3 takeaways from the Canucks’ disappointing 5-1 loss to Montreal
Well, the honeymoon period lasted for three games, Vancouver Canucks fans. But hey, that’s better than nothing, right?
After playing their best hockey of the season over the last week, the team went back to their old ways and lost 5-1 to the Canadiens yesterday. Just when we were beginning to hope again, the Canucks crushed our dreams as usual.
Here are three takeaways from Vancouver’s disappointing 5-1 loss to the Canadiens last night.
Lack of pushback
The first period was one of the worst frames the team played all year long, which says a lot about their performance.
The Canucks didn’t register their first shot on goal for over eight minutes, and the Canadiens had already tested Thatcher Demko seven times by then. However, the most disappointing part about the game is that Vancouver didn’t have any pushback and played almost as badly in the second and third periods.
To put things into perspective, the Canucks were outshot 16-4 in the first and 17-7 in the third, while surprisingly coming on top in the middle frame by outshooting Montreal 13-12. Even so, that number is deceiving because none of their chances were of high quality while the Canadiens had many odd-man rushes the other way.
After securing their first win when giving up the first goal of the game on Monday, the Canucks are now 1-14 when they concede the opening goal. In other words, the team simply doesn’t push back enough when trailing, which is obviously not a formula for success.
Miller had an interesting night
Oh boy, J.T. Miller definitely had himself a game, even if it wasn’t always for the right reasons. The veteran forward started off his eventful night by dropping the mitts with Ben Chiarot, which is surprisingly only his second fight in a Canucks uniform.
https://twitter.com/HockeyHoundShow/status/1369871515022467072
In the second period, he also drew and took a penalty, and there was even one hilarious shift where he played without his stick and blocked a shot as a result. It just seemed like he was out of control for the entire game, as he shifted between being Vancouver’s most engaged skater to its most disinterested in the blink of an eye.
Fortunately, it wasn’t all bad for Miller, as he did assist on Brock Boeser’s power-play goal as well. I’m sure he would’ve liked to register an assist to complete the Gordie Howe hat trick.
Top players struggled
Along with Miller, Boeser and Quinn Hughes struggled as well. Boeser, in particular, played an uncharacteristic game, as he struggled defensively and didn’t generate much offence either. In fact, he registered an abysmal 15.38% corsi at five on five according to Natural Stat Trick, which was dead last on the team. He also ended the game with an expected goals percentage of 6.66%, which is a number so low that it almost seems impossible.
The one good news is that Boeser was also the only person to beat Carey Price, as he unloaded an absolute rocket on a second-period power play.
That's what we call a Brocket! 🚀
— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) March 11, 2021
On the PP, Boeser gets his 14th of the year and the #Canucks are on the board! pic.twitter.com/D1NtIgr43K
Hughes, on the other hand, wasn’t much better. The 21-year-old had a corsi below 35% and an expected goals percentage of 23.10%. It’s obvious that this team isn’t capable of winning games when their best players aren’t at their best since Vancouver’s bottom-six isn’t reliable at all.
With that said, I don’t think we need to be concerned about the play of Miller, Boeser, and Hughes moving forward. The trio was lights out before last night’s game and there’s no reason why they won’t bounce back, so I’m sure that it was just one tiny bump that we’ll soon forget about.
Other notes
- Last night was the first time the team really missed Elias Pettersson, who won’t be back for another week. It was inevitable that Vancouver would fall back to earth with their best player sidelined, and we can only hope that the Swede comes back sooner than later.
- After weeks of elite play, Demko also looked more human. However, he was still the Canucks’ best player and kept them in the game, especially in the first period; Vancouver could’ve easily been down by three or four goals if it wasn’t for him.
- Continuing on my previous point, I wonder if Demko is feeling a bit tired after starting four consecutive games. The team’s next game doesn’t come until Saturday, so he should get some extra rest before then. I won’t be surprised if Braden Holtby gets the start either, since he does need to get some starts no matter how much he’s struggled.
Next. Canucks Rewind: The Brendan Morrison trade, and his time in Vancouver. dark
Like I just mentioned, the Canucks will have two days off before facing the Oilers on Saturday. Puck drops at 7 pm Pacific Time and Vancouver will need to bring their “A” game if they hope to win, as Edmonton just thrashed Ottawa 7-1 last night.