It was déjà vu for Vancouver Canucks fans at Rogers Arena on Saturday night.
Except this time, the final score was much, much worse.
The Canucks entered the third period trailing by one but looking dangerous. Unfortunately they allowed four unanswered goals and lost 7-3 to the Edmonton Oilers.
Up until the third period, the much-anticipated rematch against the Oilers played out much like Game 7 last spring.
The Oilers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second period, much like they did on May 20th, 2024. Goals from Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek (who last scored in Game 7 against the Oilers) pulled the Canucks within one.
Vancouver looked like they had the momentum entering the third. Then, Tyler Myers took a tripping penalty 45 seconds into the period.
The Oilers didn’t score on that power play, but they seemingly didn’t give the puck back until they were up by five goals.
Connor Brown scores his second of the period to make it 7-2 Oilers, and Kevin Lankinen’s night is over 😳 pic.twitter.com/HXMcuMeByg
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 10, 2024
Pius Suter got one back with a power play goal in the final minute, but by that point it was far too late.
Much like last spring, the Canucks had threatening moments but ended up with a paltry shot total. They also struggled against the Oilers mighty power play and gave up goals to Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
If there’s any solace for Canucks fans in this one, it’s that the regular season doesn’t mean all that much. The Canucks swept the regular season series against the Oilers last season, before bowing out against them in the playoffs.
Surely the Canucks would give up a couple of regular season losses to the Oilers if the trade-off was a playoff series victory over their division rivals.
Home Ice Nightmares for Canucks
Last season, the Canucks had the fourth-best home ice record in the NHL.
Right now, that feels like 10 seasons ago.
The Canucks have just one win in six games (1-2-3) so far this season at Rogers Arena. They have a minus -11 goal differential in those six games.
That ghastly goal differential is largely due to the 6-0 drubbing at the hands of the New Jersey Devils, and tonight’s tough loss to the Oilers.
Thankfully, the Canucks have been buoyed by their sparkling road record. They are 6-1-0 on the road with a +11 goal differential.
That’s the good news. The bad news? Tonight was the start of a six-game homestand for the Canucks.
More to come…