Despite taking an early 1-0 lead in front of the home crowd at Rogers Arena on Thursday night, the Vancouver Canucks ended up getting blasted by the New York Islanders 5-2, continuing to be NHL's worst team at home this season.
The Canucks are now 2-3-3 at home this season, which ties them with the Islanders (2-3-2) and the Chicago Blackhawks (2-4-0) for the fewest wins at home. One stat that really stands out is that the Canucks have allowed 34 goals at home, the third-most in the NHL. The Buffalo Sabres (36) and the Colorado Avalanche (45) have each allowed more, but they have scored 41 and 37 goals, respectively, while the Canucks have scored only 22.
Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet has recognized that the Canucks are a disaster waiting to happen at home and has apologized to the loyal fans. Also, don't be mad at the players for the rough patch. Tocchet wants you to be mad at him.
"Don't ask about individual players tonight, okay? No offense. I apologize to the fans. We're not playing good enough at home, and that's on me," Tocchet said to start his postgame press conference. "Guys played light tonight. I thought we were ready to go. We weren't. That's on me. I got to get this team to play harder in the first period. . . I give the Islanders credit. We played a well-coached team tonight. Patrick (Roy) out-coached me tonight."
Rick Tocchet takes full accountability for struggling Canucks
Those are strong but honorable words from Tocchet, who took full accountability for another tough loss on home ice. His Canucks started off well, taking a 1-0 lead just under three minutes into the contest. Then, the Islanders went on to score five goals unanswered before defenseman Tyler Myers scored a consolation goal with under two minutes left on the clock.
"It's a frustrating situation because... what is it? Two, three, four, five hundred bucks a ticket? And we're throwing some dudes out there," Tocchet added. "I apologize to the fans again. We got to correct this."
Tocchet is right, and the team had better adjust quick, as the Canucks have home dates with the Blackhawks and Nashville Predators on Saturday and Sunday, as well as a tough matchup with the New York Rangers on Tuesday. It would be an even greater disappointment if the Canucks lost to the former two, given their struggles this season.
Maybe the losses of Brock Boeser and Derek Forbort have played a part in changing the team dynamic, but it's no excuse. The Canucks were one game from being Western Conference finalists last season, even without Thatcher Demko. It's time the Canucks show their faithful fans what they are made of, one way or another.