, so Frank Cera Valley did tweet out and Eddie made sure that we saw this tweet that games have been set for Saturday Sunday so far. Eastern Conference round one game schedule. So Saturday, it's gonna be aisles and hurricanes. Leaf spruins is going to be Saturday at 5 p.m. our time. Bolts, Panthers are playing on Sunday at 12.30, Eastern time, so 9.30 our time. And caps and the Rangers are playing at noon our time on Sunday. Now, that doesn't mean that a Western Conference game or two may not be slotted in there somewhere 'cause those are early games. - There could be two time slots available for maybe a central time zone team. Let's say maybe the Dallas Stars to open their opening round series or the Colorado Avalanche. - Maybe, but at the same time they do have two games for each day. So it takes some pressure off in terms of ensuring that you're having to have multiple more games. Well, we'll see, but those are the games scheduled so far. The Western Conference will find out probably, it's probably gonna take till Thursday, to be honest. Yeah, it's probably gonna take some time. All right, Dan Rachos at TR Shaw, that's the latest. Coming up, overrated, underrated. Next on Canucks Central.
