The Vancouver Canucks entered T-Mobile Arena in Vegas on Saturday looking determined to bounce back from an atrocious 7-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and even tied the game twice after squandering it, but ultimately fell to the Golden Knights 7-4.
A myriad of things have to go wrong for a team to allow seven goals, and when asked where the game got away from his team head coach Travis Green couldn’t omit what he perceived as poor officiating.
“There’s definitely a couple calls that should have never been called against us,” said Green post-game.
“I don’t usually complain about refereeing but the call against (Thatcher) Demko was atrocious and the call against (Oliver Ekman-Larsson), the double-minor for roughing, was very questionable for me as well. Both were in critical parts of the game.”
Demko received a delay of game penalty for knocking the net off its moorings while Vegas pressured the offensive zone with the game tied 4-4 midway through the third period.
Green mentioned that the officials did not give him an explanation for the call and pleaded that Demko did not intentionally move the net, noting it had been pushed off multiple times in the game — including by Vegas goaltender Robin Lehner.
“The post had come off a couple of times already, it came off with Lehner, I believe, in the second period. They actually had to go fix the post. On the commercial (break), they had the crew come out to fix it,” said Green. “I mean Demmer, he wasn’t pushing the net off. It wasn’t a penalty.
“I didn’t get an explanation.”
Jonathan Marchessault then scored the eventual game-winner on the ensuing power play.
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Ekman-Larsson’s penalty came while the Canucks carried all momentum off a 2-0 start.
After Vegas defenceman Brayden McNabb stepped in with a dangerous hit on Vancouver rookie Vasily Podkolzin, Ekman-Larsson jumped in to defend his teammate.
No fighting majors were given, instead Ekman-Larsson received a double-minor for roughing while McNabb got away with only two minutes in the box. The Golden Knights then scored on a 5-on-3 after Canucks forward Justin Bailey took a penalty to cut the lead in half.
The Canucks are currently seventh in the Pacific Division with a 5-8-2 record, ahead of only the expansion Seattle Kraken. They play the Anaheim Ducks Sunday night at 5 p.m. PT on Sportsnet Pacific.
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