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Five fights and one of the most questionable calls of the season defined the Vancouver Canucks' latest outing, a 5-4 defeat to the Anaheim Ducks on Diwali Night at Rogers Arena. The game, the 10th annual celebration, was among the most entertaining of the season, but it ended in disappointment for the home team.
Entering the contest, the Canucks had won 14 of the last 16 meetings against the Ducks. However, that trend did not hold.
Willander Injured, Lankinen Starts
Tom Willander, one of Vancouver's top performers recently, tweaked something during the morning and did not dress due to a lower-body injury. He had led the team with a 65.71 CF% at even strength against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, with the Canucks generating 23 shot attempts and allowing 12 during his 18:54 of ice time. Vancouver also out-chanced Toronto 12-4 and held a 6-3 edge in high-danger opportunities with Willander on the ice. As a result, Zeev Buium moved up to the second pairing, and Guillaume Brisebois slotted in on the third pairing. Given other injuries, Willander's absence could be significant if he misses extended time.
Kevin Lankinen made his first start since October 22 against the Detroit Red Wings, but it was another rough outing as pucks continued to zip by him at a high rate. The concern is not just the number of goals against but how they are going in. Questions about a potential buyout may be extreme considering the cap consequences, but it is an option. One thing is clear: the net belongs to Leevi Merilainen to lose.
Frustrating First Period
The Canucks took an early penalty, and the red-hot Anaheim power play capitalized when Ducks captain Mikael Granlund fired home from the bumper position at 4:04. The Ducks had converted on nine of their last 15 power plays coming into the game, and that goal made it 10 for 16.
Vancouver responded quickly as Jacob Quillan dropped the gloves with Roger McQueen, becoming the first Canucks forward to fight this season. The ensuing power play paid off when Liam Öhgren scored into an open net amid chaos in the blue paint after Drew Helleson pushed Paul Cotter into Laurent Brossoit.
Öhgren thought he had scored again late in the period, but the goal was called off due to a stick lift being ruled hooking—a sketchy call, as his stick merely grazed Jackson LaCombe's glove. The disallowed goal would have been a highlight-reel play. On the ensuing power play, the Ducks scored again on a slot one-timer from Cutter Gauthier to take a 2-1 lead, making it 11 for 17. "Refs you suck" chants rang out as the call could have been a turning point. The Canucks played well at five-on-five in the first, making the frustration even greater.
Special Teams Struggles in Second
The Canucks went on an early power play in the second, but their frustrations compounded when Brock Boeser made a blind pass to Filip Hronek, leading to a Ducks rush and a short-handed goal by Leo Carlsson. Vancouver has now allowed three short-handed goals this season, the most in the NHL.
Jacob Quillan then had his second fight of the game, against Travis Mitchell, after clipping Ducks goaltender Laurent Brossoit in the pads. Once again, the fight seemed to spark the team as Linus Karlsson scored shortly after, cutting the Ducks' lead to 3-2. Great forechecking by Drew O'Connor created space for Karlsson.
Jamie Oleksiak fought Jeff Malott in the third fight of the night, but this time it did not lead to a Canucks goal. Instead, Cutter Gauthier fired home his second of the night on the power play, making it 12 for 18. The shot was another one-timer from the left circle.
Gauthier Hat Trick, Fights Continue
Cutter Gauthier completed his hat trick, his second of the season, to extend the lead to 5-2. He is the first player in Ducks history to record hat tricks in back-to-back games.
More fights broke out as Brossoit was clipped again, leading to a Max Sasson fight against Noah Warren. During the same stoppage, Paul Cotter fought Sam Colangelo, resulting in 10-minute misconducts for both. The Canucks DJ played "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" after the fights.
Once again, a Canucks goal followed a fight, as Jake DeBrusk made a filthy play to slide it under Brossoit, cutting the lead to 5-3. That extended Brock Boeser's point streak against the Ducks to 10 games. Jamie Oleksiak then fired a puck toward the net, and DeBrusk deflected it home for his second of the night with 10:26 left in the third, bringing the crowd to life and cutting the lead to one. But there was no déjà vu from last week's game, as the Canucks could not muster another goal. The final was 5-4 Ducks.
Stats & Game Flow
The shot attempt advantage and expected goals advantage were fairly even, all things considered. Both teams have work to do defensively and in goal, as shot volume was low but goals came fast and furious.
Looking Ahead
The Canucks will face the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The game can be seen on Sportsnet.
Originally reported by yahoo.