When the Vancouver Canucks bullied the Chicago Blackhawks and took their lunch money, I had to throw in an awful lot of caveats.

“That goal was nice…but it’s against Chicago.”

“That offensive rush was exciting…but let’s not forget who they’re playing against.”

“That dominating win was a lot of fun, but, you know…Chicago.”

It was like encouraging your new puppy to try not to pee inside your house and applauding when they at least kept the accident in the bathroom; it’s progress, but you want to get to a world in which the Canucks aren’t pissing on your floor.

And after that deflating 3-1 loss to the Utah Fundamentalists of Hockey, it truly felt like the Canucks season was right back where it started, with confusion playing the leading role once more as we sat back and wondered where Sam Rockwell’s monologue was taking us.

But fast forward to Tuesday night, and you know what? A 6-2 victory sounds a whole lot more exciting when it’s framed around beating a top team in the league in the form of the Winnipeg Jets.

And not just beating them. They were beating them. You can’t hear the inflection in my voice, but imagine Captain Holt being impressed by the paper you wrote on Dieterich Buxtehude in college.

Yes, Connor Hellebuyck didn’t have his greatest game, but let’s not short the Canucks efforts on this night. They made his life miserable by going against the usual game plan of “point shot and pray” and instead used an exhilarating approach known as “offence off of the rush,” something Google tells me is quite exciting.

And while we laugh/cry about the Canucks parking the bus to defend leads, this was a night in which they parked the bus but kept their hands firmly on their weapons. They didn’t sit back and invite Winnipeg to take turns beating their goalie with socks filled with soap. Instead, they made the Jets pay by counter-attacking them when they over-extended, creating multiple odd-man rushes in the third period to keep the Jets from getting too comfortable on the attack.

Brock Boeser, two goals and an assist.

Quinn Hughes, two assists.

Nils Höglander finally scored a goal.

Linus Karlsson looked like he belonged.

Derek Forbort is a god damn revelation in that bottom pairing.

Tyler Myers glared at a dude.

Kevin Lankinen got his 24th win of the season, an incredible story considering he was a last-second addition to the team.

Not once did Rick Tocchet give his “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed look” at his team, nor did he once mock an official for being so bad at their job that they won’t get to ref a playoff game.

It was one of the best games of the season from the Canucks on a night they desperately needed to win in order to keep pace in the chase for a playoff spot.

Now, we’re no fools around here. We know the Canucks could easily revert back to their middling ways on the upcoming road trip. I don’t think anyone is watching this game and thinking to themselves that the Canucks have unlocked the magic formula to being an elite team. The second you think the Canucks are going to come through for you, that’s when they stab you in the back and proceed to try and fight you in a coliseum to win over the people.

But I do think the fan base will see a team that played some of the best offensive hockey it’s had all year, and they might get a little bit of hope. Hope that this team can maybe find a way to play like that again. Hope that this team can find a way to secure some more wins as they fight for a playoff spot. Hope that we get to see more goals that don’t involve the words, “and they take a wrister from the point, easy save by the goaltender.”

If nothing else, it at least gave us an exciting game of hockey to watch when after enduring a season like this, you’re damn right we’re going to take that and be happy with it.

Let’s see the gifs already.

Best travel the world and the seven seas

Beautiful goal and good pace to start the game. We got that 1 -0 lead so now it's time to stop playing hockey and try to lock it down for the next 55 minutes!#Canucks

— -Travis• (@travizz007) March 19, 2025

Drew O’Connor, summoning his inner Doc Holliday in the first period, got the Canucks first goal on a rush chance created after Lankinen had to make a save after Tyler Myers had his pocket picked behind the net:

What’s notable here is that the Canucks didn’t dump the puck into the corner and then begin the slow process of fighting to get it back for the entire shift just to end it with a solid line change.

No, instead, they kept possession of the puck and got a zone entry. Even odder, they passed the puck and continued to rush to the net. And even odder than that, they passed it again and took a shot that beat a goalie. It truly was the stuff sweet dreams are made of. Who am I to disagree?

And since it feels like the Canucks rarely score goals like this, let’s see it from another angle:

Could Connor have made the save? Sure. I am not going to say it was an elite shot that has Ovechkin looking over his shoulder at Drew O’Connor.

But it was a good shot on net, and it was off of the rush, something fans have been begging for. It’s the kind of shots other teams seemingly produce with ease against the Canucks, while Vancouver tends to sit back with bated breath to see if Victor Mancini’s blast from the point will even be officially recorded as a shot by the NHL.

