Can’t win them all. Just want to win a few on the IR road trip to the cold, dark east.

This is it! The game the universe has been waiting for. The most important game of the season. Not in our universe, but in that universe over in the Center of the Universe.

Facing the Shanna-nah-nah-plannas. Yippee. It’s a HNIC wet dream show. So...on with the show.

1st Period

No scoring. Which is winning for Marquis de Softie.

Key Plays:

Tanev gets a deflection off his stick into his face. He’s out. Down. And out of the game with just a minute and a half of ice time. Doesn’t return. Injury Faeries - jaw fracture divsion made the trip. We were supposed to keep them distracted here on the west coast.

Virt looked dangerous - great rush up the ice - clanged one off the post.

Power Play. It’s official. Edler can not see when Boeser is on the ice. Brock is open, banging his stick on the ice. Edler shoots the puck into a crowd. You’d think the power play coaches would tell Eddie about our young phenom. Or just not put Edler on the PP with Boeser. And they did. Put Pouliot on instead of Eddie. But, the open shot opt was lost.

Vancouver wins on the shot count too. 10-9. Not a bad period. Only lost one shutdown D-man.

2nd Period

HNIC, when they weren’t focusing the camera on God’s Own Hockey Coach - deciphering for the non-leafuminati every furrowed brow and the profound effect it will have on the sport for decades, they focused on the Mathew matchup. With our own American hero, Brock.

Meanwhile our Boest player did his Boest. And was rewarded.

Woo! For goal #22. 1-zip for the Canucks over the most important team in hockey. In the most important rink in the world. Shocking, I know.

Shocking? No...what happened to Crossy the Softie was shocking. A soft shot from the point fluttered towards the goal, juggled by Marky and bounced off his shoulder into the net. Nooooooo!!!

Ok. No, no goal. In a twist of ref policy so dramatic, so inverted in a good way (finally), Green won the coach’s challenge. It was offside. ***Whew*** Marky dodged a softie of Nilsinnian proportions.

More back and forth, with the Canucks having the edge in play despite being outshot 15-11. No really. Canucks could had another one before the period ended.

But end it did, with Nucks still up 1-zip. Leading into the 3rd. Woopee. Cushions.

3rd Period

Could the Nucks hold the lead? Extend it even?

Yes, yes, they could.

According to HNIC leafy-fair and toron-balanced play-by-players, the Nucks drew a weak penalty on a weak call. And then another weak call. An outrage! I call it Zebra penance. Whatever.

The Canucks went to work on the 5 on 3 and were rewarded. Brock created some havoc with the Sedins who find an open Gags. Yeah...in the same spot that Eddie can never find Brock.

Boom! 2-nothing lead. Game is in the bag.

Or is it?

Let’s say it is. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the new B-2-B game season.

As is inevitable...in the hungover and we’re paying for it IR Faerie new year...the Leafies comeback. Probably a coincidence, but Eddie was on the ice for both T.O. goals. Got pushed aside at the blueline on the Mathews tap-in. Which the HNIC crew replayed until their PVR broke.

On the 2nd goal, he was just slow and behind the play. He looked slow all night. Is he playing hurt? Or just trying to keep up (down?) with Gags, Loui and Vanek?

Marky stopped the first shot, gave the rebound right back to Bozak who didn’t return the puck to Marky. Instead caused the game to be tied 2-2.

The good news is that we didn’t lose the game. Yet.

Off to OT which the Nucks survived on the PK. Then onto the Skillz round where, yeah, Mathews scored and Brock didn’t. And Gags scored, but Vanek didn’t and Bozak did.

The MOST important game was won by the MOST important team. In Toronto. Next to the Jays.

Oh well...we take the point with pride. And some aspirin-laced martunis. Or beerz. Or something.

Shots ended 36-36, so we win again! (We win all ties - it’s a rule made years ago by the NM High Council - look it up if you must - but you have to look really high)

How was the team feeling about leading in the 3rd and losing in the SO.

Both good points too.

No. It is what it isn’t. It isn’t a win.

Still...Marky had a .944 SV% - that’s a step upwards, it is.

Still...could be worse...could be eating through a straw.

Ugh. Tough times for Gumby.

Sage advise in our current ring around the bottom of the standings tub. Laugh it off. And look forward.

The subtitles in the clip are in Westy’s native hockey talk tongue. When you speak hockey in the tropics, it’s better if no one understands.

And what we don’t understand is how easily this season has slipped away. No matter. The bright light at the end of the AllStar tunnel is we can expect to have a full roster again, just in time to trade some of the roster away. Who would you like to see traded? Other than certain D-corp members that can’t be traded?

Onto the next game. Which isn’t until...holy crap...it’s almost game time again! Another afternoon game in the east with their weird clocks.

In Montreal to play Le Habs. Again. Didn’t we just beat them? Yes, we did. This was the winning goal if I recall correctly. Which isn’t important. The most important game is over and that’s the important thing.

Enjoy the rest of your miserable weekend, NM. I won’t be here for the winning recap apres Les Win. Have to visit the NM Maniacal Laugh Development Center to prep for lotto night in hockey.

Laugh it off. And look forward. And sideways. Just in case.