Canucks: 3 takeaways from 5-3 collapse versus Blue Jackets

If it was too early to hit the panic button before, it might not be such a bad idea after this atrocious third period collapse. The absence of Markstrom has never been felt so hard. After getting the nod to debut in a Vancouver Canucks jersey, Domingue played well, held a 3-1 lead heading into the final frame, but the team collapsed late, the fringe starter got beat and Columbus exposed him for what he’s worth.

All-in-all, the loss doesn’t fall on Domingue alone, it was a terrible performance by the Canucks penalty kill and both Brandon Sutter and Antoine Roussel took some costly penalties. Lazy play on both accounts leads to Vancouver coughing up a two-goal lead in a game they really shouldn’t have lost.

Maybe the Canucks got a little too comfortable with Markstrom bailing them out every single night, it shows because they let Columbus in late, a team that really has no business beating Vancouver, and a guy like Domingue simply isn’t going to make all the stops an All-star Markstrom is used to making on a nightly basis.

Vancouver got a look at both their goalies down the stretch, but now it’s time for the defence to buckle down, the offence to pick up, and for someone to step up and carry the torch Markstrom has left behind.