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“Plays like that are going to happen and you’ve got to be mentally strong,” said Hutton. “They (opposition) know what you’re capable of and it definitely doesn’t take long for them to figure that out. There are definitely times in a game when we’re trying to do too much.”

Hutton is wired to make something happen, but Willie Desjardins believes he needs to dial it back and play a more simple and controlled game.

“He’s trying to do too much,” said the Canucks coach. “His minutes have gone up and he gets tired some times and that’s a part of his game he has to work on. He’s better with lower minutes, but wants to make a difference and you have to admire players like that.

“But he’s putting himself in bad spots. There are certain times when you just have to punt and get it (puck) out of certain area to gain an advantage. He doesn’t want to throw the puck away, he wants more than that, and you would always rather have a guy who’s trying to do too much, rather than too little.”

When Gudbranson was acquired from Florida, he was anxious to win over the analytics crowd after suspect zone start adjusted Corsi. He expected to be better suited for the Western Conference because his size and strength were going to make the crease area a no-go zone for opposition forwards.

“If I’m chasing out of position to make a play, there has been a breakdown somewhere at some point,” said Gudbranson. “My intention is to get in front of shots and take away passing lanes. We started off well as a pair, but we’ve been kind of separate and a little disconnected and just playing too far apart.