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Canucks: Three takeaways from wild 3-2 overtime loss to Anaheim Ducks

By Joshua Rey |
Nov 9, 2021; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Anaheim Ducks forward Nicolas Deslauriers (20) checks Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (40) in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2021; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Anaheim Ducks forward Nicolas Deslauriers (20) checks Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (40) in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
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The Vancouver Canucks were looking to close out their seven-game homestand and get two consecutive wins as they took on the Anaheim Ducks.

The Canucks did get a point but you obviously want two. Vancouver ends their seven-game homestand with a 2-4-1. That is five out of a possible 14 games which is not acceptable. That brings their record to 5-6-2 and they have only three regulation wins in 13 games.

Thatcher Demko got the night off and Jaroslav Halak got the start. Halak has yet to win a game this season and his record is now 0-2-1.

The Ducks extended their win streak to five games thanks to Troy Terry’s overtime winner. Terry had two points in the game which extended his point streak to 12 games.

It was a wild game but it was also a frustrating one. The Canucks outclassed the Ducks offensively and got plenty of good scoring chances especially with a fast-paced start in the first period. But they couldn’t get a goal until the third. More on that later.

“I loved the way we started the game,” said head coach Travis Green. “We were in the offensive zone right up to their goal. I thought we played a good 60 minutes tonight.”

Vancouver was unlucky and that showed on the second Ducks goal. It looked like JT Miller cleared the puck off the line but a few minutes later, Toronto decided to take a look at it. After the review, it showed the puck was clearly over the line.

The Canucks did play well but it doesn’t mean anything without the dub.

Here are three takeaways from a wild game.

Nov 9, 2021; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Bo Horvat (53), forward J.T. Miller (9), forward Elias Pettersson (40) and defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) celebrate Pettersson’s goal against the Anaheim Ducks in the third period at Rogers Arena. Ducks won 3-2 in Overtime. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2021; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Bo Horvat (53), forward J.T. Miller (9), forward Elias Pettersson (40) and defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) celebrate Pettersson’s goal against the Anaheim Ducks in the third period at Rogers Arena. Ducks won 3-2 in Overtime. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports /

John Gibson was hard to solve

It seems like John Gibson turns into a brick wall every time he plays against Vancouver.

He even made his NHL Debut in Vancouver. That was on April 7, 2014. The then 20-year-old made 18 saves for the shutout in a 3-0 win for Anaheim.

Fast forward to the present and Gibson was on top form.

He was making solid saves to keep the Ducks in the game. That is pretty much what Demko has done for the Canucks all season.

One of those was a great save off Bo Horvat who streaked down the ice and made a nice deke around the Anaheim defender.

Gibson’s record against the Canucks is now 11-2-1. Yeah, he loves playing against them.

He also played two breakaway saves in overtime on Miller and Horvat.

It seemed like no matter what the Canucks tried, Gibson was going to get the shutout. However, as we all know, that didn’t happen.

Late third-period comeback despite a terrible call

Before I get to the two goals, let’s vent on the officiating.

Halak was apparently called for tripping late in the third. However, it didn’t look like his skate hardly touched Ryan Getzlaf who looked like he would be a pretty good Olympic Diver or soccer player. The Vancouver Whitecaps are in the playoffs, maybe they could sign him so they can get lots of penalty kicks.

That was an atrocious call and one of the most baffling ones I have ever seen. The only thing worse than that call was Thomas Drance’s awful puns on Twitter.

The more you look at the replay, it looks like Halak’s skate didn’t touch Getzlaf at all and the Ducks captain decided to show make an early audition for Canada’s diving team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Fans on social media and (especially) the fans in the building were not happy with the call. The Rogers Arena crowd belted loud “ref you suck chants.”

In overtime, the Ducks had five (!) skaters on the ice and the refs pretended not to see it. They probably should have asked The Count from Sesame Street for help.

It was just an awful display of referring.

A few minutes before the bizarre penalty call on Halak, Miller got the Canucks on the board with a wrist shot that went through the screen and off Gibson’s pad. The play started with Quinn Hughes forcing a turnover which created more sustained pressure.

While the Canucks were killing Halak’s penalty, Elias Pettersson snapped one past Gibson. He now has goals in two straight games. Hopefully, he has awakened from a slumber and this continues.

Good on the Canucks for pushing in the final six minutes of the third and it was nice to see the contribution from the Lotto Line. When they get going, good things happen.

“We played a good game again,” said Miller. A good push. But we’re here for two points and not one. I guess you can take a lot of the good tonight.”

Nov 9, 2021; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Anaheim Ducks forward Adam Henrique (14) and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (22) check Vancouver Canucks forward Vasily Podkolzin (92) in the third period at Rogers Arena. Ducks won 3-2 in Overtime. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2021; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Anaheim Ducks forward Adam Henrique (14) and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (22) check Vancouver Canucks forward Vasily Podkolzin (92) in the third period at Rogers Arena. Ducks won 3-2 in Overtime. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports /

Special teams were a non-factor…again.

The power play came to life against the Dallas Stars.

However, they couldn’t convert against the Ducks.

The Canucks power play went 0/2 on Tuesday night. It wasn’t like they looked bad on those attempts. There were shots and plenty of puck movement. There could have been a bit more traffic in front of the net but they were doing things and right except beat Gibson.

The penalty kill continues to struggle. It did kill off three but got beat on the first one thanks to Cam Fowler.

The Canucks were caught watching the puck and chasing once again. It also doesn’t help they struggle in the face-off circle on the penalty kill night in and night out.

Coming into the game, the penalty kill was the worst in the NHL. With them killing three, they move up to 31st at 65%. That’s barely an improvement. The only team worse is the Winnipeg Jets with 63.9% on the penalty kill.

Other Notes

  • Vasily Podkolzin had another strong game. He led all Canucks at five-on five with 76.92% Corsi For according to NaturalStatTrick
  • Horvat had quite the night in the face-off circle as his percentage there was 70%.
  • Per Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet650, Green confirmed that Tyler Motte will travel with the team during the upcoming road trip and Travis Hamonic will not. Motte is still recovering from offseason neck surgery and Hamonic won’t join the team as they travel to the United States due to his vaccination status.

Next. Canucks: Vasily Podkolzin is having a decent rookie season. dark

The Canucks are back on the road as they take on the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. Puck drop is at 7:00 PM.

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