VANCOUVER — For those who missed the Canucks’ Sunday afternoon matchup with the New Jersey Devils, Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin offered up a pretty succinct synopsis.
It was “almost like watching paint dry there for a bit,” he said after the game, which the Canucks lost 2–1 in overtime. “Nothing happened.”
“Nothing” is an exaggeration, of course, but the game provided little in the way of excitement, with both teams combining for only 44 total shots through three periods and just over one minute of overtime before Taylor Hall ended the game on a two-man rush.
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It was Vancouver’s third overtime loss in a row, and whether or not the team ought to be pleased or a little distressed depends entirely on perspective. The Canucks have now lost four straight coming off a six-game win streak, but framed more charitably, they’ve picked up points in nine of their last 10 games.
Sedin, who earned an assist on Loui Eriksson’s goal in the second period—taking him just two points shy of 1,000 career NHL points—remained positive about his team staying in the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Canucks currently sit two points back of the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card spot in the West.
“This one I felt we maybe should’ve had, but again they had a puck in the net that was called back,” Sedin said, referring to what would have been Blake Coleman’s first career NHL goal had it not been waved off following a successful Canucks challenge for offside.
“If you would’ve said that we would be in this spot a few weeks before Christmas, we would’ve taken it,” Sedin added. “So we move on, and we prepare for next game.”
Brandon Sutter likewise refused to dwell on the loss—“They’re big points still,” he said—though he also acknowledged that the team would need to figure out a way to win.
Entering the matchup with New Jersey, the Canucks’ win percentage in one-goal games ranked fourth in the NHL—down from second last week—but their performance in games decided by more than one goal continues to be cause for concern.
|
Win% 1 Goal Game |
Win% 2 Goal Game |
Win% 3 Goal Game |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 0.706 | 0.500 | 0.571 |
| Calgary Flames | 0.688 | 0.286 | 0.500 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 0.632 | 0.700 | 0.769 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 0.619 | 0.273 | 0.333 |
| St. Louis Blues | 0.611 | 0.333 | 0.500 |
Taking into account today’s game, the Canucks’ win percentage in one-goal games is now at .591—closer to the number you’d expect for a team winning just 30 per cent of games decided by two goals or more.
On a more positive note, Jacob Markstrom performed well in goal despite the loss. The 26-year-old remains below .500 but, like his teammates, he saw positives in the dropped game.
“I thought I saw the puck really well and I thought we played a really good, structured game,” Markstrom said. “We didn’t give them much and they didn’t give us. It was a tough game with traps in the neutral zone, and teams didn’t want to give up any scoring chances. Defensively it was a good game, both ends.”
While the Canucks have managed to pick up points in their last three games, the team’s power play continues to struggle. Entering Sunday’s game, the team ranked 27th in the league in power play percentage at 13.8 per cent. Meanwhile, the Devils ranked 10th in penalty kill percentage (83.0 per cent)—increasing to third in the league on the road, where they kill off penalties 88.6 per cent of the time.
“We had a tough time coming into their end,” Sedin said. “Tonight it wasn’t good enough.”
Bench boss Willie Desjardins insisted he would continue to stick with the status quo, at least for the next three games.
“It’s a pretty good unit,” Desjardins said. “I think those guys can score. I believe in them.”
Desjardins, too, remained relatively upbeat despite the losing streak. “Last night I was tired, and I expected our players to be tired as well,” he said. “Always good to get a point out of that one—could’ve come out with nothing.”
“None of those guys are happy with the way it’s going,” he said of the power play—the Canucks registered just four shots across their first two chances on the man advantage, with none in their third. “But they’re our best group,” he added.
The Canucks now sport a record of 15-6-3 at home. Their goal differential at Rogers Arena fell to an even 0. Factoring in road games, it sits at an ugly minus-19.
Still, the 15 points they’ve earned in their last 10 games have been enough to keep them within reach of a playoff spot, and given the randomness of overtime, they could easily have earned a point or two more over their last three games.
As Sedin put it: “We stayed patient and took it to overtime. Once you’re there, it’s like rock-paper-scissors who wins.”
