Canucks: 3 takeaways from 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames

Powerplay, powerplay, where for art thou, powerplay?

Make that 0-for-19 over the past seven games.

The Canucks continue to struggle on the powerplay, once again putting up a goose egg while on the man advantage.

Yes, it should be noted that the Canucks will probably be taking more penalties than drawing them, given their current state of physical and mental exhaustion, and that’s exactly what transpired on Thursday night.

The team was only awarded one powerplay opportunity throughout the game, but it happened with over 13 minutes left in the third period, and with the Canucks still only down by one goal, so it couldn’t have come at a more timely moment.

You could tell that the coaching staff were getting desperate to finally break the powerplay slump, with Newell Brown essentially throwing his line-ups into a blender. The first unit saw Travis Boyd centering Nils Höglander and J.T. Miller, with Schmidt and Quinn Hughes at the point, followed by a second unit of Pearson, Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, as well as Edler and Tyler Myers on the blueline.

Surprisingly, the team was able to create some pretty decent chances, particularly with the second unit on the ice, but Markstrom was up for the task, holding onto his team’s one-goal lead and preventing Edler from scoring his first of the season.

To make matters worse, the Flames were rewarded a four-minute powerplay at the end of the game, thanks to simultaneous elbowing and unsportsmanlike penalties from Jimmy Vesey. It only took them 38 seconds to find the back of the net, adding even more salt to the wound of the few Canucks’ fans that hadn’t turned the TV off at that point.

The Canucks haven’t scored a powerplay tally since April 29th and, given the current state of their special teams, it wouldn’t be surprising if their goalless streak extended for the remainder of the season.

Other notes:

• Matthew Highmore scored his first goal as a Canuck, tipping Travis Hamonic’s wrist shot past Markstrom just over a minute into the opening frame. Highmore continues to play up in the roster, this time slotting alongside Boeser and Miller on the top line. He’s been one of the better Canucks’ forward as of late, bringing energy and grittiness to most of his shifts. With one year left on his current contract, Highmore should be a good addition to the bottom six forward group next season, with many fans hoping he could further model his game after Tyler Motte.
• The Canucks have lost eight of their past 10 games, falling to 28th in the league standings as a result. For those keeping tabs at home, the team can finish as high as 22nd, or as low as 29th by the end of the year. The Devils’ currently hold the 29th position, and have the same amount of points as the Canucks with 45. The kicker? The Devils have more regulation wins, which would bump them up a spot in the case of a tie-breaker. Again, just some information for those keeping tabs at home.
• Kole Lind sat out his third straight game on Thursday night, having last played on May 8th against Edmonton. Forwards Jonah Gadjovich and Will Lockwood, who were called up from Utica recently, will both have to wait a little longer to make their NHL debuts. Gadjovich has been taking part in the morning skates since Monday, and Lockwood is currently completing his mandatory seven-day quarantine.

The Canucks will wrap up their final road trip of the year with a matinee match-up against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Puck drop is at 12:30pm PST (yes, you read that right).

What were your thoughts on the team’s 4-1 loss to the Flames? Make sure to drop a comment below.