HC Rick Tocchet makes thoughts crystal clear after Vancouver Canucks lose 6-2 against McDavid-less Edmonton Oilers

After the Vancouver Canucks' 6-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, coach Rick Tocchet shared his thoughts. The Canucks entered the game high on confidence following a 3-2 win over Oilers last week and captain Connor McDavid's absence from the lineup.

However, the game resulted in a complete offensive and defensive failure for the Canucks.

"Giving penalties right off the start. We gave them a couple of free goals, and then you're trying to chase the game," Tocchet said.

"You can't do that against this team or any team. We've been doing that lately. I'm sure they are dispirited, but you can't give teams freebies, and we're giving them."

Edmonton scored three goals in the first period, leaving the Vancouver Canucks scoreless. Zach Hyman had two goals and an assist, while Leon Draisaitl contributed a goal and two assists. In the second period, both teams scored twice, but the Oilers kept their three-goal lead.

In the third period, Kasperi Kapanen added another goal for Edmonton, sealing the 6-2 win. The Oilers had 34 shots, while the Canucks had 26. Despite winning 56.7% of face-offs, Vancouver couldn’t stop Edmonton’s offense.

The Oilers scored on two of their four power plays, while the Canucks failed to score on any. Vancouver also committed 26 penalty minutes, much more than Edmonton’s eight.

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Hyman's early goal helped the Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks

Oilers forward Zach Hyman was playing his first game without a full face shield He broke his nose on Ded. 16 after taking a hit from teammate Evan Bouchard against the Florida Panthers.

“With Connor out, everyone needs to step up and I thought it was a good four-line performance. All the ‘D’ contributed and ‘Picks’ played great. Good team win,” Hyman said, per NHL.com.

The Oilers took the lead at 5:52 in the first period when Hyman scored with help from Leon Draisaitl. At 14:21, Draisaitl added a power-play goal to make it 2-0. Adam Henrique made it 3-0 just 20 seconds later with a wraparound goal.

Hyman scored again at 1:59 in the second period after a turnover. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins made it 5-0 with another power-play goal at 12:02. Brock Boeser put the Vancouver Canucks on the board at 12:27, cutting the lead to 5-1. Filip Hronek scored at 15:06, deflecting a shot to make it 5-2.

In the third, Kasperi Kapanen sealed the win with a rebound goal at 10:21 to seal a 6-2 win for the Oilers.