Petterson, Boeser blanked, lack of depth scoring, and more: 3 reasons why Vancouver Canucks lost 3-1 to Vegas Golden Knights

The Vancouver Canucks suffered a tough 3-1 defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in their first game back from the 4 Nations break. Adin Hill made 33 saves, effectively shutting down the Canucks, who were missing captain Quinn Hughes.

Jake DeBrusk opened the scoring at 6:22 of the second period, getting his 20th goal of the season for the Vancouver Canucks. Meanwhile, Ivan Barbashev, Brandon Saad and Tomas Hertl (EN) got the goals for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Here’s a look at the three key reasons why the Vancouver Canucks lost to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night.

3 reasons why Vancouver Canucks lost to Vegas Golden Knights

#3 Penalty troubles

The Vancouver Canucks found themselves in first-period penalty trouble, with three unnecessary penalties: two for too many men on the ice and one for delay of game after shooting the puck over the glass. Despite the scoreless game after 20 minutes, these penalties disrupted the flow, potentially costing the Canucks an early lead and a possible victory, even though they successfully killed off the penalties.

#2 Lack of depth scoring

The Canucks did not get offensive support from their bottom six on Saturday night against the Golden Knights. DeBrusk’s lone goal was the only answer for the Canucks to Vegas’ strong play. Aside from that, middle-six weapons like Drew O’Connor and Conor Garland did not step up to provide the offense the Canucks needed to win the game.

With the game tied heading into the third period, a goal from anywhere in the lineup could have made the difference. However, the lack of depth scoring hindered the Canucks, and the Golden Knights secured a gutsy win.

#1 Pettersson, Boeser blanked

The Canucks’ top scorers, Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser, could not get through Vegas netminder Adin Hill. Hill stood strong down the stretch as the Canucks tried to get the equalizer.

Pettersson played just under 16 minutes, finishing with a minus-1 and one shot on goal. Boeser, on the other hand, led the forwards with 19:33 of ice time but managed only two shots on goal.

The Canucks will need Pettersson to rediscover his 100-point scoring form as they aim to secure a playoff spot.

Vancouver returns to action on Sunday night as they visit the Utah Hockey Club at the Delta Center. They will be looking to get back in the win column and cement their hold on a wildcard spot in the Western Conference.