In short, it was a dangerous look rush pulled off with a bit of skill and a bit of flair, which is the lowest of bars we’ve been begging for from this team for months.

Best big man on campus

Alright I’ve seen enough I’ll get a lank jersey #canucks

— AJ ♡ (@SarcasticallyAJ) March 19, 2025

Kyle Connor had a chance to tie the game up moments later but was denied by equal parts “KEVIN” and equal parts “Oh Kyle, what are you doing.”:

I don’t think Kyle realized how much time he had with that puck. He had enough time to come to terms with a Thomas Drance goal description before taking that shot, but he hurried it. You can see he doesn’t even look up until he’s shooting the puck, but by then, it’s too late, and he’s already firing it back in Lankinen’s direction.

Which to Kevin’s credit, he made sure to make himself a target to stop the puck. If I was in net, I’d still be hanging out by the post wondering when the shot was going to come through, and then when the puck went in, I would raise my arms like it was my defender’s fault. How can I be expected to make a save in this environment? My flailing arms would imply.

Best it’s worse in 4k

That play is gonna piss lekkerimaki off when he looks at the iPad on the bench #canucks

— Pucknucksaga (@pucknucksaga) March 19, 2025

I feel like players from the 90s must be thanking the Gods themselves that Dominik Hasek played in the standard definition era, so they didn’t have to clearly see their souls leave their bodies when he robbed them of sure goals. Players from back then could pretend their weeping on the bench never happened, lost to the pixels of time.

Unfortunately for Jonathan Lekkerimäki, we have crystal clear HD to replay the exact moment Connor Hellebuyck broke his heart:

That’s an incredible save on a play in which Jonathan had every reason to score that goal. Not only did Jonathan lay out his intentions to marry that puck, he even signed a pre-nup for it. Alas, Love might be blind, but Connor is not, as he got just enough of his paddle on the puck to make the save.

Fun fact: Love is Blind has been filmed in 11 different countries, yet not once has a Love is Blind: New Westminster has been brought to the table. The Waves coffee shop in New West deserves a “meeting their friends for the first time” scene before almost getting stabbed at Columbia Station.

Best bold honesty

Yes, yes I do touch myself to Kevin Lankinen highlights

— Canucksforcup (@game_split2) March 19, 2025

Cole Perfetti almost tied the game up for the Jets just past the middle of the first period, only to be denied by one Kevin Lankinen:

That was a pretty nifty move from Cole as he not only dangled past two Canucks, but his shot almost beat Kevin as well.

I kind of envision a world where when Perfetti scores, he throws confetti in the air and screams, “PERFETTI!!!” but I’m not sure how to brand confetti so it can be reasonably called Perfetti. Throwing a mixture of confetti and Percocets into the air seems wildly irresponsible but it’s my only idea so far.

Best layers of sadness

I mean usually on a 3 on 2 you wanna take the pass away and clear any rebounds

Instead you get sliced like a hot knife through butter and sniped on with no screen 🫠 #Canucks

— Rohil Patel (@rohilpatel15) March 19, 2025

The most impressive player from the Winnipeg Jets on the night? Nikolaj Ehlers and it wasn’t even close:

Ehlers left Marcus Pettersson in the past so badly that he needed a DeLorean to get back to the bench and narrowly avoid making out with his Mother in high school.

It’s an incredible goal, where, sure, you can say Kevin could have had that. But damn it, that’s the joy of cutting to the middle of the ice; take enough shots from there, and it’s going to pay off. No offence to a wrister into traffic from the point, but this is the kind of offence that gets results in the NHL.

Ironically enough, this goal was partly a result of the Canucks feeding the puck to the point for a weak wrist shot. With the Canucks trying to layer the slot and take away the goalie’s eyes, it ended up with Vancouver’s forwards caught deep in the offensive zone, allowing Ehlers to get a bit of runway on the play.

Would it have helped if Marcus Pettersson wasn’t trying out as an extra in a race scene out of the next Fast and Furious? Of course. Tokyo drifting isn’t just something one can pick up overnight.

But end of the day that’s just a highly skilled goal from the Jets forward.

Best it feels so good

I hope that is the monkey off of Brock’s back #canucks . No matter how much I complain about his play Boeser is one my favourite players as a person

— Bruce Warnsby (@Hanwarrior) March 19, 2025

The Canucks power play showed what Rick Tocchet would call after the game, urgency on the night.

