Two teams eyeing a return to winning ways square off Monday when the Vancouver Canucks visit the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Canucks are 3-4-3 in their past 10 games following a 1-0 overtime loss the Calgary Flames on Saturday.
After racing to a 7-0-0 start under new coach Bruce Boudreau, Vancouver is 4-4-4 since, and has slipped back to seventh place in the tightly contested Pacific Division. Just 11 points separate the top seven teams in the division, and the Canucks are just four points back of Calgary, which holds the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
“For us, we’ve got to find a way to get to our game and that’s the bottom line, no matter who you’re playing against,” Canucks forward Tyler Motte said.
Vancouver’s offense struggled once again against the Flames, mustering just one shot on goal in the first period and 15 through the entire game. The Canucks, who are toiling near the bottom of the NHL with an average of 2.43 goals per game, have scored only four goals over their past four losses.
“I’m used to seeing our team play with a lot more energy so I have to say that some of it was on us,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “It’s unfortunate, especially when you need the points.”
The good news for the Canucks has been Elias Pettersson finding his game again. The 23-year-old center scored just six times in his first 37 games but has five goals in the past seven.
“I definitely feel more confident, more me, out there,” Pettersson said. “It’s been obviously a slow start, but I think I’m playing the game I want to play, playing with confidence and making plays, and having more fun out there, for sure.”
The Blackhawks hope to bounce back after a wild 6-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday.
After Colorado leaped to a 3-0 lead, the Blackhawks scrapped back to within a goal three different times, only to see the Avalanche respond.
“That’s not fun,” Blackhawks coach Derek King said. “End of the period or right after a goal, it’s always a big shift that next one. You have to be ready. The game is on the line every shift. Sometimes we don’t have that mentality. Hopefully we learn from it because we did some good things.”
Chicago is 1-3-2 in its past six and has allowed at least four goals against in four of those games, including the lone win.
“We’ve played some pretty good teams. We’ve got to find a way to win,” Blackhawks forward Brandon Hagel said. “Nobody wants to just keep losing and say, ‘Oh, we played well, we played well.’ ”
Defenseman Seth Jones did not practice with the team Saturday or Sunday, staying off the ice for a maintenance day, but he is expected to face the Canucks.
–Field Level Media