Another Canuck loss B次元官网网址� this time a 5-4 defeat in Tampa Bay on Thursday night - and plenty of things to get into.
To start things off, VancouverB次元官网网址檚 $7.2 million dollar man took a seat in the press box as defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson was made a healthy scratch.
You donB次元官网网址檛 have to be an MIT grad to figure out that sitting the third-highest paid player on the team is an indictment on just how bad Ekman-Larsson has been.
The scary thing is that the 31-year-old Swede still has four years remaining on his contract after this season. If itB次元官网网址檚 this bad now, you have to wonder where his level of play will be in two or three-years time.
Then the whipping boy for Canucks fans - J.T. Miller - got criticized for his perceived lack of effort on the LightningB次元官网网址檚 fourth goal of the game in which Brandon Hagel scored with 31 seconds remaining in the second period to give Tampa Bay a two-goal lead.
Tampa BayB次元官网网址檚 Alex Killorn chased down a loose puck just between the top of the faceoff circles in the Vancouver zone and was covered by Canuck defenceman Quinn Hughes. His d-partner Ethan Bear, believing Hughes needed help, then committed to Killorn leaving the slot wide open for the trailer B次元官网网址� in this instance Hagel B次元官网网址� to score after receiving a cute backhand pass from Killorn.
It was another example of what Vancouver head coach Bruce Boudreau pointed out a short while ago B次元官网网址� that you have to trust your teammate to get the job done.
Bear didnB次元官网网址檛.
Most people would fault Bear for the breakdown in coverage in this case and rightfully so.
The problem that I have with Miller on the goal is that Hagel is behind him in the neutral zone and busts his butt to get in on the play. Unfortunately for the Canucks, Miller decides to coast and be a spectator.
Yes, fundamentally Bear is to blame as it was a 2v2 but Miller shouldnB次元官网网址檛 get a free pass as a little hustle might have prevented a goal.
Miller also had another B次元官网网址渆motional displayB次元官网网址� on the bench which didnB次元官网网址檛 do him any favors with Canuck Nation but it is pretty interesting that Elias Pettersson can throw a stick or flip an iPad on the bench and not be subject to the same level of criticism as Miller.
Clearly there is a double-standard for those actions.
All of this overshadowed a pretty good performance from Miller in which he picked up a goal and an assist on the night.
What really disturbed me though is what occurred in the last minute of the game after a goal-mouth scramble in the Tampa Bay zone with Vancouver trailing 5-4.
VancouverB次元官网网址檚 Connor Garland went fishing for the puck which was being covered by Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.
That didnB次元官网网址檛 go over well with Tampa Bay defenceman Mikhail Sergachev, who defended his netminder by giving Garland a two-hand shiver, and then in the ensuing scrum, sucker-punching Garland with an overhand right causing the Canuck forward to hit the ice.
This all occurred right in front of referee Kyle Rehman, who decided not to penalize Sergachev.
It also happened right in front of Vancouver captain Bo Horvat, who decided to do nothing. There was ZERO response from Horvat or any other Canuck for that matter.
It was a sad commentary on where this group is at when it comes to being a team and having each otherB次元官网网址檚 back.
And I know what youB次元官网网址檙e thinking.
ItB次元官网网址檚 a one-goal game and the Canucks could ill afford to take a penalty at this point.
Really?
IB次元官网网址檓 guessing Sergachev knew it was a one-goal game too but that didnB次元官网网址檛 stop him from doing what he did.
Even if it did cost the Lightning two points, he wasnB次元官网网址檛 going to allow his goaltender to be fair game.
In the long run, a response in that situation is way more valuable than two points.
Sergachev knows that.
The Canucks clearly do not.
Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob B次元官网网址渢he MojB次元官网网址� Marjanovich writes twice weekly for Black Press Media. And check out his weekly podcast every Monday at or your local Black Press Media website.
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