VANCOUVER — “We, like followers, as those who watch the sport, are going: ‘Why the hell don’t they begin higher?’ We might like to know the reply. I simply reiterated it immediately and it’s one thing that it’s a must to remind the blokes. . . nearly every day, ‘Let’s be prepared on the drop of the primary puck.’”
Bruce Boudreau’s phrases had been barely out of the Vancouver Canuck coach’s mouth when his staff was outshot 13-1 Sunday evening within the first 7 ½ minutes towards the Tampa Bay Lightning. By that time, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions had scored twice – one objective for every level they collected in a 2-1 win at Rogers Area.
Sunday was the in the future a yr – after clocks are moved ahead an hour for daylight financial savings time – when it’s nearly OK to be late for one thing. However the Canucks way back burned by means of their late-for-work passes.
They’ve misplaced solely 9 occasions in regulation in 35 video games since Boudreau took over as coach three months in the past. Their 21-9-5 report is exceptional. But additionally shocking, contemplating these are Nationwide Hockey League professionals and all, in 5 of these 9 losses the Canucks have been outscored by a complete of 15-0 by completely different levels of the primary interval.
Their tardiness Sunday was once more perplexing and unsurvivable towards a Lightning staff that had misplaced three straight video games on its Western Canadian tour and was determined to keep away from the champions’ first four-game dive in 25 months.
“There’s nothing extra you are able to do apart from warn them, present them, inform them,” Boudreau stated after the sport, having warned his gamers after the morning in regards to the perils of one other poor begin. “After which as a substitute, the opposite staff got here out tougher for the primary 10 minutes. I believe that they had 14 photographs within the first 10 minutes after which I believed that we lastly stated, ‘OK, let’s get up.’
“Typically whenever you’re taking part in Stanley Cup champions and so they’ve bought a 2-0 lead, they’re simply not going to relinquish it.”
Not when you’ve one of the best goalie on the planet, Andrei Vasilveskiy, in his Vezina Trophy type within the Tampa web.
Within the last 52 minutes, the Canucks outshot the Lightning 35-18 however solely J.T. Miller managed to get a shot that counted previous the Russian goalie. And solely then, at 5:54 of the third interval, as a result of Tampa defenceman Erik Cernak eased up on what he thought could be an icing name, permitting Conor Garland to centre to Miller.
“We do not ever really feel like we’re out of it,” Garland stated. “However we simply talked in there; we simply must have higher begins. That is what’s killing us proper now. If we will simply have an excellent begin and play like we did within the second and third, we will win numerous hockey video games.
“One thing’s bought to alter. You already know, when you’re not taking part in effectively initially of video games, change one thing in your routine and prepare a distinct approach as a result of these video games are too essential for us to not begin on time.”
The Canucks have displayed numerous flaws this season, albeit primarily within the first two months of the marketing campaign once they staggered to a 6-14-2 opening quarter. However one constant failure has been their incapacity to attain first-period targets, a class wherein Vancouver is tied for twenty ninth within the NHL with 40 targets in 60 video games. They’ve scored 27 first-period targets in Boudreau’s 35 video games.
They’ve overcome this deficiency on nice goaltending, stable defending and being resilient.
However they trailed 2-0 towards the Lightning by the point the sport was barely 5 minutes previous.
Victor Hedman was unchecked on the prime of the Vancouver crease to faucet in Patrick Maroon’s reversal from behind the online 3:26 after the opening faceoff, and Travis Hamonic’s turnover alongside the boards towards Corey Perry left Ross Colton huge open within the slot to make it 2-0 at 5:06.
“It is clearly not an excellent begin, particularly understanding how hungry they had been going to be,” Garland stated. “They’d misplaced three straight, so undoubtedly an enormous recreation for them as effectively. To not come out the best way we should always was disappointing.”
It seemed like Garland had snatched a tying objective for the Canucks at 7:58 of the ultimate interval when he poked in a puck that Vasilevskiy left uncovered beside his submit after a save on Tanner Pearson. However veteran referee Ian Walsh had whistled play lifeless.
Three minutes later, Walsh and Garrett Rank rescinded a Canuck energy play by reversing a high-sticking name towards Lightning defenceman Jan Rutta, who was judged upon video evaluate to have caught Tyler Motte within the face on a follow-through.
Howls of protest from the group of 18,760 adopted each performs.
The Canucks had been robbed alright. They had been robbed of a practical likelihood of successful by sputtering by means of the primary eight minutes and bestowing a two-goal head begin to a formidable staff that is aware of the way to win.
• Canucks star Elias Pettersson, who had 18 factors in his earlier 13 video games, didn’t play attributable to what Boudreau stated is an upper-body damage that can maintain the centre out day-to-day. Pettersson missed most of final season, and struggled the primary three months of this one, after hyper-extending his wrist final March 1. . . Miller’s objective prolonged his factors streak to 12 video games, three shy of the franchise report final reached by Todd Bertuzzi in 2002. . . The Canucks attain the mid-point of their seven-game homestand Tuesday towards the New Jersey Devils.
