Canucks: 3 takeaways from the 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers

The bottom six finally finds the back of the net

We’re not going to sugar coat this. It’s been a brutal year for the Canucks’ bottom six forwards.

The third and fourth lines have been a disaster on the scoresheet, and have essentially been invisible on a nightly basis. It’s been a revolving door for both of those lines, and head coach Travis Green has been forced to juggle a plethora of players in those roles, hoping that just one of them can slot in and create some kind of offensive spark on the ice.

He finally got his wish on Saturday night.

The Canucks were finally able to receive some secondary scoring, with the third and fourth lines combining for two of the team’s three goals.

Forward Travis Boyd was able to register his first point as a Canuck, receiving a quick pass from fellow waiver claim Jimmy Vesey before snapping the puck past netminder Mike Smith to tie the game at 2-2.

Tyler Graovac also found the back of the net, notching his second goal in as many games, with the primary assist coming from Jayce Hawryluk.

As relieving as it was to see these players hit the scoresheet, especially with both goals coming in game-tying fashion, it’s ultimately a moot point at this point in the season.

The Canucks have been forced to rely on their top two lines for much too long now, with opponents fully aware that they only need to shut down five or six key players to come away with a victory. Canucks’ fans and management would’ve also loved to have seen this kind of production earlier on in the campaign, when the team was still in the postseason hunt.

Would it have ultimately changed their outcome in the standings? Probably not.

But, if the Canucks want to even consider contending for a playoff spot in the near future, they’ll need their bottom roster to start contributing like this on a nightly basis, no matter who makes up the third and fourth lines.