Vancouver Canucks Clearly Need to Start Playing a Full 60-Minute Game – Hockey Writers – Vancouver Canucks

We are two games into the NHL season and the Vancouver Canucks have yet to win a game. This means that Canucks fans are starting to panic and are getting ready to hit the panic button. You shouldn't, not yet.

The Canucks are fresh off of Friday night's home loss to the Philadelphia Flyers where the team played a solid game and got a really good performance from their rookie goaltender Kevin Lankinen. However, the theme resurfaced in their game against the Flyers, which was also a big factor in their opening night loss to the Calgary Flames. If this theme continues, Vancouver could be in big trouble.

Canucks Let Flyers and Flames Stay in Game

The Canucks got off to a good start against the Flyers. In the first half, Nils Hoglander scored to go up 1-0 12 minutes into the game. Although the Canucks started well, this should have been their third goal of the game as Jake DeBrusk missed a good power play opportunity in the first five minutes of the game and Brock Boeser was also robbed on the next power play.

Those were two big chances that could have given the Canucks a 3-0 lead early in the game. Tyson Foerster scored after Hoglander's game-tying goal before the end of the period. In the second half, Derek Forbort found Teddy Bluger to restore Vancouver's lead. The Canucks had many opportunities after that goal to get a big lead but couldn't get in. Cam York scored early in the third to tie the game and after that goal, the Flyers held on for most of the final frame until overtime. After that, you get more time and a shot that is always a coin.

The problem for the Canucks is that the game should not even have reached overtime because they should have used the opportunities early to give them a better chance to win the game according to the rules.

The same thing happened on opening night for the Flames. Vancouver scored four goals in the first half to go up 4-1 after the first half. However, when the Canucks finished the first half, they took their foot off the gas and started playing defense instead of trying to score another goal to secure the victory. If Vancouver had kept the pressure on Calgary and had a 5-1 or 6-1 lead, the game would have been over by the second half. Instead, they hung around for the remaining 40 minutes and gave Calgary a chance to get back into the game, which they did.

The Flames started to come back with a goal by Rasmus Andersson late in the second period and scored three unanswered goals in the third period to fall 5-4. Luckily, JT Miller scored to send the game into overtime but he shouldn't have scored because the Canucks shouldn't have been in that position. Once again, their game went to overtime and Connor Zary scored a spectacular goal to win the game for Calgary and send the Canucks fans home with their heads down.

How Can the Canucks Fix This?

This is an easy adjustment for Vancouver as it is only the second game of the season. What the team needs to do is to find a way to use the opportunities given to them in the next game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. The team had no problem creating offense in the offensive zone and although they were unable to score on the power play opportunities they were given against the Flyers, they had several good looks that they were unable to put in place. the net. This is where the problem comes from. In the modern NHL, we see teams come back from three-goal leads all the time.

Related: Vancouver Canucks Sign Nils Hoglander to 3-year extension

The Canucks should never press the panic button, but the last two games have been cause for concern. In their next game against Tampa Bay, the Canucks should focus on converting their open chances because they missed several in the previous games and it cost them.