Hughes’ tough game, Lankinen outing wasted, and more: 3 reasons why Vancouver Canucks lost 3-2 to Vegas Golden Knights

The Vancouver Canucks’ playoff hopes took a serious blow as they lost 3-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night at Rogers Arena. With the loss, the Canucks are 4-4-2 in their last 10, falling eight points behind the Minnesota Wild for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.

Nils Hoglander and Aatu Raty scored for the Vancouver Canucks, while Ivan Barbashev, Nicolas Roy and Victor Olofsson got the tallies for the Vegas Golden Knights.

So, let’s take a look at the three key reasons why the Vancouver Canucks lost to the Vegas Golden Knights:

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Three reasons why the Vancouver Canucks lost to the Vegas Golden Knights

#3 Debrusk, Garland fail to step up

The Vancouver Canucks have lacked offensive punch over their last few games, but the situation has been compounded with Elias Pettersson’s absence. Without Pettersson, the Canucks have played without a bonafide No. 1 center, putting greater pressure on the team’s top stars to perform.

As such, players like Jake DeBrusk and Conor Garland, players who’ve been reliable all season long, didn't step up against the Vegas Golden Knights. DeBrusk played 17:42 of ice time over 22 shifts, failing to get a shot on goal.

As for Garland, he played nearly 22 minutes across 22 shifts, getting just a single shot on goal. Garland failed to make an impact on the ice, eventually holding the Canucks’ offense back.

#2 Lankinen outing wasted

Kevin Lankinen has been fantastic all season for the Vancouver Canucks, in particular, during Thatcher Demko’s absence. On Sunday, Lankinen stopped 32 of 35 shots, holding the Golden Knights in check.

Unfortunately, the Canucks were unable to provide enough offensive support for their goaltender. Lankinen did a great job keeping the Canucks in the game until Olofsson’s third-period goal broke the time with less than three minutes remaining.

#1 Hughes’ tough game

Canucks captain Quinn Hughes had a tough game. Hughes was absent from the scoresheet, managing one shot on goal in nearly 27 minutes of ice time across 24 shifts.

Defensively, Hughes failed to keep the Golden Knights. A good example of Hughes’ inability to stop Vegas came on Olofsson’s game-winning goal. Here’s a look:

The replay showed William Karlsson entering the Canucks’ zone, blowing past Hughes who was powerless to get the puck off Karlsson’s stick. The Vegas forward circled the net and dropped the puck to Olofsson for the go-ahead goal.

The subpar defensive effort proved costly for the Canucks, costing them two crucial points in the standings.

The Canucks will continue to play out their remaining schedule as they face the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Arena on Tuesday night.