The Canucks fell 5-1 to the Kings on Thursday night.
The Vancouver Canucks (38-17-7) finished up their three-game home stand with a 5-1 loss to the L.A. Kings (30-19-10). With the loss, Vancouver has now dropped six of their last seven games, collecting three points during that time. This was just the sixth regulation loss by the Canucks this season and the second time they have allowed 5+ at Rogers Arena.
This was a frustrating game from Vancouver's perspective. While they did have zone possession time, they could not get pucks on the net, as evidenced by the Kings' 21 shot blocks. Overall, the effort just wasn't good enough tonight, as the Canucks ended February with a record of 5-6-1.
Quotes
Quinn Hughes on the team's recent performances:
"I don't know if it's low, just more a little bit of a frustration. I mean, it's a part of it. Every team in the league goes through it, and part of being an NHL hockey player is dealing with different emotions, and we're gonna have to do that."
Ian Cole on the opposition stepping up their game when playing the Canucks:
"Yeah, I mean, yes, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be ready for it or expect it right. I think we have just as much to fight for as anybody. You know, we want to try to secure home ice, you want to get as high of a seed as we can and want to win games. You want to go into playoffs playing well, not struggling to find our game. So you look at it with that lens, there should be no reason why teams are more engaged or whatever you want to call it."
Rick Tocchet on the team's performance against the Kings:
"Well, I don't think we gave them a lot, but what we gave them was egregious. A couple of egregious things. You look at the goals, and just, you know, we're all in pushing the chips, and so we gotta crack. We have a day off, so some guys need it. Got to recharge, and we just got to get our mind right."
Rick Tocchet on the Kings' ability to slow down the game:
"Well, you have to win some battles. The first period, you know, they were coming out with the puck. We were late on chip-ins or even on rush plays. We weren't really fast to those areas. To me, it's just a will to get there quicker than them, especially early. They kind of bottle things up and play their style. Sometimes you have to do that, you know, they're not gonna let you do some things, and you're gonna have to do a couple little things differently. Earlier, the D didn't shoot the puck when they should have right away. We were D to D and then reset it. It was a combination of a lot of things. Forward didn't come up with loose pucks. And like I said, I don't think we gave them much; it's just a matter of fact that what we gave them was egregious."
Facts and Stats
- Brock Boeser scores on the power play for the third straight game
- J.T. Miller extends his point streak to six games
- The Canucks score a power play goal in three straight home games for the third time this season
- Vancouver records 30+ hits for the 12th time this season
Scoring Summary
1st Period
L.A.: 13:19- Drew Doughty (14th) from Kevin Fiala and Trevor Moore
2nd Period
L.A.: 5:15- Anže Kopitar (18th) from Quinton Byfield and Drew Doughty
3rd Period
VAN: Brock Boeser (35th) from J.T. Miller and Pius Suter (PPG)
L.A.: Kevin Fiala (18th) from Anže Kopitar and Drew Doughty (PPG)
LA: Brandt Clarke (2nd) from Quinton Byfield and Trevor Moore
LA: Trevor Moore (23rd) from Kevin Fiala
Canucks Next Opponent
The Canucks now hit the road for three straight against Pacific Division opponents. They start the trip in Anaheim, where they will face a Ducks team that has also gone 4-5-1 in their last ten. Game time from the Honda Center is set for Sunday at 5:00 PM PT.
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