The Vancouver Canucks fell 4-3 to the New York Islanders.
The Vancouver Canucks fell on Monday as they lost 4-3 to the New York Islanders. Vancouver received goals from Max Sasson and Evander Kane in the first, while Drew O'Connor scored in the third period. As for Kevin Lankinen, he stopped 28 of the 32 shots in the loss.
The loss pushed the Canucks current losing streak to 11. Vancouver has yet to win a game in 2026 and has only picked up a total of two points since the calendar flipped. While losing is best for the tank, one could argue that the home fans do deserve to see a win once in a while.
For those wondering about history, the NHL Record book adds a layer of confusion. While the Canucks have never lost 11 games, their losing streak technically sits at eight games as two losses came in overtime. As for Vancouver's winless streak, that sits at 13, meaning the team needs to lose in any fashion two more times to tie the record.
Ultimately, this was arguably the Canucks best game of their 11-game losing streak. They fought hard all night, but once again could not come up with a goal late to tie the game. Post-game, Max Sasson was asked about how frustrating this losing streak has been
"Extremely," said Sasson. "I actually thought, you know, we deserved a better outcome tonight. You know, I thought, especially the first period, you know, play really well. Feels like we have some momentum, and then they score and, you know, we get down and just couldn't come back. But, yeah, that's something I think we're working on, is, you know, when things aren't going your way, like to be resilient."
Marcus Pettersson also spoke post-game, saying, "I think, you know, we're fighting hard. I think it's a tough goal, and it's easy when going through a losing streak to kind of find ways to lose. But I think we can't stop up before. I think our effort was their time tonight.
Most of the attention from this game will be focused on Head Coach Adam Foote, who was not happy post-game. Foote did not hide his frustration as he spoke about changes in culture that need to happen. One quote that stood out was Foote saying, "I've been watching this for too long to say like, we've got to stop burning ourselves by getting frustrated. We've got to stay with the plan. The plans working. It's our vets, and they've gotta hang in there."
While losses are good from a tank perspective, the growing frustration is not creating a good environment for the younger players. Foote's comments tonight, which can be read in full above, exposed a significant issue that needs to be addressed. With the focus now shifting to process rather than result, the team can't afford for bad habits to be instilled on the young players in the lineup.
Jan 19, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Liam Ohgren (92) stops and sprays snow toward New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn ImagesStats and Facts:
- David Kämpf records his first point of 2026
- Filip Hronek led all players in ice time at 28:01
- David Kämpf won seven of his nine faceoffs
- Vancouver's four wins in their first 21 home games is the lowest total in franchise history
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
2:49- VAN: Max Sasson (10) from Linus Karlsson and Nils Höglander
10:11- NYI: Anthony Duclair (10) from Tony DeAngelo and Matthew Schaefer
14:48- VAN: Evander Kane (8) from Elias Pettersson and David Kämpf
2nd Period:
14:34- NYI: Anthony Duclair (11) from Calum Ritchie and Mathew Barzal (PPG)
15:58- NYI: Ryan Pulock (2) from Matthew Schaefer and Jean-Gabriel Pageau
3rd Period:
10:15- NYI: Tony DeAngelo (3) from Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal
18:09- VAN: Drew O'Connor (11) from Filip Hronek
Up Next:
The Canucks continue their road trip on Wednesday against the Washington Capitals. This could be the last time Alex Ovechkin plays at Rogers Arena, as he is a free agent at the end of the season. Game time is set for 7:00 pm PT.
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