After failing to generate much of anything against Utah, the Canucks managed to score on the power play when they decided that letting Brock Boeser fool around a bit in the bumper spot might have its advantages:

We know Jake DeBrusk has the best net front game on the team, but Brock is also very good in that role. I still fondly remember Brock and Andrei Kuzmenko battling to see who could go full Rocket League and be the last one to tap the puck before it crossed the line.

So, it’s not shocking that having Brock floating near the net can pay off, as he has good hand-eye skills, as shown on this goal. The Canucks puck movement also felt quick and purposeful, compared to “dear god, please don’t give me the puck, what are you doing, how could you do this to me, when can I go for a line change” energy that it sometimes carries.

It was also another game in which Lekkerimäki looked mighty competent at working on the first unit power play. He doesn’t do anything fancy, but he makes quick, confident passes, which is something this team needs to be reminded about at times with the extra man.

Best regroup or reload?

hey Tocchet we score because of a regroup you dinosaur #Canucks

— Antagonist (@BigJ13601247) March 19, 2025

The Canucks third goal on the night was a direct result of the dreaded regroup. Or was it a reload? I’m still not sure:

The endpoint is this entire goal is started due to Brock Boeser intercepting the puck in the neutral zone, and rather than dumping the puck in and chasing it, he slows things down and regroups. In other words, he maintains possession of the puck, which tends to be pretty beneficial to teams wanting to score goals. It felt a lot like an overtime play where if there isn’t an obvious zone entry, then why give up the puck? Just reset and reload.

And that’s exactly what Brock does, he sees his team hasn’t finished its line change yet, so he slows things down, gets the puck back to his defense, and his team reloads and rushes the puck down the ice with speed and support.

The end result was, yeah, that’s a nice goal with a lot of good passing:

In Tocchet’s defence, I think his usage of terms like reload and regroup kind of muddy the waters when it comes to trying to figure out what it is he wants, but he has talked in the past that when you have a rush chance, you need to be all in on it. You have to have everyone supporting it to make it effective, and on this play, this is what the reload allowed to have happen. So I think this is exactly the kind of goal Tocchet would want more of, although I am uncertain if he would have liked Brock not dumping the puck in earlier in the play. Was this an approved reload? Or a disapproved regroup? We need to dive deeper into his vernacular. I need answers.

Either way, this is, again, what fans have been dying for. A team that won’t give up the puck easily and a team that won’t dump and chase at the first sign of resistance.

Best fear

Get ready for Canucks to get 6 shots for the rest of the game lol

— DK (@khatinthekar) March 19, 2025

They ended the night with 22 shots, but the Jets also only got 21. So overall, I say that’s a win.

Again, it wasn’t the usual parking of the bus, this team actually looked good defending on the night.

Best keep on keeping on

What a shift from Myers holy fuck lol #Canucks

— Logan (@Achey_Breakey) March 19, 2025

Up two goals, the Canucks continued looking for offence. At one point, they hemmed the Winnipeg Jets in their zone for almost two minutes, with Myers cutting to the middle of the ice to get a shot off, followed up by Myers charging to the net to get a shot from the slot with Teddy Blueger screening the goalie being the highlights of said pressure:

It was just nice seeing the Canucks trying out this dynamic approach that didn’t have me Googling “How to know when you’re infected with 2003 Minnesota Wild” after the game.

Best of the Jets

Ehlers cutting to the middle on the #canucks at will tonight.

— Duncan McIntosh (@13_dmac) March 19, 2025

The Jets didn’t offer much pushback on the net, aside from Ehlers.

If you like players cutting to the middle of the ice and breaking ankles, then maybe you have Ehlers’s name circled on your UFA target list this off-season.

His latest victim? Nearly Nils trying to defend him on the rush:

Just straight up put Höglander into an EA Sports video game and smashed the deke button to go right around him. You could almost see Wile E. Coyote holding up the “Help me” sign as he ran off a cliff in pursuit of his target.

Best ironic revenge

I swear to god if they blow this lead…#Canucks

— Marianne || hockey era (@mari_mawi1) March 19, 2025

Hey, if the Canucks were going to score goals off the rush, it’s only fair if the Jets scored using the vaunted GOTI system of grinding out a dump-in and feeding a low-high pass to the blue line and praying for a bounce or two to go your way:

Not a lot of goals are predicated on “And then Luke Schenn takes a shot,” but here we find ourselves.

