Canucks: A deeper dive into the 6-2 loss to the Calgary Flames

As expected, the third period didn’t have too much excitement, as the Flames shut everything down to wrap up their final frame of the season. The Canucks had a bit more jump in their step, but, by then, it was too late.

As we’ve seen before this season, the team was bitten by their poor play in the first 40 minutes, with too many players struggling at all ends of the ice.

Holtby gave up rebound after rebound, and the Flames took full advantage of his poor positioning between the pipes. The defensive unit continuously turned the puck over in both the neutral zone and in their own end, and were out-battled on the forecheck on most occasions. Up front, the forwards were unable to maintain consistent pressure in the offensive zone, only throwing a measly 21 shots on net as a result.

The team will travel back to Vancouver with a final record of 23-29-4 on the season. With the loss, the Canucks stayed 24th in the league standings, and currently hold the 9th-best odds at first overall pick for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

Of course, most of the mistakes from last night’s loss, as well as for the last few weeks of the season, can be chalked up to physical and mental exhaustion, and rightfully so given the uphill battle this team has had to climb over the past month. But there are still a lot of questions that need to be addressed going into the offseason.

• What can we expect from some of the younger stars moving forward, like Kole Lind and Jonah Gadjovich? Or some of the more “seasoned” rookies like Olli Juolevi and Jalen Chatfield?
• Will Alex Edler return to the roster next year, or was this the last time we’ll see him in a Canucks uniform?
• Will Travis Green, Ian Clark and the rest of the coaching staff be renewed, or should fans prepare themselves for new bench bosses in Vancouver?
• Can the team clean up their basic fundamentals that are needed to compete on a nightly basis, or should fans be expecting another dismal season similar to this one?

Management and ownership will want to take time to address these questions, especially with so much uncertainty surrounding the franchise right now, but that’s not a luxury that they can afford anymore.

This fanbase has already been waiting for seven years, and all signs are pointing towards their patience officially having run out.

What were your thoughts on the final game of the 2020-21 season? Make sure to drop a comment below!