Hughes absence felt, comeback falls short, and more: 3 reasons why Vancouver Canucks lost 4-2 to Montreal Canadiens

The Vancouver Canucks lost 4-2 against the Montreal Canadiens at Rogers Place on Tuesday night. The Canucks could not pull off the late comeback after being down 3-0 heading into the third period.

Filip Hronek and Elias Pettersson (PPG) scored for the Vancouver Canucks. Meanwhile, Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki scored, with Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield and Mike Matheson (EN) adding the other tallies.

Let’s take a closer look at the three key reasons why the Vancouver Canucks lost to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.

3 reasons why Vancouver Canucks lost to Montreal Canadiens

#3 Lack of depth scoring

The Vancouver Canucks’ lack of depth scoring came back to haunt them on Tuesday night. Top-pairing defenseman Filip Hronek and number-one Elias Pettersson did their part to put the team on the scoreboard.

However, other secondary scorers like Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk could not find the back of the net. That situation made it difficult for the Canucks to close the gap against Montreal. While Vancouver’s late push brought them to within a goal, the lack of scoring in the first 40 minutes was one of the main factors in their defeat.

#2 Comeback fell short

The absence of secondary scoring made it difficult for the Canucks to complete the comeback as the team fell into a 3-0 hole heading into the third period.

The Vancouver Canucks were close to tying the game late. However, Montreal Canadiens blue liner Mike Matheson managed to put the game away with an empty-netter. While the Canucks made a valiant effort in their attempt to get the equalizer late in the third period, it just wasn’t enough to force overtime.

#1 Hughes’ absence felt

Canuck’s captain Quinn Hughes remained off the ice with a lower-body injury. Hughes’ absence was noticeable as the team failed to get much going offensively during the first two periods.

When Hughes is on the ice, the Canucks have one of the league’s best puck-moving defensemen, which allows the team to up their offensive game. Unfortunately, Hughes’ absence resulted in the Vancouver’s offense struggling to get much going against the Canadiens.

The Canucks will not have much time to regroup as they play on back-to-back nights, taking on the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday. The Canucks face the Flames in this crucial matchup, with the Western Conference’s final playoff spot on the line.