The Canucks dropped their opportunity to take a commanding series lead out of Edmonton by not really showing up to play. They rallied from a 2-0 hole late in the game, only to have some costly mistakes lose them the game in the dying seconds. It’s a best of three now as the series shifts back to Vancouver. If you want to see highlights, here they are:
Too many passengers. Not enough effort. The Canucks have been built on consistency all year, and they didn’t bring that to the table last night for whatever reason. Tocchet was not happy post-game, and I’ll let him do the talking for that:
“We've been a resilient group all year, but we need five or six guys to get going here,” Tocchet lamented after the loss. “I mean, it's the Stanley Cup playoffs. Some guys, I don't know if they thought it was the playoffs. We can't play with 12 guys. We've got to figure it out quick.
“It's 2-2. Obviously, (this) is a tough one. Edmonton came to play; they wanted it more early. The second goal, at the end of the period, was a killer. Another couple of mistakes, and then the last goal. You can't do that.”
The Canucks had more than enough opportunity to put some goals on the newly-injected Pickard, but faltered throughout the game and stumbled terribly on their power play.
“Not good enough,” Tocchet said the power play. “They know it. I didn't think they worked hard, they mismanaged the puck. It's a four-minute power play. I think the second unit had. . . some shots, but it's just not good enough. They know it. You have to have a work ethic and you have to hold the pucks, and I didn't think we did.”
Asked about Pettersson, who’s been have a rough go in the playoffs, Tocc sounded exasperated:
“Like I said, there's five or six guys. He's got to get going. I don't know what else to say.”
The team’s been accountable to themselves all year, and one guy who really takes that on is JT Miller. He was on the ice for the game winning goal, and made a critical mistake that led to it. He was apparently beside himself after the game.
“I was in the wrong spot in the D-zone and then didn’t block the shot,” Miller said. “We had a breakdown and then they ended up winning it.
“I’m pretty upset with myself at the moment. That was a pretty big play at the end of the game there. That pass should have never got to Bouchard and (the shot) certainly shouldn't get past me. Arty can't see anything.”
Quinn Hughes seems to be even-keel about it all – who would suspect that from him? – as the Canucks head home and try and take the series lead again.
“To tie it up like that and have a great push and then to lose like that, it’s disappointing,” Hughes said. “But these things happen and we have to move along.
“There is a lot of belief in this room, there is no quit and obviously going into the next game, we don’t want to find ourselves in a hole. But like I said after Game 1, if it’s 4-1 or 2-1 or 2-0, whatever it is, we’re going to go to the final buzzer."
Hopefully the Canucks can start from the initial buzzer instead of waiting until the end for their next game on Friday night.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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