Remember when the Vancouver Canucks somehow won both games against the Leafs when they first returned to play?
Well, it seems like the Hockey Gods finally decided to turn the tides and reward Toronto for their vastly superior play, as they won 4-1 last night.
The team’s recent struggles shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, even after winning three of their first four games after returning to the ice. Those victories were fueled by adrenaline more than anything, and Vancouver has predictably taled off and will likely struggle for the remainder of the season.
Here are three takeaways from the Canucks’ disheartening 4-1 loss to the Leafs last night. Also, be sure to stick around until the end of the article as we have a special announcement to share.
Lethargic play continues
Wednesday’s loss to Ottawa featured some of the most uninspiring hockey played all year long from Vancouver, even if it wasn’t for a lack of effort. The same story was repeated yesterday, especially at the start of the game.
The Canucks only mustered two shots on goal in the entire first period, and actually had as many shots as Toronto had goals at one point in the match.
https://twitter.com/RobTheHockeyGuy/status/1387928540713082882
Similar to Wednesday, Vancouver came out flat in the second and conceded a pair of goals in the opening minutes of the period. Auston Matthews made it a 2-0 game just 51 seconds in, and everyone knew what was going to happen the moment he and Mitch Marner created a two-on-one chance.
Early 2nd period and Auston Matthews buries the feed from Mitch Marner to extend the Leafs lead. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/QQ3YXiMdmp
— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) April 30, 2021
Pierre Engvall then made it a three-goal game just two minutes later by beating Braden Holtby on a deceptive wrist shot from the left circle.
No one should be shocked by the team’s lethargic play, but it is strange that they’ve specifically struggled in the opening minutes of the second period when considering the fact that they’ve performed much better in the third. It’ll be interesting to see if this is just a two-game blip or a long-term trend.