The ups and downs of the Vancouver Canucks have hit rock bottom again after experiencing a brief high.
Maybe they felt right at home looking at the mountains in Salt Lake City, where they usually struggle this season, or maybe they felt a hint of altitude sickness. Whatever the reason, these Canucks’ performances have always been inconsistent and puzzling, and Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to Utah Hockey Club was a prime example.
The Canucks had arguably their best all-around effort of the season with a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche at Rogers Arena on Monday, but they fell flat in the first period against Utah.
Heading to Salt Lake City for their first meeting with Utah State, the Canucks struggled with shot creation, an issue that has plagued the team multiple times this season. Vancouver only managed four shots on goal in the first 20 minutes, two of which came in the final minute. Utah was clearly the more aggressive team to start the game, controlling most of the game and forcing goalie Thatcher Demko twice. Prevent breakout opportunities.
The Canucks also had the puck freeze five times in Wednesday’s opening game, and head coach Rick Tocchet expressed his disapproval of multiple first-quarter freezes against the Boston Bruins on Saturday. After being frustrated, feel really happy about it. “The icing on the cake is unforgivable for all of us… To me, it just brings a lot of motivation to the team,” Tocchet said at the time.
Speaking to Sportsnet reporter Dan Murphy during Wednesday’s first intermission, defenseman Noah Juerson agreed that the Canucks were just “getting through” the stretch. “Right now we haven’t won the battle. They brought it out there, so we have to adjust and respond here.”
When asked what the team needs to do in the remaining games to regain the rhythm of this season’s away games, Juulson said: “We have to win the battle and start communicating. Right now, we are quiet and it doesn’t do anything for us. help.”
For the most part, the trend in the first half of the second quarter seemed to be the same as the first 20 minutes. It wasn’t until the Canucks gave up a shorthanded three-on-one attempt on their first power play of the game that Demko was once again forced to bail out his teammates. While this may have been a turning point in Utah’s favor, it actually seemed to inject some life into the game in Vancouver.
With just seconds left on the power play, a Quinn Hughes penalty shot sailed off the buzzing end boards at Delta Center, a pair of Canucks ) a feature of the rink mentioned after a morning skate. Impressively, Danton Heinen stopped the puck one-time to open the scoring and etched his name in history as the first Ghanaian to score against Utah Hockey Club Kill people.
Dakota Joshua beats Utah’s Karel Vejmelka on a lead pass from Teddy Blueger early in the third quarter ) later, the Canucks doubled their lead by burying tight end Dirk. The goal was just his second of the season after the striker was forced to miss the first month of action as he recovers from testicular cancer. Quinn Hughes added his second assist of the game on goal, his ninth of the season and 73 assists.RD his career.
Just like Monday’s game against Colorado State, Demko seemed to be headed for a shutout until midway through the third period, when Utah captain Clayton Keller finally broke the netminder and beat Demko for Nick’s first save. Schmaltz’s shot beat Demko to a loose puck. .
Utah tied the game with just over four minutes left in the third quarter when Dylan Guenther’s shot bounced off Teddy Blueger and past Demko. . That’s when Tyler Myers scored on a power play in the zone on a controversial cross-check call.
With the lead erased, the Canucks had several chances in the closing minutes, the best of which came from Connor Garland with a minute and a half left in regulation. But at the end of the third quarter, the two sides were still tied 2-2 and entered overtime.
Vancouver and Utah traded scoring chances in overtime until Mikhail Sergachev scored his second game-winning goal of the season in overtime to beat the Canucks, No. Leading 2-0 on the road after three quarters.
So a game that started off rather quietly ended with a bang for the home team, leaving the Canucks frustrated with the result for the sixth time this season.
“We’re up 2-0 and you’ve got to seal the win,” head coach Rick Tocchet said after the game. “Every game is a learning lesson.”
Demko, who just returned to the Canucks after eight months out with a serious knee injury, made his fourth straight start on Wednesday. While the Canucks initially planned to have the goalie back on the field, that plan was thwarted when Lankinen contracted the flu last week.
He had a strong performance against Utah State, including the aforementioned three-on-one save while Vancouver was on a power play, and Michael Cacone’s save with just 30 seconds left in regulation to put the game away. Go into overtime.
Demko ended Utah’s streak of five straight games with four or more goals.
Despite the loss, Demko is still easily the best player on the ice in Vancouver and seems to be gaining more confidence with each outing.
Miller and Peterson break up
The Canucks coaching staff may be reluctant to add fuel to the rumored rift between their two best offensive stars, JT Miller and Elias Pettersson.
Social media was abuzz again Wednesday night when head coach Rick Tocchet elected to split two players into the first and second power play units.
“We’re just trying different things right now,” said Tocchet, who would not reveal any real details behind the decision.
Postgame comments that have been made too frequently by the team’s head coach this season were repeated again on Wednesday. “They were ready to play and we weren’t,” Tocchet said after the game.
Joshua added: “We have to be ready to go tomorrow. We can’t start like we did tonight again.”
With a first-period effort like this, one often wonders what would have happened if the Canucks had prepared to play instead of relying on their goaltender to contain them.
• Utah State relocated from Arizona and acquired the Coyotes’ players, staff and draft picks, the 21st new expansion team the Canucks have faced since entering the NHL in 1970-71. With Wednesday’s overtime loss, Vancouver dropped its record to 11-8-1 in its first game against these teams.
• Based on Wednesday’s results, the Canucks are now three points ahead of Utah State for one of the Western Conference’s two wild-card spots.
• Utah has scored in six straight games and has won five of its last six, while Vancouver has won four of its last five.
• The crowd at Delta Center on Wednesday was filled with many free-to-watch fans after owner Ryan Smith About 2,000 tickets will be given away Continue to promote hockey in the league’s newest markets through social media.
The Canucks are back in action Thursday night in Vegas against the Golden Knights. They will then return home for two games – against the Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks – before the NHL Christmas break.
Come the new year soon, The Canucks have two more chances to face the Utah Jazz this season, on February 28 in Salt Lake City and March 16 in Vancouver.
