Canucks still looking for best self after overtime loss

VANCOUVER — Glass half full or half empty? How about pouring more into the glass so there’s no debate?

Through the first eight games of their National Hockey League schedule, one of the Vancouver Canucks’ most impressive traits has been their resourcefulness. They’re still striving for last season’s elite form and consistent execution, while mostly failing to put together complete games with start-to-finish urgency.

And, yet, the Canucks are 4-1-3 despite their issues. Losing just once in regulation time while collecting 11 of 16 points is impressive by any measure, even if it has been accomplished amid a manageable pace of games and opponents and a lot of reliance on new goalie Kevin Lankinen.

But 10 per cent into the season, and after players and coach Rick Tocchet spoke Monday morning about the growing need to execute for 60 minutes, the Canucks’ 4-3 loss Monday night to the Carolina Hurricanes was another glass only half-full. At best. 

Yes, the Canucks surged impressively in the final period to overcome a 3-1 deficit against a perennial Eastern Conference contender before losing on Sebastian Aho’s rebound winner 47 seconds into overtime.

But that frantic push was necessary because the Canucks were the distant second-best team in the game’s first half, when they were outshot 13-5 in the opening period and were down two goals after 22 minutes.

Resourcefulness and resilience are good things. But you can’t rely on scrounging around for wins and loser points indefinitely while not playing your best. Near the end of October, the Canucks are still looking for their best.

“Yeah, the last 10 minutes was great,” Tocchet said post-game. “But before that, we have to learn. I don’t think we were ready to play; Carolina was. They believed in what they were doing. (They) beat us to pucks, and we had a lot of guys early on not moving their feet, not winning battles. And then we decided to do (the right) things and made a game out of it. Take the positives out of it, getting a point. But I still think there are lessons to be learned.”

As there were in Saturday’s 4-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who led 2-0 until the Canucks’ offence exploded early in the second period.

With as many as nine players new to Vancouver since the end of last season, there has been a lot of learning going on in October. But Monday, despite the cavalry charge at the end, felt like a step back.

“Obviously, I think the first half of the game was a different story than the second half,” newcomer Jake DeBrusk, still looking for his first goal as a Canuck, told reporters. “I really liked our response. You know, you never want to go down against a team like this that plays a certain style. And to kind of claw back, especially late, is always something you can build on. But in saying that, we need to do a better job of putting ourselves in (better) positions.”

“We didn't play that well,” winger Conor Garland said, calling his own performance “sh--.” “We didn't have a great effort, but I think we converted when we needed to and fought to get a point. But it would have been nice to play a little better and earn two points. I mean, we battled and it's a good fight at the end there. That's what made us successful last year.”

With the Canucks trailing 3-1, Quinn Hughes skated into a slapshot that ticked past Hurricanes goalie Pyotr Kochetkov to get Vancouver within one at 7:56 of the third period. 

They tied it at 16:55 at the end of a wild sequence, after Kochetkov charged 30 feet out of his net to try beating Daniel Sprong to a loose puck before the Canuck gathered it for a breakaway. Sprong regained control of it after going around the goalie, who in desperation redirected the Canuck’s centring pass to Pius Suter.

The Vancouver winger, who was stopped on a pair of earlier breakaways and was also ruled offside on a first-period coach’s challenge that wiped out an apparent goal for Arshdeep Bains, shot into the semi-open net from left wing to detonate the loudest roar inside Rogers Arena so far this season.

Canucks Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller had outstanding chances to win the game in regulation, but the Hurricanes survived the third period and took the extra point when Aho easily converted his own rebound after getting open behind Miller to redirect Shayne Gostisbehere’s shot.

The Hurricanes outchanged the Canucks in overtime. Checking centre Jordan Staal started OT for Carolina, but quick-changed for Aho after winning the draw, while speedy forward Martin Necas jumped on for defenceman Brent Burns. Necas dominated his shift and had the second assist on the winner.

Lankinen was the main reason the Canucks were still within two goals heading into the third period.

In his fifth straight start, the goalie who signed as a free agent during training camp made a pile of big saves.

After Hurricane William Carrier and Canuck Brock Boeser traded goals in the first eight minutes, Carolina broke a 1-1 tie late in the first period and scored again at 1:53 of the second.

On the go-ahead goal at 15:33, Necas skated away from Garland and got behind Hughes before beating Lankinen with a wrist shot.

Needing a second-period push for a second straight game — Vancouver scored four times in six minutes in Saturday’s win against Pittsburgh — the Canucks instead yielded another goal at 1:53.

The Hurricanes broke up a set play after the Canucks won an offensive-zone faceoff. With Hughes trapped by Miller’s turnover, Carolina countered three-on-two and Jack Roslovic scored from Brent Burns’ cross-ice pass that was poorly defended by Filip Hronek.

We’re not sure how many mistakes the Canucks made on that play, but probably enough for Tocchet to fill a pre-practice video session on Tuesday. The glass half-full stuff came later.