One of the big issues on this goal is Adam Lowry took the stick of Elias Pettersson and ripped it from his hands, so D-Petey was down a vital instrument. The end result was Elias and Elias finally combining their powers as they attempted to clear the puck from the crease, but instead ended up colliding as the Jets scored.

I thought Elias and Elias might join together to form an even more powerful version of an Elias Pettersson. But apparently, you can add Power Rangers to the list of things that lied to me as a child, Dad.

Still, this is also a good reminder of how offence based around “thoughts and prayers” wrist shots from the point are not something you can rely on to get you more than a couple of goals a game. There is a reason the Canucks hadn’t scored more than three goals in a game in a very long time. It’s just not very efficient offense, as Winnipeg showcased Tuesday night.

Best giving it his all

Ehlers is playing on harlem globetrotters mode wtf #nhljets

— jetsburner (@nhlburnerboi) March 19, 2025

Hey, the Jets might have lost, but at least they had Ehlers almost beating three Canucks, only to fall to the hands of the post:

Free agency, man. It’s right around the corner. The Canucks can finally right that Jake Virtanen wrong. Just saying.

Best rock out with your Brock out

#Canucks Brock Boeser has his first multi-goal game since December 28th when he scored twice against the Kraken

— Adam Kierszenblat (@Adamkblat) March 19, 2025

Now as much as I chastise a low high point shot into traffic, there are levels to this.

Having very little movement and just sort of throwing a puck into stagnant traffic? No good.

Forechecking like a demon and winning multiple battles and then feeding the point before charging the net for the rebound? That’s the good stuff:

Nils Höglander’s efforts must be noted on this play, as he gets on his absolute best horse to chase down this puck on the initial forecheck. Without his tenacity, this isn’t a goal. And the same can be said for Brock, as his work along the end boards to not only win the puck but shield it enough so he can feed Marcus Pettersson at the point is the kind of effort you need in the GOTI system. You also need to go hard to the net like Brock did to tap in those loose rebounds, which is, again, something Tocchet has spoken about after recent losses, instances where his guys just aren’t getting to the loose puck. This is the Brock Boeser the Canucks need more of.

But back to Nils, just how impressive has his play been as of late? He actually got complimented publicly by Rick Tocchet:

Rick Tocchet on Nils Höglander: I think over the last month, he's one of our best forwards, just with overall intensity. #Canucks @Sportsnet650

— Brendan Batchelor (@BatchHockey) March 19, 2025

This actually happened. This is a real thing that occurred.

Best putting their foot down

#Canucks getting their first look at what it will be like to play against Hellebuyck in the playoffs

— Hughes is the GOAT 🇨🇦 (@Hughes4Norris) March 19, 2025

And if that wasn’t enough for you, here’s the Canucks scoring a minute later after yet another strong forecheck led to a tap-in in front:

This time, it was Pius Suter and Jake DeBrusk tracking down the puck, leading to Jake finding Sherwood on the wing, who then quickly found Pius in front for the goal.

I feel weird doing recaps about a good offensive game from the Canucks. It feels so strange. So foreign. So…exciting.

That line of Suter, DeBrusk and Sherwood felt very much like a “wtf are you doing bro” line combo, created due to Conor Garland sitting out due to injury, but honestly, I kind of want to see more of it. That’s a nice blend of skill, defensive responsibility and “holy shit, please stop hitting me” that I can get behind.

Best don’t forget Kevin

Lankinen standing on his head for us 🙌🏻

— Aimee 🌷💗 (@AimeeeeYoung) March 19, 2025

I will forgive Marcus Pettersson’s failed box out only because it led to this Kevin highlight:

Kevin Lankinen out-dueling Connor Hellebuyck, a first-round preview?

I was sweating when I wrote that. I also nervously laughed a couple of times.

Best give us what we want

There was no parking of the bus in the second period. Instead, there were more shifts where the Jets found themselves stuck in their own zone for minutes at a time.

This time it was Myers taking shots, then Blueger taking shots, then Linus Karlsson digging away at the rebound like, well, I don’t know what exactly, but damn it, he was digging:

Linus Karlsson had his best game with the Vancouver Canucks, I can easily say that. He not only looked stronger on the puck, but we saw some flashes of the skill that he has consistently shown in the AHL this season. I still have no idea what his career trajectory is going to be, but for one night, the kid looked legit.

