Canucks Wrap Up Home-Stand With 3-2 Loss To The Golden Knights

The Vancouver Canucks battled, but they didn’t quite get their desired result, as they suffered a 3–2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in the second-half of their weekend back-to-back. Paul Cotter and Jonathan Lekkerimäki were the two Canucks that found the back of the net, while Kevin Lankinen stopped 25 of 28 shots faced. 

The first period was all about special teams. Vancouver made a slight change to their first-unit power play personnel tonight, subbing Cotter into the spot previously occupied by Drew O’Connor. 

While Vancouver established some early momentum on the power play after Elias Pettersson drew a slashing call on Vegas captain Mark Stone, two back-to-back penalties taken by Jamie Oleksiak and Aatu Räty gave the Golden Knights an early offensive advantage, allowing them to establish a stronger presence in Vancouver’s zone by the time both penalties were over. 

This continuous O-zone presence nearly gave Vegas the game-opening goal after the puck bounced around Lankinen before landing on top of Vancouver’s net. Though it was close, Zeev Buium managed to bat the puck away before Vegas could capitalize on the chance, allowing his team to re-set in their own zone. 

When Vancouver did exit their zone, however, they made it count. Lekkerimäki and Arshdeep Bains, sent up-ice by Max Sasson, put together a strong rush-chance that ultimately drew a hooking call on Tomáš Hertl, sending the Canucks to the power play for the second time this period. It was none-other than Mr. 300th-Game himself that scored on the man-advantage, tapping-in a shot from Filip Hronek.  

Vancouver’s penalty kill deserves some credit in tonight’s game, with some of their units featuring forward pairings of Bains and Cotter, Pettersson and Liam Öhgren, and Sasson and O’Connor, combining for an 80% success rate through around five PKs throughout the game. This included two 2-on-1 chances shorthanded for Sasson and O’Connor, during which they provided dangerous chances but weren’t quite able to score. 

Having said that, the fact that Vancouver ended up on the penalty kill so often did ultimately cost Vancouver their initial lead. With Vegas scoring their first goal of the game at 5-on-5 off a play by Mitch Marner, Tom Willander’s tripping penalty gave the Golden Knights their fourth opportunity on the man-advantage. 

One potentially worrisome moment saw Willander end up on the receiving end of a big hit by Vegas defenceman Brayden McNabb during the second period. The defenceman was slow to get up after the hit and immediately went to the Canucks’ dressing room, not returning for the remainder of the period. By the time the third period started, however, Willander returned to play.  

Much like how they have in the past couple of games, after a couple of periods that resulted in Vancouver trailing, the Canucks switched up a couple of their lines. Öhgren was moved up to Pettersson and Linus Karlsson’s line, with Marco Rossi taking his spot alongside Cotter and Brock Boeser. O’Connor joined Sasson and Bains, while Lekkerimäki skated with Räty and Brendan Gallagher. 

Despite their strong numbers in third periods throughout the 2026–27 season thus far, the Canucks were ultimately not able to pull off their same miraculous comebacks. Vegas battled back against the Canucks to retain their 3–2 lead by the end of the game. 

At the end of the day, there was a clear skill gap between the Canucks and Golden Knights. That said, Vancouver was still able to put up a fair effort in the second-half of a back-to-back against a team that went to the Stanley Cup Final the year before. 

1st Period: 

18:52 - VAN: Paul Cotter (4) from Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek (PPG) 

2nd Period: 

9:01 - VGK: Mitch Marner (1) from Brayden McNabb 

14:30 - VGK: Victor Olofsson (2) Mark Stone and Jack Eichel (PPG) 

17:54 - VAN: Jonathan Lekkerimäki (2) from Linus Karlsson and Luke Schenn 

18:28 - VGK: Marc Gatcomb (1) from Braeden Bowman and Nic Dowd 

3rd Period: 

No Scoring. 

Up Next: 

Thursday, October 8 @ Carolina Hurricanes

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site: 

Lineup Notes: Lankinen Expected To Return As Canucks Wrap Up Back-To-Back Against The Golden Knights

Vancouver Canucks Gameday Preview #4: The Toughest Test Of The Early Season In The Vegas Golden Knights

Elias Pettersson Reaches Eighth All-Time In Assists By A Canuck

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.