Just a few thoughts on last night’s game:

One game in the books and so it begins…one bad game to start the season and already the negativity has set in. Seriously, within minutes of the game’s end my social media timeline was filled with negativity all the way to the tone of ‘the season’s over!’. It was ONE game…ONE and yes there are still 81 games to make an impression. It also takes more than ONE game with the regular roster to learn a new system under a new coach.

It was definitely not the end result that the Canucks were hoping for…BUT there were a few positives in this game. The penalty kill was flawless, including a full two minute 5-on-3 opportunity, mind you it would be nice if the team stayed out of the box next game. The powerplay CLICKED and combined with a solid PK will be a must throughout the season if they want to go far in the post-season. LUONGO was one of the few who showed up to play this game…one of his better October starts and without him this game would have been out of reach much earlier. That said, can Luongo be better? Yes and he will be as the season goes on. Do you know what goes hand in hand with good goal-tending? Goal scoring…yes the rumor is true when a team scores more than once it gives you a much better chance at winning the game.

May I remind you all that is OCTOBER….and typically that is the month where Vancouver is slow out of the gate BUT when the calendar flips to NOVEMBER a new team emerges. Historically the mediocre Octobers have not been an indication of the final outcome of the regular season.

To prove my point further let’s take a look back at a few recent Octobers and the Novembers that followed:

October 2008: 6-5-0  vs.  November 2008: 8-3-2—-End of season record 2008-2009: 45-27-10 -100 points. **1st WIN came in game 1 versus Calgary

October 2009: 7-7-0  vs.  November 2009: 7-5-0 —-End of season record 2009-2010: 49-28-5 -103 points.**1st WIN came in game 4 versus Montreal

October 2010: 4-3-2  vs.  November 2010: 8-4-1 —-End of season record 2010-2011: 54-19-9 -117 points. **1st WIN came in game 2 versus Florida

October 2011: 5-5-1  vs.   November 2011: 9-4-0 —-End of season record 2011-2012: 51-22-9 – 111 points. **1st WIN came in game 2 versus Columbus

Last season’s **1st WIN came in game 3 versus Calgary

Question: When a team loses a game whether its one game at the start or a stretch of games in the middle; is that when you stop supporting them? Answer: Simply, no, it is when the team struggles that they tend to need more support. I hope you will join me in watching not just the next game but for the rest of the season as we are in for one very interesting ride.

Heading into their next game they will need to be much more disciplined [aka stay out of the penalty box!] backed up by some defense and add some offense to their playing style. Take two, on looking for the first victory of the season comes when the Canucks host the Edmonton Oilers at home.

Win or lose I will always support this team.

As always until next time, nuck said.

Sarah E.L.