The Vancouver Canucks’ six-game road trip ended with a familiar kind of frustration on Saturday: a lead, then a slide, then a 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Vancouver got goals from Linus Karlsson and Elias Pettersson, but that was all the offense the Canucks could muster in Tampa Bay. Karlsson scored his second of the season in the first period, and Pettersson added a power-play marker early in the second. After that, the game tilted hard the other way.
Kevin Lankinen did what he could in net, finishing with 31 saves on 35 shots. Still, the Canucks were under siege for long stretches, especially after the opening frame. Tampa Bay outshot Vancouver 24-7 over the final two periods and wiped out a 2-0 deficit with four straight goals.
Nikita Kucherov led the comeback for the Lightning, scoring twice in the second period. Jake Guentzel struck early in the third, and Pontus Holmberg sealed it late.
The Canucks also paid the price again on the penalty kill. They were shorthanded just once, but Tampa Bay made it count, and Vancouver’s issues in the lane and around loose pucks showed up again. The Canucks have now allowed a league-high 13 goals against while shorthanded and have been scored on in seven of their first 10 games this season.
By the end, Vancouver had little left to offer offensively and couldn’t slow down Tampa Bay’s best players. The result left the Canucks 0-5-1 on the trip, and they head home on a seven-game losing streak.
Vancouver’s next game is Oct. 20 against the Carolina Hurricanes at 7:00 pm PT.
In Other News...
Marco Rossis Early Canucks Spark Has Turned Into A Real Concern
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Canucks Face One Elias Pettersson Trade Decision They May Not Like
Elias Pettersson has been one of the most talked-about names in the Canucks orbit for several seasons, and the interest has never really disappeared. His steady point-per-game production is exactly the kind of profile that tends to draw attention around the league, which is why his name keeps surfacing whenever Vancouvers long-term plans come up.
The obstacle, of course, is the contract. Petterssons $11.6 million cap hit is a steep one for any team to absorb, and it is the kind of detail that can slow a deal down before it ever gets serious. Until his performance and the financial side of the equation line up a little more cleanly, Vancouver is left with a familiar trade question that may not have an easy answer. [Read more 🡒]