Canucks Collapse After The First Period, Fall 6-1 To The Stars

The Vancouver Canucks lost for the 35th time this season as they fell 6-1 on Monday to the Dallas Stars. Evander Kane scored the only goal while Nikita Tolopilo stopped 31 of the 37 shots he faced. With the defeat, Vancouver has now lost six games in a row and have just two win in their last 22 games. 

After a balanced first period, the Stars took over and completely controlled play through the final 40 minutes. The Canucks registred just seven shots in the second, finishing with 14 on the net. For comparisson, Dallas recorded more shots in both the second and the third periods, as they finished with 15 and 16 in those periods. 

Vancouver's lack of really anything in the final 40 minutes was concerning, especially considering that the Stars were missing both Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen. While the Canucks were not favoured in this game, some form of effort was at least expected, especially in front of the home crowd. Unfortunatly, it was another in a long line of nights this season where Vancouver just could not find any form of momentum. 

The only positive to come out of this game was the play of Tolopilo. While the rookie goaltender did allow six goals, he came up with some massive saves in this one. In the end, if not for the play of Tolopilo, this game could have turned into an even bigger blowout. 

"Ultimately, I mean, I thought we had a decent start, said Marcus Pettersson post-game. "Power play was clicking in the first and gave us some life. And then, you know, they started coming after us in the second. I thought we started, stolen pucks a little bit everywhere, and not helping each other get get out of our zone, and that allowed them to kind of get back at us. And then, I mean, we left Tolo out to dry today."

While tanking is the goal at this point of the season, the fans at Rogers Arena deserve to at least see a better effort on a nightly basis. The Canucks esentially gave up after te first period, which once again led to fans exiting early and empty seats scatter around the arena when the final horn blew. Something needs to change in Vancouver, and quickly as the effort this team has put forth, especially since returning from the Olympic break has made games virtually unwatchable. 

- Canucks record a season-low with 14 shots on net

- Marcus Pettersson led all players in ice time at 23:43

- Defenceman Elias Pettersson led the team with three hits

- Vancouver has just two wins in 21 games since the calander flipped to 2026

1st Period:

7:57- VAN: Evander Kane (11) from Jake DeBrusk and Marcus Pettersson
17:40- DAL: Adam Erne (4) from Colin Blackwell and Lian Bichsel

2nd Period:

8:31- DAL: Lian Bichsel (2) from Ilya Lyubushkin and Sam Steel
9:41- DAL: Jason Robertson (34) from Matt Duchene and Miro Heiskanen (PPG)

3rd Period:

1:32- DAL: Matt Duchene (12) from Sam Steel and Miro Heiskanen
5:40- DAL: Colin Blackwell (3)
15:39- DAL: Lian Bichsel (3) from Mavrik Bourque (13), Jason Robertson

The Canucks wrap up their mini two-game homestand on Wednesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Wednesday will also be the final game before the 2026 trade deadline. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT from Rogers Arena. 

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