Vancouver Canucks Surrender 2 Power Play Goals in 3rd, Lose to Blues

After being shut out on Tuesday, the Vancouver Canucks found their offense again. However, a poor game from 1Jacob Markstrom and the penalty kill cost them.

The Vancouver Canucks closed out their six-game road trip against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night.

Coming off a thorough loss to the Penguins, they had one last chance to return home with an even record on the road trip. They played a much better game than they did in Pittsburgh.

However, it was not quite enough.

Final Score:

Welcome Back, Brandon and Bo!

More from The Canuck Way

• Which team won the Bo Horvat trade?
• What to expect from newcomers Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty
• Back to the future: How the skate uniforms became a regular Canucks’ feature night
• Canucks kick off 2023 with disappointing 6-2 loss to Islanders
• 2nd period penalty trouble sinks Canucks in 4-2 loss against Winnipeg

A big part of the reason the Canucks played so poorly last game was that they were missing two key players. Both Bo Horvat and Brandon Sutter sustained minor injuries against the Sabres — Horvat a bone bruise in his foot, Sutter a strained wrist –and could not play.

Luckily, they both returned this game, and made their presence felt.

First, Horvat showed why he is Vancouver’s leading goal-scorer, future captain and MVP. With the Blues leading 1-0, Nikita Tryamkin blocked a Jay Bouwmeester clearing attempt at the blue line. He then got a pass through to Horvat, who snuck behind the St. Louis defense.

One-on-one with Jake Allen, Horvat went upstairs:

That’s Horvat’s 18th goal of the year, which tied him (temporarily) with one Connor McDavid. He is on a solid 25-goal pace, and continues to look like a first-liner in waiting.

Sutter scored in the third period, after the Blues had turned a tied game into a 4-2 lead. Alexander Edler fired a slap pass to the slot, where Sutter’s stick was waiting.

Last game, Vancouver lost 4-0 and were thorougly outchanced. Tonight, they lost again, but only by a single goal, and were competitive right to the bitter end. Horvat and Sutter are key to this team’s success.

So are the twins, for that matter. They also bounced back from the Pittsburgh game:

https://twitter.com/Canucks/status/832414435725619200

Related Story: Daniel's Unreal Setup vs. St. Louis

Troubles on the PK, Troubles in Goal

Unfortunately, a better effort did not equal a better result tonight. Mistakes from the goaltender and from the penalty kill ended up sinking the Canucks’ chances to win this game.

Jacob Markstrom had a definite off-night. He put his team in a hole early, when a Magnus Paajarvi backhander from behind the goal line caught his pad as he slid across. The puck slid through his five hole to put the Blues up 1-0.

The Canucks were able to overcome that mistake, though, and tie the game heading into the third period. Their dwindling playoff hopes rested on having a good third period to salvage a win on the road.

That hope didn’t even last through the first five minutes.

With an Alexandre Burrows high-sticking penalty carryied over from the second, it took the Blues just 58 seconds to pull ahead in the third. Vancouver’s penalty killers allowed Vladimir Tarasenko to set up at the top of the faceoff dot and fire a shot at will. Tarasenko is tied for fourth in the league in goals, and with plenty of traffic in front Markstrom never had a chance:

A little while later, Henrik Sedin took another high-sticking penalty for the Canucks — this time a double minor.

Markstrom was beaten on another shot from the goal line. On this occasion, he was not tight to his post, and Alexander Steen’s shot trickled in on the short side:

Two soft goals and 33-percent on the penalty kill; it all added up to a loss for Vancouver.

Back when the Canucks were on their post-Christmas run, both Markstrom and Ryan Miller were sensational. The past two games are not an indictment of either goalie’s play overall this season. Markstrom has stolen more than one game for his team this season, but tonight his mistakes cost them.

Next: Gaunce Better than Numbers Suggest

The Vancouver Canucks finish their road trip with two wins, four losses. They return to Rogers Arena to take on Calgary Flames on Saturday.