Pettersson shut down again, dreadful PK, and more: 3 reasons why Vancouver Canucks lost 6-2 to Edmonton Oilers

The Vancouver Canucks suffered a 6-2 defeat to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night at Rogers Place. With the loss, the Canucks have lost two in a row, leaving them three points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Brock Boeser and Filip Hronek scored for the Canucks, with Hronek netting his second goal of the season. On the Oilers' side, Zach Hyman scored twice, while Leon Draisaitl (PPG), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (PPG), Adam Henrique, and Kasperi Kapanen also found the back of the net.

Here are the three main reasons why the Canucks lost to the Oilers on Thursday night:

3 reasons why Vancouver Canucks lost to Edmonton Oilers

#3 Lack of discipline

The Vancouver Canucks showed a clear lack of discipline against the Oilers, accumulating 26 penalty minutes. While the bulk of those penalty minutes came on offsetting roughing and fighting calls, the Canucks still surrendered four power play opportunities.

Those power play chances allowed the Oilers to build a 5-0 lead midway through the second period. In the end, the deficit was too steep for the Canucks to overcome, leaving them in a tailspin with eight losses in their last ten games.

#2 Dreadful penalty kill

The Vancouver Canucks had a dreadful penalty kill on Thursday night, giving up two power play goals that allowed the Oilers to take control of the game.

Nugent-Hopkins' power play goal was particularly concerning, as the Canucks' penalty killers seemed to stop skating. Nugent-Hopkins stepped in front of the net and fired a quick wrister past Thatcher Demko.

Here’s a look at the goal:

The goal showed how the Canucks simply stopped moving their feet, allowing the Oilers to cycle the puck and score with ease. This lack of effort underscored the poor performance of the Canucks' defense during their recent slide.

#1 Pettersson shut down again

Elias Pettersson fell silent once again. Amid the hubbub of trade rumors, Pettersson has been unable to generate offense and silence critics.

He failed to register on the scoresheet in over 17 minutes of ice time, going a minus-1 without getting a shot on goal in 23 shifts.

The lack of offensive production from Pettersson has weighed on the Canucks, as he and J.T. Miller have been unable to lead the team out of their funk and back into the Western Conference playoff conversation.

The Canucks will get a chance to turn things around on Saturday night as they face the Washington Capitals at home.