Vancouver Canucks' coach looking to eliminate 'lulls' early in NHL campaign

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen (32) prepares to stop Carolina Hurricanes' Jackson Blake (53) during second period NHL hockey action in Vancouver, B.C., Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Early in the NHL season, Rick Tocchet is still searching for one element from his Vancouver Canucks — consistency.

The head coach challenged his group to play a full 60-minute game Monday when they hosted the Carolina Hurricanes.

Instead, the Canucks fell behind 3-1 early in the second period and had to rally to level the game at 3-3 late in the third. Ultimately, Vancouver settled for a single point in the 4-3 overtime loss.

“You've just gotta stay focused on your task at hand. You can't have those lulls. I think sometimes we lose focus at a certain part of the game, and then the next line loses focus," Tocchet said.

"If somebody’s had a bad shift, I get it. Or maybe there are two bad shifts. We need that third shift to get back to what we're talking about. You can't pour gasoline on the fire. But we’ve had one regulation loss, so it's not horrible.”

Consistency is a factor the Canucks (4-1-3) need to address now, early in the season, before it hinders their spot in the standings, the coach said.

“If you're not playing well, you could lose three or four or five in a row if you're not careful," Tocchet cautioned.

Carolina outshot Vancouver 13-5 in the first period on Monday and took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

Captain Quinn Hughes admitted the Canucks were "a little bit on (their) heels" during the first 30 minutes, but said they had some looks and pushed in the second half of the game.

"We’re eight games in … and I think we've played some pretty good hockey for the most part," said Hughes, who scored to cut Vancouver's deficit to 3-2 midway through the third period.

"And we’ve just got to stay with the process, and just continue to do what we're doing."

Vancouver earned a reputation last season for clawing its way back in games, particularly in its first-round playoff series against the Predators.

Kevin Lankinen witnessed those comebacks from the Nashville bench as the Preds' backup goalie. Now a starter in Vancouver, the Finnish netminder said the Canucks shouldn't ever be counted out.

“I think with this team, anything is possible, especially in (Rogers Arena)," Lankinen said. "I feel like when we get the crowd on our side, it's a really tough building to play in as an opposing team. And tonight we showed that we gained some momentum in the third.

"We’ve got some really special skill, too, and guys who can step up in big moments and make big plays. So I think that showed tonight.”

Vancouver is now 3-0-2 when leading after two periods this season, and 0-1-1 when trailing heading into the third.

While it's early in the campaign, consistency is something every team in the league strives for, said left-winger Jake DeBrusk.

"That's what you build towards throughout the whole year, let alone in the playoffs. It's what you want as your final product," he said. "But in saying that, obviously, I think the starts come from us. We’ve just got to be ready to play."

POWER PLAY PROBLEMS

Vancouver's power play looked potent to open the season, going 2-for-4 in the first game of the campaign. It's sputtered since, with just three goals in 21 man advantages over the last seven games. The Canucks' power play went 0-for-3 on Monday.

“We’re gonna have to make some changes. Not working hard enough, very lackadaisical," Tocchet said. "(Carolina's) a high pressure team. We had the odd time when we had a couple of looks. … But I thought a couple of guys there were playing slow. You can't play it slow against a high pressure (penalty kill), you just can't.”

STILL STREAKING

The Canucks have points in their last five games (4-0-1) and will look to stretch that streak to six when they host the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2024.