The Canucks came out of the 4 Nations break with a chance to gain some ground in the Pacific on the Golden Knights. That did not go according to plan, as they fell 3-1 to Vegas. The team turned things on halfway through the game, but it wasn’t enough in the end. If you missed the game, here are your highlights:
The Canucks have trouble scoring goals, and it’s tough to beat a team like Vegas just scoring one. Newly contracted Lankinen showed why he earned that money last night, but the rest of the team needs to step up and put some pucks in the net. Sure, the team is missing their offensive engine in Hughes, and Pettersson was apparently banged up (though he’s not lighting the lamp as in)… but they need more as a collective. Since January 1st the Canucks are doing well defensively, giving up just the ninth fewest goals, but they’re also scoring the second fewest in that timeframe.
“We've got to make more plays, I think,” Sherwood said. “I know Lanky is world-class, but we left him on an island too much. We need a better 60 minutes. It's not good enough, especially on the brink of the playoffs right now.”
The Canucks, on a mini 6-1-1 heater coming into the break, just started the game by limping out of it. They had three first period penalties (two for too many men) and were sloppy and inconsistent until the third.
“In the first two periods. . . we wouldn't make plays when they were there, and we tried to make plays when they weren't there,” Marcus Pettersson said. “It cost us momentum. A lot of sloppy play from us, really. I thought they saw our best in the third, so that's encouraging that we could have a push. But, yeah, kind of sloppy from us to throw that game away.
“For sure, it was a missed opportunity against a good team. To have a 1-1 game going into the third when we haven't played our best, yeah, a missed opportunity.”
The Canucks still had a chance heading into the final frame tied 1-1, but a leaky goal 18 seconds in was too much to overcome.
“It was a 1-1 game, and we gave them that freebie to start the (third),” Tocchet said. “And then obviously, the first period, we can't give them three penalties — two for too many men. That hurts you. There's moments there. . . we didn't come through.
“Lanks was great tonight in net. (But) the game is about moments, and we had some moments there that we didn't capitalize. And we need some guys to capitalize on it for us.”
The Canucks were pressing late, had the chance to tie it up, but squandered their opportunities. Tocc lamented the shot choices and the inability to get inside. There was a goal called back, another loose puck whistled down, and all in all the Canucks put 19 shots on Hill in the third, but it wasn’t enough in the end.
“There's some good and bad. There's moments that we should have executed on. Had a couple of goals there I wish weren’t taken back, but it's the right calls,” Tocchet said. “Overall, the execution was good in some parts, and sometimes it wasn't. We had them when they had 6-on-5. They were tired, and we didn’t make some smart plays. Shot the puck over the net. We hurried up some of our shots. I don't know if that's rust over the two weeks.
“There’s moments there. We just didn't come through.”
The Canucks continue their 5 game road trip tonight in Utah. It’s coming down the stretch here with everyone vying to make the playoffs, so every game has extra weight at the moment. There’s a chance Hughes could play today, and the team really needs him. They know the stakes right now.
“This whole road trip is big,” Sherwood said. “We're playing against teams that are all fighting for playoff spots, and every game is worth double now. I mean, it's more than two points at this time of year. We need to be better.”
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