Slumping Canucks all but out of playoff race after loss to Golden Knights

VANCOUVER – It’s down to the maths for the Vancouver Canucks and, as with inventory markets amid a tariff struggle, all the numbers are unhealthy.

With Sunday’s 3-2 loss at dwelling in opposition to the Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver’s fourth in 5 video games, the Canucks have nearly eradicated themselves from the Nationwide Hockey League playoff race.

Eight factors behind the Minnesota Wild with 5 video games to play, and with out holding the tie-breaker of regulation wins, there’s no extra margin for error. To take care of any playoff hopes, the Canucks want to win Tuesday in Dallas after they open a tough two-game journey in opposition to the Stars.

Minnesota beat Dallas 3-2 in extra time earlier Sunday, surviving a late Stars power-play earlier than successful it on a bonus of their very own.

The Canucks, in contrast, surrendered the successful purpose to the Golden Knights with 3:14 remaining when a sequence of protection errors allowed Victor Olofsson to rating uncontested from the low slot.

With their season on the road, the under-staffed Canucks managed solely two pictures on internet within the third interval and wasted a stellar bounce-back efficiency from Vancouver goalie Kevin Lankinen, who had allowed 14 targets in his earlier three begins.

“It felt like we did not actually push that arduous,” Canucks winger Nils Hoglander, who scored upon his return to the lineup from damage, informed reporters. “Then they scored, and it was fairly laborious to come again.”

The theme of being outplayed within the third interval – of seeing the opposite crew produce at key moments – has develop into a well-known theme in Vancouver’s three-week retreat from a wild-card playoff spot within the Western Convention.

Lacking high centres Elias Pettersson and Filip Chytil, who aren’t anticipated to journey this week to Dallas or Denver, the Canucks are 1-3-1 of their final 5 video games whereas the Wild have discovered methods to survive. In the meantime, the St. Louis Blues, who handed Vancouver for the ultimate playoff spot on March 20, have been destroying everybody of their path to the Stanley Cup match.

“We hung in there,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet stated Sunday evening. “I imply, clearly we did not have the puck sufficient the second half of the sport. They managed the play, so we had been type of hanging in there. It is powerful when you do not have the puck rather a lot, but there was some effort from rather a lot of guys out there.”

Requested how his crew can keep confidence with the standings so bleak, Tocchet stated: “Confidence is one thing you do not purchase at a retailer. You’re employed at it on daily basis. You already know, adversity, the way you deal with adversity, builds confidence, too. In the event you can deal with adversity, you ought to be assured man. (But) you’ll be able to’t simply activate confidence. You construct that.”

With 5 gamers of their lineup who spent massive chunks of this season creating within the American Hockey League, the Canucks are attempting to construct rather a lot of issues in these closing video games.

One of the callups, centre Aatu Raty, confirmed each the promise and faults that almost all proficient prospects possess.

The 22-year-old, thrust right into a third-line function after depth centre Nils Aman was injured at follow on Wednesday, battled to the entrance of the Vegas internet to rating the Canucks’ tying purpose within the second interval.

But Raty was additionally one of the Canucks at fault on Olofsson’s successful purpose, as he provided solely a weak stick examine earlier than permitting the Knight to go to the entrance of the online to convert William Karlsson’s move. Canucks rookie defenceman Vittorio Mancini was watching Karlsson as Olofsson skated in behind him, and veteran Vancouver winger Dakota Joshua was not again rapidly sufficient on the Vegas counter-attack.

“It simply sucks to quit that one on the finish,” Raty stated, including that he would wish to take a look at the play once more. “In order for you to go out there and play for an excellent crew . . . the coach has to have the opportunity to depend on you and in each (state of affairs). Each participant is so good, you’ve got received to play good protection.”

“He is a piece in progress,” Tocchet stated. “He is a younger child. You already know, he is going to make some errors, but additionally . . . I like his effort, proper? So you’ve got simply received to maintain working with him.”

It was laborious not to just like the Canucks’ effort in opposition to the 2023 Stanley Cup champions and perennial contender.

After Hoglander opened the scoring on a rebound at 4:46 of the primary interval, Ivan Barbashev tied it for Vegas at 8:36 when he discovered house to skate behind Canucks defenceman Filip Hronek and beat Lankinen by chopping throughout the goalie and scoring contained in the far submit.

Lankinen stopped Nicolas Roy’s shot on one other Golden Knights rush, but watched helplessly because the rebound caromed in off the again of Mancini’s skate at 13:15.

After Lankinen made a handful of massive saves early within the second interval, Raty tied it 2-2 at 8:03, whacking one other rebound previous Vegas goalie Adin Hill, who had performed nicely to cease the Canuck’s preliminary deflection of Hronek’s level shot. Joshua began the play by intercepting the puck within the impartial zone.

Raty lower by way of the entrance nook of the crease to get in entrance of Hill, who raised his glove to brace himself in opposition to the Canuck simply earlier than the puck arrived. Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy challenged for goalie interference and, after a prolonged evaluate, referees Peter MacDougall and Eric Furlatt let the purpose stand.

But on the following Vancouver energy play, Hill made the save of the sport, rapidly pushing ahead and to his left – and staying on his toes – to snare Pius Suter’s fast wrist shot from the low slot after a move by Conor Garland. Olofsson scored from the identical spot one interval later.

The Knights outshot the Canucks 25-9 over the ultimate two intervals, and 12-2 within the decisive third.

“Yeah, a disappointing outcome,” Lankinen stated. “Clearly, that is on high of my head proper now. I feel we battled laborious. It is a good crew we performed in opposition to, but not the outcome we needed.”

Tyler Myers, the Canucks’ most skilled defenceman, missed a second straight sport with an undisclosed damage. Taking part in injured, Quinn Hughes was on the ice for all three Vegas targets and completed minus-three to fall to even on the season. The Norris Trophy winner is minus-15 in 16 video games since coming back from an indirect damage.