Best killing in the name of

Calm little 96mph clapper from Sherwood to close out the period #Canucks

— RECTANGL (@RECTANGL_gg) March 19, 2025

With the Jets’ lethal power play getting a two-man advantage to end the second period, it might surprise you that the only highlight from that stretch was Kiefer Sherwood trying to go full Tommy Vanek to end the period:

Derek Forbort? Absolute beast of a penalty killer. The dude blocks shots, and his long stick breaks up so many plays in front of his goalie.

I will fully admit, when Derek Forbort struggled early in the season, I was too harsh on him. I didn’t give him time to adjust and find his fit with the team. I remind myself every season to take it game by game and let things develop, but sometimes it’s hard not to get washed away in a season gone wrong.

So, with that being said, I humbly apologize to Derek Forbort, as he has found his niche with the team. Bottom pairing guy who can kill penalties at an elite level. That’s filling the role that Ian Cole used to have, which is something we have seen as a pretty vital cog in the machine for a hockey team.

Best counter all day every day

#Canucks are doing an impressive job defending the lead so far. Great sticks in the slot to take away passing lanes, not giving much space in the NZ for controlled entries and not get hemmed for long, tiring DZ shifts

— Harman Dayal (@harmandayal2) March 19, 2025

The entire third period had very little Winnipeg Jets highlights because the Canucks were completely locked in in terms of defending the lead. They took away shooting lanes, they pressured the puck carriers, and, more importantly, the counter attacked Winnipeg every chance they got. The Jets had no chance to get into a rhythm or get any confidence because the second they tried, there was Suter and DeBrusk creating an odd-man rush the other way:

Oh you want to win a board battle? Sorry, Nils Aman is going to chop that puck over to Nearly Nils, setting up a two-on-one in which Höglander literally just points at the night and urges Brock to go for his hatty:

Oh, you thought you could score, but you forgot about the new hotness, aka the Sex Panther line of Sherwood, DeBrusk and Suter? Well, the Jets found out when Sherwood accidentally on purpose knocked down Dylan DeMelo, setting up another odd-man rush with Jake DeBrusk:

Sure, 60% of the time, it works every time, but more importantly, it created doubt in Winnipeg’s minds. It created caution and a little bit of fear.

Oh, you want to try and get within two goals before the five minute mark of the third period? Sorry, Brock Boeser wants to make a brilliant bank pass off the boards to an Elias Pettersson, who blew the zone correctly, generating another two-on-one, this time with Höglander:

It was just great hockey from the Vancouver Canucks; there is no need to describe it any other way.

Best hazing the rookie

Impressed by Lekkerimaki’s compete level tonight. He’s definitely not just a sniper who shoots from a standstill #canucks

— Jisho (@glen_nelson) March 19, 2025

About the biggest thing the Jets did in the period was Josh Morrissey running over Jonathan Lekkerimäki:

That’s a good hit, but Lekkerimäki popped right back up like nothing happened.

Best we need more Forbort license plates in the gift shop

Derek Forbort is the #Canucks Unsung Hero and nobody can tell me otherwise

— Josh Elliott-Wolfe (@ElliottWolfeJ) March 19, 2025

Again, I have now reached the point where I am not only ok with Derek Forbort on the ice in the dying minutes of a game defending a lead, but I actively look forward to it:

You know I love me some Chaos Giraffe, but there’s something thrilling about watching a large defenceman seemingly make choices based on logic and deduction rather than the aim for the bushes approach Tyler sometimes takes.

Best Vancouver gonna Vancouver

Losing to Utah just to turn around and beat the Jets by multiple goals is a certified #Canucks moment.

— 🇨🇦 razzi (@Razzira_) March 19, 2025

The final goal of the game? Soon to be UFA and now 20-goal scorer Pius Suter?

That boy is going to get paid in the off-season.

Best pre-game talking point

Tocchet talked today about how the #Canucks are changing Petey’s game on @Sportsnet650

“Regroup hockey, taking the puck back, won’t win in the NHL…I think sometimes Petey likes to regroup, slow the game down…we’re just trying to re-program his brain.”https://t.co/619WqxZIFW

— Noah Strang (@noahstrang_) March 18, 2025

Now, earlier in the day, Rick Tocchet spoke on a variety of subjects with Halford and Brough, and as usual, the coach was very open in his discussions surrounding the team. He has that John Tortorella gift of the gab where it makes covering the team far more interesting than the Travis Green stare-downs, where all Green really wanted to do was make sure you knew the opposition has a good team over there and what a tough league this is to win games in.

