Canucks Coffee: Sorry, but we have to talk about PDO

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The Canucks are giving up tons of possession. They’re starting badly. Yes, they are getting better as the game goes on.

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And yes, it’s only five games.

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There’s also just no ignoring how these games have gone: the Canucks are giving up too many shots, not getting enough of their own and those shots, in both directions, are of better quality for the opposition.

The Canucks are 3-2 on the season because of the play of their goalies and a bit of shooting luck.

That’s it.

They have a 106.1 PDO right now, driven by the fourth-best even strength save percentage in the league and the sixth-best shooting percentage.

If you’ve been with us for a couple seasons, you know this is just about impossible to sustain, especially with the scrappy but undergunned forward group this team possesses.

The long-term truth is these points they’ve picked up do matter, but only if the Canucks improve their overall game well enough so that they aren’t causing upsets every night and leaning on the goalies every night, too.

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Points gained now make for a buffer later, but the buffer won’t last long if they can’t seize some control of the game.

The vibes, no doubt, are good right now. But shots and goals matter more.

Humming that playoff tune

Listen, yes, the playoffs are a long way away. But also, yes, I’ve said these Canucks are good enough to make the dance.

That’s not what I’m talking about this morning, though. What I’m talking about today is an act of pure folly by the Chicago Blackhawks’ game entertainment staff, one that is suggestive of someone not familiar with how things used to be.

Now, this faux pas is not quite as bad as when DJ Barron S played Chelsea Dagger during a Canucks game at Rogers Arena. That was a ridiculous, ignorant choice by a DJ who just had no idea where she was.

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What happened in Chicago smacked of similar ignorance, but at least in the United Center DJ’s case they didn’t play a song that’s been used as a long-standing rival’s goal song.

No, they only played the Canucks’ legendary playoff entry song, the instrumental track to U2’s Where The Streets Have No Name, before Friday’s shootout session.

That’s about not knowing how things used to be.

Mancini’s ascendance

Victor Mancini’s play over two games has been solid, to the point where there’s now pressure on Elias (Junior) Pettersson to keep his spot in the lineup. Pierre-Olivier Joseph was signed to be a dependable professional, ready to play when called upon but not to be an alternative to the young blueliner.

Through the first handful of games this season, Pettersson has struggled to control play. He’s been a too reactive at times, not leading the way like he did when things were firing well for him last spring.

He’s played with his usual edge and you can see he’s frustrating his opponents, so that’s good, but he’s still getting caught up in his own end too much.

Mancini’s physical tools are obvious, the challenge for him as the season progresses will be to maintain consistency.

pjohnston@postmedia.com

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