David vs Goliath
2023-08-07A few weeks ago, I am certain no one would have said the words Canucks and Stanley Cup Final in the same sentence. It is hard to believe that my team will be a part of the final dance. Before diving into the analysis of the Panthers/Canucks Stanley Cup Final, let’s take time to zoom out a little.
The Canucks finished the 2022-2023 regular season with 93 points, not enough to make the playoffs… eh what? Well, that is not entirely true. If the Canucks were in the Lemieux conference, the team would have finished 12th in the conference standings, which would have been behind NY Rangers, Detroit and Boston. The three teams previously mentioned all missed the playoffs. Fortunately for the Canucks fans (there are not so many of them), their team took the 3rd rank in the Pacific Division even after a season that felt like a roller coaster. Nevertheless, that was enough to give my crew a ticket for a playoffs spot in the Gretzky conference. Since then, we have seen a completely different group on the ice, led by Zibanejad and Demko. What has been impressive thus far is the improvement on the PP, while the Canucks PP percentage jumped up from a poor 13.3% during the regular season to a respectable 20.3% in the playoffs. While the rest of the numbers are in line with the regular season, the PP upgrade seems to have played a key role so far in the success of Vancouver in the playoffs run.
All of this is quite interesting, but let’s face the facts: the matchup against Florida leaves me with few things to cheer about. The southern team finished first in the Atlantic, with 50 wins and the best defence in the league with only 212 goals allowed (tied with Nashville). But the most impressive thing in my opinion is the fact that they just beat the Philadelphia Flyers, a team that seemed unstoppable since the beginning of the 2023 playoffs. If we compare both our clubs with the regular season numbers… well it is an uneven match. Like in the picture joined to this post, it feels like David VS Goliath.
It is going to be a tough group to beat 4 times out of 7 games, but nothing is impossible for the 2023-postseason Canucks (No pressure Mika!). During the regular season, the two sides met twice, and each team went home with a win in OT, which gives me the impression that it is going to be a long series. Let’s get ready to rumble….
I would like to end this short text with a personal note. I joined the EHE last December and did not make any drastic changes to the existing team. The team that is playing the Stanley Cup Final has been built 95% by my predecessor and it would be unfair not to mention it. In an article written by Kyle Phillips in February 2019, Travis Fleming, the former Canucks GM, was asked where he sees the Canucks three years ahead. He answered: “The Canucks better be a contender in three years, otherwise I'll consider this rebuild a massive failure.”* Well, if you read this post Travis, the rebuilt is not a massive failure… but you should have stayed one more year though haha.
I really enjoy being a part of this incredible league and community and I hope to be a part of it for a long time. Now, let’s get this ****ing cup back to Canada!!!
*source : https://www.elitehockeysim.com/news.php?article=726
do it for oel and then u can buy him out of vancouver :)
David vs Goliath
Will the Canucks bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada?
Great article! Not sure your team totally fits the role of David, considering the teams they've already knocked out along the way. Should be an awesome series in any case.
David vs Goliath
Will the Canucks bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada?