The Vancouver Canucks picked up a point but fell 2-1 to the Los Angeles Kings in overtime. Evander Kane scored the only goals while Kevin Lankinen made 21 of the 23 shots he faced. Saturday was Lankinen's first game since November 23, as he missed the first two games of the road trip for personal reasons.
Saturday's game featured not one, not two, not three, but four video reviews. Two goals were called back due to offside, while the Canucks were denied a goal that the NHL deemed was not fully over the line. As for the final review, that was to determine whether Quinton Byfield high-sticked Marcus Pettersson, which, after looking at the play, the refs decided against calling a penalty.
Overall, Saturday's game was very balanced. Both teams struggled to generate chances at even strength, with Vancouver and L.A. combining for 11 even-strength high-danger chances as per Natural Stat Trick. Even in what was a back-and-forth overtime, neither team was able to create high-danger scoring chances, with the winning goal coming off a fanned shot that happened to land right on Adrian Kempe's stick.
"I thought we played well, honestly," said Drew O'Connor post-game. "I thought our third period was really good. It was probably one of our best. Overtime, you never really know what is going to happen. I thought it was a good effort. Pretty complete game from us."
Looking at the positives, the Canucks killed off all four of the Kings' power plays. While L.A. did create seven shots, Vancouver was able to protect the crease and not allow back-door tap-ins. Ultimately, it was a step in the right direction as the Canucks went perfect on the kill for the first time on this road trip.
Lastly, Hughes' ice time is another talking point that dominated social media post-game. After playing 28:19 on Friday afternoon, Vancouver's captain logged 30:13 in this game. Considering the condensed schedule, Hughes' injury history and the fact he is going to the Olympics in a few months, these high ice times may come back to bite the Canucks captain late in the season.
In the end, there were some positives that emerged from this game. Vancouver's defensive game was structured while young players like Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Aatu Räty and Tom Willander had strong performances. Ultimately, though, the Canucks need to find a way to generate more offence as they have now scored two or fewer goals in four of their last five games.
Stats and Facts:
- With his 302nd career assist, Tyler Myers ties Jared Spurgeon for the 138th most assists by a defenceman in NHL history
- Evander Kane extends his point streak to three games
- Quinn Hughes surpasses 30 minutes of ice time for the third time this season
- The Canucks have lost three straight games in overtime
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
17:19- LAK: Anže Kopitar (5) from Adrian Kempe and Brian Dumoulin
2nd Period:
2:52- VAN: Evander Kane (5) from Drew O'Connor and Tyler Myers
3rd Period:
No Scoring
Overtime:
3:58- Adrian Kempe (8) from Quinton Byfield and Kevin Fiala
Up Next:
Vancouver will wrap up their four-game road trip on Tuesday as they visit the Colorado Avalanche. These two teams have already met this season, with the Avalanche picking up a 5-4 win in overtime. Game time is scheduled for 6:00 pm PT.
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