Pettersson & Miller shut down again, Demko lit up, and more: 3 reasons why Vancouver Canucks lost 5-1 to LA Kings

The Vancouver Canucks dropped a lopsided 5-1 game to the LA Kings on Thursday night at Rogers Arena. Alex Turcotte had a three-point night as the Kings got a big road win against a key Pacific Division rival.

Turcotte scored twice for the Kings, with Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala and Warren Foegele getting the others for Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Quinn Hughes got the Vancouver Canucks on the board with his 10th of the season in the second period.

On that note, let’s take a closer look at the three main reasons why the Vancouver Canucks lost to the LA Kings on Thursday night.

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Three reasons why Vancouver Canucks lost to LA Kings

#3 Special teams disappointment

The Vancouver Canucks’ special teams disappointed on Thursday night. To begin with, the Canucks’ power play went 0-for-5. In particular, the Canucks got three straight power plays in the first period inside the first eight minutes.

However, the Canucks fell into an early hole, as Turcotte scored 51 seconds into the game. The Canucks failed to tie the game and fell further behind when Turcotte struck again at 9:28.

As for the penalty kill, the Canucks gave up a backbreaker about a minute after Hughes had made the game 3-1. Instead of potentially getting back into the game, Fiala’s power play tally put the game away for good at 15:58 of the second period.

Overall, the Canucks’ special teams did little to help the Canucks pull out the win against Los Angeles.

#2 Pettersson and Miller shut down again

Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller failed to get on the scoresheet for the Vancouver Canucks. Pettersson played over 20 minutes on the night, getting three shots on goal and finishing a minus-1. Meanwhile, Miller was a minus-2 in a little over 14 minutes of ice time.

Miller, in particular, has seen his ice time cut down significantly over the last few games. He has played in a second-line role, but that role has been diminished greatly, with other players like Brock Boeser also seeing the effects of the prolonged slump.

The Canucks’ seeming lack of scoring isn’t just on Miller or Pettersson. Boeser, Jake DeBrusk and Conor Garland have also been on recent skids, unable to find the back of the net. The Canucks need to get their main offensive weapons going if they are to remain relevant in the Western Conference playoff race.

#1 Demko lit up

It was a rough night for the starting Canucks netminder Thatcher Demko, who gave up five goals on 21 shots. Unfortunately for Demko, the rough outing did little to inspire confidence in his teammates.

Of course, the five goals weren’t entirely on him. The defense in front of him played a huge part in giving up the goals, but his 13 giveaways and lapses were critical.

For example, Turcotte’s first goal started with a failed attempt to keep the puck in the offensive zone by the Canucks. Then, the play came back the other way, with the Vancouver Canucks unable to keep up with Turcotte as he redirected the cross-ice pass for the goal.

The Vancouver Canucks will look to regroup on Saturday night when they face the Edmonton Oilers in a must-win game, as the Canucks risk falling out of playoff contention.