Played no goalie - won; played a goalie scored 1 goal

The Vancouver Canucks are very good at tying the opposition.

At the 15 game mark we've got a bit of a pattern developing.

If the Canucks play a goalie - they score a goal, maybe tie.

If they play a San Jose Sharks team without a goalie, that has lost 6 of 7 games in a row - they look like the 1984 Edmonton Oilers.

If they play a team with a goalie, like the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night (Nov. 5 at Rogers Arena) they look like the 2018-19 Canucks - on the verge of being shutout, but they managed a 1-1 tie.

And so the Canucks are

8 wins

3 losses

5 ties

Through 16 games.

(We don't count anything after 60 minutes because it's garbage time or Circus Time as the great Dan Russell coined it).

4 wins against Detroit and LA
1 win against San Jose
1 win against Florida

There's no win you can look at where they beat a team playing well with a good goalie.

That's concerning.

As is their defensive depth.

They still haven't replaced Alex Edler who is getting long in the tooth now at 34 years of age and is still their best defenseman.

I know people will freak out when I say this but it would have been better to draft Noah Dobson because of his size and ability to replace Edler. They drafted Quinton Hughes, who is a nifty defenseman when not injured - but he's not a PK guy or a final 10 minutes of a game guy -- and in this day and age of the NHL, actually the last 100 years of the NHL, you kind of need that D man type.

They don't have it in the system. They don't have a 1st round pick.

That's bad news.

Edler might be 38 by the time they actually draft his replacement and get him in the lineup.

That's a massive issue.

Another MASSIVE ISSUE is the feud between Travis Green (coach?) and star forward Jake Virtanen.

With Virtanen on Bo Horvat's line - Horvat lit up the net with goals.
Without Virtanen Horvat has gone AWOL.

And is there a better player on the Canucks roster for 3 on 3 circus time or the shootout than Jake Virtanen?

No.

Of course there isn't. But Virtanen doesn't get a sniff on the PP, top line, PK, or 3 on 3.

Against the heavy St. Louis Blues they needed Virtanen for 23 minutes. But he got about 8 minutes. Waste of time.

It's Green just being plain stupid.

As the schedule toughens up here it will be a decision for ownership to make about this GM and coach who continue to feud with their star young talent.

It's easier to replace the GM and coach than Virtanen.