The Vancouver Canucks have had some bad losses lately but none was worse than last night’s 6-2 drubbing at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.
The game was supposed to be an exciting one. Two division rivals, who faced-off in last year’s playoffs, going head-to-head after an emotional battle last week which saw two suspensions given for actions at the end of the game.
It was supposed to be an exciting game but in reality it was not. The Canucks came out extremely flat, the Oilers had energy, and the result was decided by the end of the first period. The Oilers led 3-0 after twenty minutes and never looked back.
“We gave them a couple of free goals and then you’re trying to chase the game. You can’t do that, against this team or any team,” said head coach Rick Tocchet postgame.
“We’ve been doing that lately…you can’t give teams freebies and we’re giving them.”
Even when the Canucks finally got on the scoreboard, self-inflicted errors prevented them from making a full comeback. They took multiple penalties, giving the Oilers four power-plays on the night.
“We’ve got to correct some stuff. It’s on myself to correct this. You just cannot give people freebies and you can’t take penalties. It makes no sense to me right now, it really doesn’t.”
The overall effort was lacking and that’s disappointing to see in a game where there were no excuses to not have it from the opening whistle. Just a few days ago Tocchet called their most recent performance “disappointing” but that didn’t seem to do anything to motivate the team.
“I thought some guys were trying tonight but we just didn’t have enough…It’s the responsibility of every individual to bring something and I think we’re not getting enough of that right now so it’s my job to get some of these guys to bring it.”
The game went from bad to worse for the Canucks as they not only lost, but winger Kiefer Sherwood also excited with an apparent injury. There was no update on the winger’s status after the game.
The Canucks don’t get an easy matchup to get their mojo back. They face the NHL-leading Washington Capitals on Saturday night in what’s sure to be a tough contest.
“This business you have to bring energy. I felt some guys did not have energy tonight for whatever reason. They look exhausted, five or six guys. We’re going to have to get some rest and we’ve got a big game against Washington. That’s a must-win.”
They’ll need to play a lot better than last night to eek out a victory.