The Vancouver Canucks added another unwelcome chapter to their record book on Thursday.
The loss to Winnipeg pushed Vancouver’s record to 3-14-1 through 18 games, the worst start in franchise history at this juncture. Context matters: the 1997-98 Canucks, led by Pavel Bure, Mark Messier, and Alex Mogilny, had accumulated 13 losses after 18 games. That veteran trio offered far more immediate production than the current roster, which is built more on future promise than present results.
That gap between hope and performance was evident Thursday in Winnipeg. A 6-2 defeat to open a two-game road trip was littered with warning signs. An early penalty, combined with the league’s second-worst penalty kill, handed the Jets momentum. Winnipeg struck again just 14 seconds later, turning an already difficult night into a lopsided affair.
Liam Ohgren and Brock Boeser found the scoresheet for Vancouver. Marco Rossi contributed seven shots, four hits, and won seven of 11 faceoffs for a 64% success rate, while captain Elias Pettersson was held without a shot on goal.
Kyle Connor, who owns 13 goals this season and 17 in 31 career games against Vancouver, was kept off the scoresheet but added two assists to bring his season total to 42 points. Mark Scheifele scored his 20th career goal in 42 meetings with the Canucks.
Vancouver has now lost seven straight in Winnipeg, and Winnipeg has won 31 of the last 40 meetings between the clubs. Winnipeg had entered the game having been outscored 17-7 in first periods this season and had just snapped a nine-game losing streak Tuesday. The contrast only emphasized Vancouver’s struggles: slow starts, frantic chases, defensive breakdowns in front of the net, and a mounting loss column.
“Again, it came down to a lack of execution in certain areas,” said head coach Manny Malhotra. “Ultimately, it was a lack of effort and compete in certain departments. We knew coming in that they play a very simple and direct style and it suits them well. We had to be prepared to compete at that level, and we were on the short end of a lot of puck battles and races.”
“These are the games where you find out a lot about your group and what they’re capable of doing in terms of pushing back,” Malhotra added. “They played a big, heavy game and we didn’t have the push back. Not a great start. We put ourselves at a disadvantage early with a bad penalty, and those are the types of things we have to clean up.”
Ohgren scratches scoring itch
Liam Ohgren had vowed never to be a healthy scratch again after watching from the sidelines on October 22 against Detroit. “I have to play strong, faster, win more battles and be hard to play against,” the 22-year-old told Postmedia. “I just want this thing to never happen again. I’ve been thinking a little bit too much out there to not screw anything up and stay up in the lineup.”
Ohgren has backed those words with action. The power forward registered four goals in his last six games, including a first-period tally Thursday that showcased poise and a quick release. After entering the offensive zone, he slipped a pass to a linemate before firing a wrist shot for his sixth goal of the season.
The sequence illustrated that young forwards often possess more time and space in the offensive zone than they realize, allowing them to seek better shooting or passing lanes instead of dumping the puck or getting stripped.
None of it comforted Ohgren after the final horn. “We have to have a better start, play a more predictable and faster game, and be more physical,” said Ohgren, who finished with three shots and six attempts. “They out-competed us, and that’s just not okay. It’s a long season and we’re in a tough situation. You never want to lose, but we’ve got stuff to work on and I trust this group. We have to get better every day.”
Penalty kill is far from thrill
Not all penalties are created equal. The justifiable ones physically rob an opponent of a prime scoring chance. The avoidable ones—lazy reaching trips or unnecessary hooks far from the net—rarely lead to anything productive for the opposition.
Drew O’Connor committed a neutral-zone hook early in the first period, his ninth minor of the season, catching Cole Perfetti’s hands. Alex Iaffalo tipped the resulting shot for the opening goal. Just 14 seconds later, Cole Kopeke beat Leevi Merilainen from close range to extend Winnipeg’s lead.
The Canucks disregarded Malhotra’s pre-game warning. “Something you expect out of your group every night is that continued level of desperation and fight to get the result,” Malhotra said. “We want to be a physical team. We want to get into people, but when you’re taking hooking and tripping penalties, that’s not physicality to me. We can be much smarter in that department in the types of penalties we’re taking.”
Or, perhaps, simply stop taking them.
