VANCOUVER — There were only four minutes left until the game started, but you already knew there was going to be a big turning point one way or another.

Only 4 minutes left in the first period Canucks We are already 1-0 behind Jesper Bratt high-sticking couple receives minor penalty Quinn Hughes. Vancouver’s power play has been under scrutiny for some time. Since last season’s All-Star break, the Canucks’ man advantage ranks 25th in the standings at 19 percent through 41 games. NHL. He went 0-for-3 against the Hurricanes on Monday and head coach Rick Tocchet announced some changes were coming.

Either the Canucks’ power play would cut through the noise on this four-minute opportunity, or the club would see this as a huge missed opportunity to dig in early. It was an ugly power play in which the Canucks failed to generate a single true Grade A chance.

This killed the club’s momentum and set the tone for the rest of the night as the Canucks fell behind 6-0. demons Wednesday night.

The Canucks’ power play looks terrible; J.T. Miller downloaded from parent unit

There’s no silver bullet to fix the Canucks’ power play because they look bad in so many different areas.

In the four-minute double minor, they appeared to be as much as a half-second slower in decision-making and puck throwing. Nothing felt easy or instinctive. This difference in pace made the power play look static and predictable. The Devils were able to anticipate Vancouver’s attempts to create crossovers and get sticks in the lane to break them up.

Once New Jersey was able to clear the puck, it was a nightmare for Vancouver to get into the zone cleanly and set up; This has been a glaring issue in recent matches. Vancouver’s second unit off to a promising start Daniel Spronggoal in the season opener calgaryIt didn’t look any better.

You can’t attribute the lackluster performance of the power play to any one individual, but Elias PetterssonThe shooting of was alarming. Pettersson’s one-time jumpers were terrorizing teams during his rookie season; It doesn’t even seem like an option they’re looking for anymore. During his 102-point campaign in the 2022-23 season, Pettersson attempted 163 shots on the power play in 80 games; This works out to around two points per game. Coming into the game against New Jersey, he had made just three field goal attempts in eight games.

During the Canucks’ third power play opportunity, in the final seconds of the first period, Pettersson took possession of the puck with tons of time and space. He even had a free lane to skate closer to the net after a New Jersey penalty taker fell off the faceoff. Pettersson took his time collecting the puck and shot straight at the goal. Jacob Markstromchest He lacked the authority and conviction you would expect from an elite sniper.

Rookie Pettersson would definitely miss this and Rogers would go crazy pic.twitter.com/epydgQfdAn

— Vanessa (@bigsportsvan) 31 October 2024

But it would be unfair to focus solely on Pettersson because he wasn’t the only problem. Miller’s high turnover in the offensive zone, Nico Hischier‘s short-term goal in a two-on-one match.

New Jersey scores quickly. 2-0 Devils. #Canucks | #NJDevils
: Sports network | NHL pic.twitter.com/YFLpsreXqo

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) 31 October 2024

Miller and Conor Garland at the next opportunity Sprong and Jake DeBrusk moving up.

Artūrs Šilovs’ tough night and the Canucks’ porous offensive defense

The Canucks’ net definitely belongs to: Kevin Lankinen until Thatcher Demko returns.

While this wasn’t obvious with Lankinen’s excellent play and five consecutive starts before Wednesday, Šilovs’ tough performance against the Devils reinforced it. The 23-year-old Latvian scored six goals on just 22 shots. He was slow to react, especially on the last two goals.

In fact, the Canucks could have made the most of Roberto Luongo in net and the outcome wouldn’t have been much different. The Canucks, who were doomed by the Hurricanes’ offense in the last game, once again squandered their Class A chances in transition and diagonal passes.

Three of the Devils’ first four goals came from rushing. It was a combination of turnovers, bad jams and poor positioning/pointless F3 back pressure. There are some obvious growing issues as the Canucks try to open up their system to create more offense.

Tyler Myers and the Canucks’ secondary is struggling

Vancouver’s secondary pairing of Carson Soucy and Myers didn’t set the world on fire last year, but they more than held their own. The Canucks were at breakeven in terms of shot control, scoring chances and goals during their five-on-five shifts; It was a win considering they often had the toughest matches against the opponents’ best players. They were flanked in the defensive zone for long periods of time in the play-offs, but limited the damage defensively with a tough, bend-but-don’t-break style of play.

Myers had found a way to simplify his game, reduce errors and remain positionally solid. Soucy, meanwhile, was an excellent closing presence with his long and variable stick work, mobility, and above-average defensive IQ.

This year, the Canucks’ second pair is not only having trouble moving the puck out of the defensive zone, but is also making uncharacteristic defensive mistakes. New Jersey’s opening goal less than a minute into the game was a prime example of this.

Myers pinched himself thinking he could step in and disrupt the Devils’ run. He was caught in no man’s land and New Jersey raced up the ice on the counterattack for a two-on-one offense. Soucy failed to make the dangerous east-west pass and Hischier curled a shot past Šilovs.

Nico Hischier put the Devils ahead 1-0 at the start of the first period. #Canucks | #NJDevils
: Sports network | NHL pic.twitter.com/nxZQMfpcqO

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) 31 October 2024

The Soucy-Myers duo was outscored 51-24, controlled just 38 percent of expected goals and was outscored 6-2 at five-on-five before Wednesday’s game against New Jersey. Myers had three goals on the ice and the Canucks lost 12-4 in a five-on-five shift on Wednesday.

It’s been less than 10 games and these are two veteran defensemen with a long track record of playing significantly better than this one, so we’re not pressing the panic button, but upgrading the second pair should be management’s top priority before the trade deadline.

(Photo of Devils’ Nico Hischier scoring a goal against Artūrs Šilovs: Bob Frid / Imagn Images)