Canucks: 3 takeaways from the 5-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets

VANCOUVER, BC - MARCH 22: J.T. Miller #9 of the Vancouver Canucks tries to screen goalie Connor Hellebuyck #37 of the Winnipeg Jets during NHL action at Rogers Arena on March 22, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - MARCH 22: J.T. Miller #9 of the Vancouver Canucks tries to screen goalie Connor Hellebuyck #37 of the Winnipeg Jets during NHL action at Rogers Arena on March 22, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
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VANCOUVER, BC – MAY 03: J.T. Miller #9 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates with teammates Nils Hoglander #36 and Brock Boeser #6. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC – MAY 03: J.T. Miller #9 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates with teammates Nils Hoglander #36 and Brock Boeser #6. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)

The powerplay is a mess

Make that 0-for-18 in the past six games.

Despite the cringe-worthy stat, the Canucks actually looked a little more dangerous on the powerplay than they had as of late coming into this game.

Rathbone fitting in quite nicely on the first unit, complimenting Hughes’ style of play on the blueline, and it appeared that they were on the verge of a much-needed breakthrough after Monday night’s tilt.

You know where I’m going with this.

The Canucks continued their special teams’ struggles on Tuesday night, once again disappointing the fanbase by going scoreless on the powerplay.

As alluded to before, it’s not about the wins at this point, so the Canucks don’t need their powerplay to be firing on all cylinders and carrying them to victories for the remaining five games.

But, boy, it would be nice to see some competitive and exciting hockey from this club, much like we were used to seeing last year.

At this point, nothing should be off the table for Newell Brown when it comes to igniting his special teams. Could we see Nils Höglander as a regular on the first unit? What about Hughes logging less minutes on the second unit, giving full reign to Rathbone? Or maybe it’s time to see what Lind and Gadjovich could do together?

Although the previous track record indicates otherwise, we’re all crossing our fingers and hoping that we actually might see some changes.

The Canucks will be given a much-needed break before continuing their road trip on Thursday night with a match-up against the Calgary Flames. Puck drop is at 6:00pm PST.

What were your thoughts on the team’s 5-0 loss to the Jets? Make sure to drop a comment below!