VANCOUVER — On a night when the Vancouver Canucks hoped to gain ground in the NHL standings some old habits crept back into their game and tripped them up.
The Canucks gave up two goals on the first three shots of the game, trailed 5-0 early in the second period and struggled on special teams in a 7-4 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
Vancouver (23-22-6) mathematically remains in the playoff hunt but sits seven points back of Los Angeles for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. To close that gap, the Canucks need about 43 points in their final 31 games.
Against Anaheim, Vancouver faced a team that was winless in four games and just three points ahead of them in the standings.
“I think it’s pretty obvious that Anaheim was way more of a desperate team and they knew what was at stake,” said Vancouver coach Bruce Boudreau. “They came out to avenge their four-game losing streak and we were just thinking it was an ordinary game.
“We all knew the importance of this game. We want to stay with the pack. To come out without that sense of urgency was bothersome.”
Adam Henrique and Nicolas Deslauriers scored two goals each for the Ducks (24-19-9), who trail L.A. by just two points.
Troy Terry had a goal and an assist, while Richard Rakell and Sam Steel also scored for the Ducks, who were 0-3-1 in their previous four games. Trevor Zegras collected three assists.
Elias Pettersson had a goal and two assists for the Canucks who saw a two-game win streak end. Tanner Pearson, Quinn Hughes and Conor Garland all had a goal and an assist.
Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko allowed five goals on 14 shots before being replaced by Jaroslav Halak early in the second period. Halak finished with nine saves on 11 shots.
Anaheim goalie John Gibson stopped 16 shots and picked up an assist on the Ducks’ opening goal.
With COVID-19 seating restrictions lifted after two months the 18,910-seat Rogers Arena was about two-thirds full.
Captain Bo Horvat said the Canucks wanted to put on a show for the fans. Instead of high drama, the night quickly turned into a comedy.
“They scored those two quick goals on us and there was just no pushback from us,” said Horvat.
“I don’t want to use the word embarrassed but that just wasn’t good enough by us tonight against a team in our own division. It was a letdown for us tonight and we can’t have those, especially going forward if we’re going to make a push.”
The Canucks have managed just one winning streak of three or more games all season.
“We’re not playing our best hockey,” said Horvat. “For us to come out like that tonight, it was unacceptable.”
Deslauriers set the tone early for the Ducks.
Just 44 seconds into game he laid a big hit on Kyle Burroughs that sent the Canucks defenceman crashing into the boards. Burroughs left the ice favouring his shoulder and didn’t return.
“We didn’t start this road trip the way we wanted,” said Deslauriers. “We needed to step back and think of what brings us success.
“We needed to come out banging. We need to manage to play 60 minutes and we see the success from our forecheck.”
Anaheim head coach Dallas Eakins said there wasn’t anything fancy about his team's game.
“We were very direct to the net,” he said. “We wanted to be physical. We came out gunning. That’s all of them bonding together and making a real commitment to the team.”
Boudreau has seen some troubling trends with the Canucks.
Vancouver gave up five first-period goals in a home loss to the New York Islanders 10 days ago. The Canucks won their next two games against Toronto and San Jose but were outplayed badly at times.
“I do this graph and show them trends on the team,” said Boudreau. “We’ve tried to explain to them that we won the last two games, but we didn’t play great.
“We’re trending in the wrong direction. The habits they might have had earlier are creeping in. It is up to us to make sure that we correct that.”
Vancouver’s special teams have struggled all season, especially the penalty kill. Two of Anaheim’s first four goals came on the power play.
“It’s up to us to find that desire to want to kill a penalty, to make a difference for our team,” said Horvat. “Right now we’re just an inch off, whether it’s a blocked shot or a clear. We’ve got to figure that out.”
NOTES: Canucks forward Brock Boeser’s name has been mentioned in trade rumours involving New Jersey. … The Ducks were outscored 17-8 in their last three regulation losses against Edmonton, Calgary and Seattle. ... The Canucks were outshot 8-2 in the first period. … Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf missed his second consecutive game with a lower-back injury. … Vancouver has just one winning streak of three or more games all season. … Entering the game, Vancouver’s penalty kill was ranked worst in the league at 69.4 per cent
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2022
Jim Morris, The Canadian Press
