Canucks: 3 takeaways from 5-2 loss versus Senators

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Tyler Myers’ struggles don’t help rookie Thatcher Demko

Travis Green has done everything he can to give Tyler Myers his own defence line. In a perfect world, with a $6 million dollar price tag, you would think Myers could be the head of his own defence pair, but after a horrible showing on Thursday skating with his usual linemate on the third pairing, it is becoming more and more clear that the 6’8 giant is better off paired with Hughes or Alex Edler.

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When the final horn sounded in Kanata, Myers skated off the ice with a nasty -4 rating. He was on the ice for every goal against, not including the empty netter scored late in the game. I don’t care what the excuse is, that’s not good enough, especially when you’re the highest-paid player on the team and you’re defending in front of a rookie goaltender.

Yes, Demko didn’t play his best game either, but no player should ever finish a game with a +/- rating as godawful as that. To put this in perspective, when the Canucks put up nine against the Bruins, only one player was a -4. That says a lot! Nearly half the amount of goal against, but a seriously bad performance for Myers. Having him on the third pair worked with MVP Jacob Markstrom in goal, but Green has to switch things up while Demko mans the crease.

Final thoughts…

The Canucks didn’t get the result they wanted, but there is no time to dwell on two lost points. Vancouver is back in action on Saturday night in the center of the hockey universe. Puck drops in Toronto at 4 PM.