But with that verbal fun comes the glare of the spotlight, such as the sound byte Tocchet dropped when discussing Elias Pettersson’s game, in which he spoke of re-programming EP40’s alien brain and turning him into a much more North-oriented player. A Winter is Coming style player, if you will, playing with the urgency of someone thinking the White Walkers are just about to stab you at any second. Think sitting down with Nikita Tryamkin and forcing his eyes open to watch hours and hours of Chris Pronger highlights, except now they’re going to do it with Connor McDavid video clips.

Now, I firmly believe Rick Tocchet’s favourite team is the 2012 LA Kings. It was a team that suffocated you to death with its forechecking pressure and essentially made you want to quit the game of hockey if it meant you didn’t have to play that team ever again. It was the kind of game the Canucks played against the Jets, to be honest. Outwork your opponents and capitalize on their mistakes early and often.

The issue this season is that this roster hasn’t shown it can play the style of hockey Rick Tocchet wants out of them consistently, which leaves us with this weird hybrid we see before us: a team grinding out games to secure points, playing some of the most dreadfully boring hockey known to man, leading to random wins over the Jets of all teams, but also some losses where the coach seems at a loss to explain why his team won’t play the game he wants them to.

And it’s not just GOTI system stuff his team doesn’t execute; at times, it’s something as simple as working a power play against a team that pressures the point heavily, much like Utah did against Vancouver in their last game. It doesn’t take a hockey genius to map out the path to trying to beat that: get the puck down low and use the room the team has given you, yet here we are, wondering what happened in that 3-1 loss to Utah.

Because, at times, yes, it feels like this team cannot execute simple hockey strategies. Something as basic as “moving your feet” or “get the puck into the middle of the ice” has apparently baffled the roster for the majority of the season, leading us to a world in which it feels like the team is a bunch of plucky five-year-olds who need to be taught the fundamentals of hockey. Then we have the game tonight where the Canucks are winning battles, creating chances off the rush, and counter-attacking with not just urgency but aplomb. They were counter-attacking with freaking aplomb.

So the age-old question for this team remains: is it the coach, or is it the roster that is to blame for this season’s woes? Tocchet spoke about creating a more dynamic offensive approach after the playoff loss to Edmonton last season, but it hasn’t materialized. Is that a limitation of his coaching, or did he realize his roster “doesn’t have the juice” to play how he wants, so in the meantime, he will grind out a season and see if they can adjust the roster next year? Are the players so focused on sticking to the GOTI system that they are overthinking the basic fundamentals of offensive hockey, or do they need players with the speed and tenacity required from a Tocchet approach?

This is what makes that quote about Elias such a sound byte because it just hammers home how much of a systems coach Rick Tocchet is. If you don’t play the way he wants, you will quickly find yourself traded away; we have seen it happen multiple times under his reign. We can also see from the interview how strictly Rick views his approach to hockey, as that’s a pretty firm statement about not only changing the entire way a former 100-point player plays the game but also about how he doesn’t believe you can win with what he calls a re-grouping style.

Now, that being said, there is only so much you can glean from a short statement like that. For all we know Rick Tocchet cannot stand the plays where a skater enters the zone, and then pulls up and never approaches the center of the ice again. Maybe in his eyes, the re-group style is simply the idea of players not going to the hard areas of the ice, of players standing still and not moving their feet. One would imagine he enjoys how Quinn Hughes plays the game of hockey, and that is a player who certainly re-groups more than anybody on the team, and to great success, but it usually involves him making sure he finds a way to get the puck into dangerous areas.

A game like the one against the Jets is almost a perfect catalyst for trying to figure out where Rick’s coaching desires start and where the player’s skill set begins. At the end of the day, we might have to face the fact it could just be that this team wasn’t built for Rick’s style. And he might also not be able to force them into it either, big win against the Jets notwithstanding.

It honestly feels a bit like a perfect storm with a struggling team, rising ticket prices, the entire Elias/JT divorce playing out, and the high volume of tedious hockey all coming together in the same season. Everyone wants answers, and nobody seems to have any except “well I guess we will see how this season plays out.” which is a tough sell to a market that endured that motto for nine years under Jim Benning.

But a wise man did once say this is a tough league to win in. And heck, they have a great team over there. So maybe that’s all we can do. Maybe this win against the Jets is the spark this team needs to lock into the kind of hockey Rick Tocchet wants out of them.

It feels more fun to believe this is a turning point, so let’s leave it at that until the next loss.

Because honestly? Nobody has the answers yet.

So, I guess we will see how this season plays out?

Sponsored by bet365

Recent articles from The Stanchion

Breaking News