Hughes costs Canucks points - Pettersson is lost

Quinton Hughes lost the Vancouver Canucks points on opening night.

Pure and simple.

With 6 minutes to go - blindly throws the puck up the boards - right to Zack Kassian and the fire drill is on !!

Goalie Jakob Markstrom gets the puck behind the net - Hughes is WIDE OPEN!! - and Markstrom says, "I don't think so" and passes the puck up the boards to Sutter - who looks at a WIDE OPEN Hughes and says, "I don't think so" and tries to get it up the boards and out -- and right to Mr. McDavid - thank you very much - who walks past Quinton Hughes - GOALLLLLLLLLLLLL !!!! MMMMMMMMMMMMM


GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL !!!  GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!

Hughes didn't know whether to wind his watch or scratch is jock strap.

All Hughes did all night was pass the puck to his D partner - Chris Tanev or Alex Edler - that's all he did. All night long. Other than turning the puck over.

Now let's cut him some slack. It's year 2 for Hughes (he played last year). And it was Game 1. But if it doesn't get better with him and his teammates having confidence in him (and they don't) then it's down to Utica for Mr. Hughes before Green is fired because even coach Green can see that Hughes is out of his league here.

It was particularly funny when Sportsnet announcer yelled "EAT THAT HUGHES !!" when Oilers power forward Leon Draisatl ragdolled Hughes to the ice like a buffalo swatting a fly.

That's not going to work.

Chris Tanev by himself on the ice doesn't work. It's not a good idea. Hughes might surprise all of us and play well and turn it around - it's possible. There is some talent there.

I'm not saying he's a completely blown draft pick.

But Hughes needs to find another gear. If you're going to be that small - you MUST be faster than everyone else. He's not. Other teams are looking for him on the ice - going directly to his side of the ice - and blowing past him or through him. He's really small. He's not fast. That's an issue for him going forward.

By the way Noah Dobson makes his debut for the New York Islanders tonight (they passed on the much bigger more complete D man to draft Hughes).

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Elias Pettersson is now 33 games without a 5 on 5 goal in the NHL. If Jake Virtanen did that they would shoot Jake. Especially since Jake doesn't play.

Pettersson is not a center I think we can all see that now. He's struggling badly at center. It would be wise to move him to wing as soon as possible before they lose the kid completely and that is a risk.

Pettersson was a winger in Sweden - he's not playing in a better league and magically becoming a center.

By the way CODY GLASS SCORED A SPECTACULAR GOAL for Las Vegas. Looks like a

S
T
U
D

Center for Vegas.

As you'll remember - the Canucks passed over Glass to draft Pettersson - and now they have a problem on their hands because they rushed a kid into the lineup and put him at center when he wasn't a center.

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Jake Virtanen is just spinning his wheels out there playing with non-NHL players.
It's a joke.

Travis Green ruined Virtanen along with Willy Desjardens.

The sooner the coach is fired along with the GM the better.

Then under an actual coach with eyes Virtanen should get the top line and 23 minutes per night and the 1st PP assignment.

He makes the game look so easy.

I counted 3 beautiful passes by Virtanen in his 7 minutes of ice time versus the Oilers.

You know damned well other GMs are salivating to get their hands on this stud. Better hope ownership wakes up soon before someone snags a 50 goal scorer from these sad sacks.

BOTTOM LINE

Oilers showed up when they needed to - blew past the Canucks -

Vancouver lost - that simple.

It's not moral victory league - it's a professional hockey league.

Wins matter.

If you ain't winning you're last.

And that's Vancouver.

And what they're doing isn't working.

I've suggested to Mr. Green (who reads this) play Jake 23 minutes per night for the rest of the season - try to save your job - but it looks like he's going down with the ship and his stubbornness will be his undoing.

Bo Horvat's not a center.
Pettersson is NOT a center.

That's a big issue since he's running them out there constantly.

Up NEXT - Calgary.

Oh Boy !! Won't that be fun !!