HC Rick Tocchet makes his feelings known about Vancouver Canucks penalty box being stuffed with 5 players at once 

Head coach Rick Tocchet made his feelings known about the Vancouver Canucks recent game against their division rivals, the Calgary Flames, at Scotiabank Saddledome Arena on Tuesday.

The Canucks faced a 3-1 defeat, capping off the year with a game that was marked by grit and physicality. The second period was particularly heated, resulting in 13 players receiving penalties for nondisciplinary actions.

Even though the Canucks were down to two men for 55 seconds during a 5-on-3 situation, they successfully limited the Flames to just one shot on that power play.

After the game, Tocchet reflected on the effort and emotion his team displayed, pointing out that while there were a couple of preventable goals, the overall efforts from the players were commendable.

"It's a hardworking game. Lot of emotion. Guys stuck together. Couple of self-inflicted goals. They're preventable, but for the most part, lot of guys gave effort tonight," Tocchet said.

When asked about the five Canucks players in the penalty box at once, Tocchet emphasized the rivalry aspect of the game:

"[Flames are] division rivals. t's the way it should be. You gotta love that sort of stuff."

In the last five games, the Vancouver Canucks have managed to win only one game. The club currently sits fifth in the Pacific Division with a record of 17-11-8 and 42 points after 36 games.

The Canucks will hope to end their slump when facing off against the Seattle Kraken at the Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday. The puck drops at 10:00 p.m. ET.

How Calgary Flames downed Vancouver Canucks

On Tuesday, the Calgary Flames hosted the Vancouver Canucks at Scotiabank Saddledome Arena.

Connor Zary opened the scoring for the Flames after giving them a 1-0 lead through a tip-in goal at 14:31 of the first period. The second period period went goalless. At 6:15 of the third period, Brock Boeser tied it for the Canucks after scoring on the powerplay.

Just over three minutes later, Nazem Kadri restored the lead for the Flames after converting a cross-ice pass from Jonathan Huberdeau off the rush into the back of the net.

With less than two minutes remaining in the game, Huberdeau scored an unassisted empty-net goal to seal a dominant 3-1 win for the Calgary Flames. The Flames go up against the Utah Hockey Club next on Thursday.