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

Special teams continue to struggle

Let’s face it. The special teams are anything but special now.

The Canucks laid yet another goose egg on Saturday night, going 0-for-5 on the man advantage. Their powerplay, which was a consistent top-10 threat last season, has struggled mightily as of late, ultimately becoming one of the key reasons that the team continues to lose games.

At this point in the year, with the physical and mental exhaustion reaching new heights every game, the Canucks won’t be able to compete 5v5. It’s just reality. They lack the stamina, foot speed and execution that other teams are equipped with, and only have a leg up when they literally outnumber their opponents on the ice.

The Canucks have been getting their fair share of chances, and they’ve slowly been able to increase their shot totals. But the team continues to have difficulty entering the offensive zone, and usually squander the opportunity with weak passing and poor decision-making once they do actually manage to set-up.

Factor in a crumbling penalty kill unit, which allowed two goals on Saturday night, including the eventual game-winner, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find any good talking points for this team throughout their entire 60 minutes on ice.

Yes, it’s hard to find the goals when a powerplay specialist like Elias Pettersson has been out of the line-up for an extended period of time, but that excuse dried up weeks ago. All teams face key injuries at some point in their seasons, but it doesn’t stop the good ones from still finding ways to come away with victories.

And right now, the Canucks are miles away from not only dressing a functional, dangerous, two-fold powerplay, but from also putting together a team that can contend each and every night, no matter the situation.

Other notes:

• Connor McDavid recorded his 100th point of the season, after putting up a goal and three assists on Saturday night. He is the 9th player in NHL history to reach the century-point mark in 53 games or less, and the first since both Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemeiux completed the feat during the 1995-96 campaign. McDavid and his Oilers team still have three games remaining this year, meaning he could easily push for 110 points if he continues to produce at this torrid pace. During this four-game mini series against the Canucks, McDavid put up an astonishing three goals and 10 assists, putting Vancouver on the wrong side of the highlight reel for many years to come.
• Marc Michaelis slotted into the third line on Saturday night, replacing winger Zack MacEwen, who was serving his one-game suspension for kneeing Oilers’ defenceman Darnell Nurse. Michaelis, who last played on April 22nd, recorded two shots on goal and a plus one rating over 10:44 of ice time.

The Canucks will continue their road trip with a Monday night match-up against the Winnipeg Jets. Puck drop is at 5:00pm PST.

What did you think of the team’s 4-3 loss to the Oilers? Make sure to drop a comment below!