It is wrong to overreact after the first game of the season. However, some fans do it anyway. It looked like the Vancouver Canucks were on their way to another big opening-night win. However, they let the Calgary Flames get back in the game. After leading 4-1 after one period, they lost 6-5. Sure, it is only the first game out of 82 but it is unacceptable to blow a lead of that margin. But again, it’s the first game. We are not going to overreact to Wednesday’s loss but of course, there are concerns. The opening night loss to the Flames had the Canucks problems exposed.
Vancouver’s Loss Exposes Some Team Problems
Arturs Silovs and the Trouble with Long Shots
With Thatcher Demko out with his popliteus problem, Arturs Silovs and newcomer Kevin Lankinen are in charge of the crease. It was Silovs who was in net against the Flames. Starting the season without their star goaltender was going to be tough. Silovs displayed heroics in last year’s playoffs, but there were some concerns heading into the season. The Latvian goaltender had trouble stopping shots from distance. It was seen in the preseason and after game one of the regular season, it is a concern. As seen on MacKenzie Weegar’s goal that tied the game, Silovs could have done better, especially since there was no screen.
Silovs also reacted way too late on the third goal from Martin Pospisil. Again, there was no screen.
It is important to remember that Silovs is still 23 and has time to grow. Throughout the season, he will need to work on stopping shots from distance with Canucks goalie coach Marko Torenius.
The Defence Looked Sloppy
The loss to Calgary saw the Canucks problems exposed on defence. After the first period, the Canucks were letting the Flames into the defensive zone with ease. Calgary was taking a lot more chances on Silovs. There was also a ton of giveaways and passes that went nowhere. Sloppiness was all around. It seemed that the Canucks defence couldn’t keep up after the first period. The first pairing of Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek had good moments. But other than them, the defence got uglier as the game went on.
Derek Forbort and Vincent Desharnais were both signed in the offseason for their size and physicality. However, there were concerns before the season because of their lack of mobility. That turned out to be the case on Wednesday night. It would be wrong to pinpoint the defensive lapses on one player as the defence as a whole was a problem. According to NaturalStatTrick, Hughes and Hronek were on the ice for a combined 18 shots against the Flames. Forbort and Tyler Myers were on the ice for 7 each.
Vancouver head coach Rick Tocchet wasn’t happy with the defending and the play on the puck but is confident his team will get better in those areas. “It was a loose game, we’ll learn,” he said after practice on Thursday per Patrick Johnston of The Vancouver Sun. Tocchet, being the big preacher of defensive structure, even admitted he could’ve done better on opening night. “A little bit’s on me,” he said. “I’ve been preaching transition. I’ve been preaching all this other stuff. But we’ve still got to do the meat and potatoes without the puck.”
Offence Dries up Late
The offence was flying in the first period. Brock Boeser scored two goals and Conor Garland and Daniel Sprong got on the board. But after managing 15 shots in the first period, Vancouver only managed 10 for the rest of the game, including none in overtime.
The Canucks took their foot off the gas and it cost them. It cannot happen. J.T. Miller ended up scoring the game-tying goal but the Canucks needed another one of their stars to step up. Unfortunately, Pettersson only managed one assist on the night. He needed to step up.
But like in the playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers, the Canucks offence dried up at the worst possible time. Thankfully, it was only game one out of 82.
Up Next for Vancouver
The Canucks welcome the Philadelphia Flyers to Rogers Arena on Friday night. Philly, they work their a**es off, so we got to match that effort.” said Tocchet. There is plenty of time to learn and grow and hopefully get better.
