Canucks hear Boudreau’s belly fire ‘loud and clear’

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The new team doesn’t erase the old totals that reach the honed man.

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For fourth-row star Dakota Joshua, a mere post-game suggestion by his coach that the Vancouver Canucks were “bullied” by a big, strong team on Tuesday was still on Wednesday.

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It resulted in a short but tough practice and some tough F-bomb love from Bruce Boudreau.

A 5-1 loss to the Washington Capitals didn’t just end their three-game winning streak. This is why Boudreau was able to determine early in the day that the team was not ready. And given how the first period played out, it was meant to be one of those nights.

The Canucks were beaten and physically uninvolved, allowing the Capitals to dictate the tempo. No big goals. No Luke Shen blockbuster. No Joshua scraps.

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It can’t happen Thursday against the struggling Florida Panthers. In the NHL he’s second with 97 hits Shen needs to set the tone physically and Joshua needs to be a ferocious visionary beast.

“He (Boudreau) could be heard loud and clear here, so you can definitely expect a reaction from us,” predicted Joshua.

“(Tuesday) Just wasn’t there for us and after a long road trip it’s hard to pinpoint and put it down to just one thing. No doubt—in any case.

“We didn’t set our bellies on fire, and then a good team like Washington will pounce on you and take advantage of it. There’s nothing we can do about what happened yesterday (Tuesday), but it won’t happen again.” We can do that, and that’s unacceptable.”

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So how will Joshua help set the right tone for the Panthers?

“I’m more about feeling the game and maybe I’m not very good at picking spots,” he admitted. “But I could use it, but I didn’t. It’s not like their people[on other teams]were going to do it.”

That’s what Shen got to when the “Bullied” total was carried out by a stout defenseman.

His effectiveness lies in playing tough, physical and low, and delivering crushing blows to stop his opponents’ willingness to encroach on his territory. He fights when necessary — usually to answer cheap shots at his teammates — and it’s hard to imagine him being bullied.

“I don’t know if bullies are the right word. They didn’t drop their gloves or hit us or anything like that,” Shen said.

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“Sometimes it takes two guys to go[to a game]but they don’t have anyone in their lineup. .

“In terms of puck possession and battle wins, (bullied) is the correct terminology and needs to be corrected. You want to chalk it up as a one-off. , making it a difficult place to play (Rogers Arena).”

next game

Thursday

Vancouver Canucks vs. Florida Panthers

7 pm, Rogers Arena. tv set: sports net. wireless: 650 am.

Boudreau’s Wednesday practice message was about leaky positioning and lack of fighting and pushing in his own zone. At one point he interrupted the session and spat out:

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“I think they must have hated the effort[on Tuesday]and everything that comes with it,” Boudreau later said. “They want to fix it and hope it’s temporary with the way we play these days.

“That was the message. It was 4 games in 6 days, so (practice) was short. When you lose 6 in a row, 7 in a row, 8 in a row, you can understand the devastation, the looks and the lowness.

“If the coaches do it, the players get it. Even if you’re not fine, I have to be fine. I was trying to be, but I can’t let it happen again.

“Just because we have a tough opponent and want it doesn’t mean it will happen.”

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with time – Boudreau moved Broc Voser to the right flank along with Bo Horvat and JT Miller on Wednesday, removing Nils Hoglander from the lineup and lining up with Sheldon Drais and Conor Garland. Riley Stillman also teamed up with Tyler Myers.”Stillman is a veteran and he doesn’t like players sitting for long periods of time,” Boudreau said of Stillman. “We just want him to be more in control. He wants things to go so well that he gets out of control at times.”

bkuzma@postmedia.com

twitter.com/benkuzma

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