The Vancouver Canucks looked like they might have put together one of their strongest team efforts after 40 minutes against the San Jose Sharks tonight, but three consecutive goals for the Sharks resulted in Vancouver ultimately suffering a 3–2 loss. Drew O’Connor and Liam Öhgren scored the goals for the Canucks, while Leevi Meriläinen stopped 21 of 24 shots faced.
Vancouver faced a brief scare early in the first period when Brock Boeser blocked a shot with what appeared to be the inside of his foot. After sitting on the bench for a little after, the forward went down the tunnel and to the Canucks’ dressing room. Öhgren took Boeser’s place on a power play soon after, though Boeser returned towards the end of the period and played out the remainder of the game.
Is Elias Pettersson back? That’s been one of the biggest topics of debate since the start of the season. Pettersson’s assist on O’Connor’s game-opening goal seems to have given many the belief that he may be back. The play started with Pettersson carrying the puck along the boards, chipping it and retrieving it after it bounced off Sharks defenceman Dmitry Orlov. He then pulled it between his skates while facing pressure from two different players to keep it in the zone before flinging it on net. O’Connor fetched the rebound and tucked it past Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov.
The second period saw Vancouver take and kill two penalties, maintain a solid presence both offensively and defensively, and even double-up their lead thanks to a sharp snipe for Öhgren. This frame also featured a three-minute shift for defenceman Tom Willander during a sequence that saw San Jose press a little harder than they had through the majority of the game.
Vancouver has struggled significantly in the shifts following a goal allowed, and despite their strong effort tonight, this once again proved to be the case. Will Smith scored on a Sharks power play during the third period to give San Jose their first goal of the night. After that goal, Vancouver didn’t quite look the same as they did throughout the bulk of the game beforehand. San Jose was able to leverage that momentum into a sequence of strong O-zone time that left the Canucks without the same strengths they’d exhibited during the first and second periods of the game.
Because of that momentum, San Jose was able to tie the game at two goals apiece, once again thanks to a goal by Smith. Yet again, the shift after surrendering a goal did the Canucks in, as the Sharks found the back of the net 11 seconds later to take a 3–2 lead. The shifts following San Jose’s third goal saw Vancouver look nothing like how they did for the majority of the game — scrambly, disjointed, and chaotic. A two-minute 6-on-4 advantage near the end of the game couldn’t even give Vancouver a game-tying goal.
While Vancouver did surrender a two-goal lead and ultimately lost by a score of 3–2, by no means was this a bad game for a rebuilding team that is still learning in the early stages of their season. Before the three consecutive Sharks goals, the Canucks demonstrated a strong sense of confidence. It was clear Vancouver’s players were more eager to test out new things or try bolder plays than they have been as of late — from Pettersson’s stickhandling, to Öhgren’s hefty shot on Askarov, to Meriläinen’s steady saves after facing scoring chance after scoring chance for the Sharks while shorthanded.
All in all, tonight’s game served as a good learning lesson for the Canucks. While they put together a very strong 40-minute effort, they were unable to seal the win in the final 20, once again suffering a downhill-slide in the shifts following a goal surrendered.
Stats and Facts:
- Elias Pettersson extends his current point streak to six straight games
- Filip Chytil plays the second-most minutes of all Canucks skaters with 22:13
- Marco Rossi and Max Sasson each log a 75% faceoff win percentage
- Liam Öhgren scores in back-to-back games for the first time in his NHL career
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
13:21 - VAN: Drew O’Connor (2) from Elias Pettersson
2nd Period:
18:56 - VAN: Liam Öhgren (4) from Filip Hronek
3rd Period:
8:00 - SJ: Will Smith (5) from Dmitry Orlov and Mason Marchment (PPG)
10:39 - SJ: Will Smith (6) from Macklin Celebrini and Michael Kesselring
10:50 - SJ: Mason Marchment (4) from Kiefer Sherwood and Nolan Allan
Up Next:
Vancouver Canucks vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, October 31, 4:00 pm PT

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