Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analysis report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind every Canucks game as captured by Natural Stat Trick. In this article we look back at Vancouver’s most recent 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders.
Latest from THN’s Vancouver Canucks site:
Must see: Canucks Jonathan Lekkerimäki scores first NHL goal of his career
Canucks Dakota Joshua makes season debut against the New York Islanders
Former Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson skates in 1,000th NHL game
The analytics for this game were a disaster for the Canucks. They lost the battle of even scoring opportunities 21-18, while generating only two high danger chances, compared to 11 they gave up. From an analytical perspective, this was not only one of the worst performances of the season, but perhaps of the Rick Tocchet era.
As for the heatmap, it was a mess. Vancouver was unable to protect the front of the net, conceding three goals. From failing to rule out players to questionable decision-making in the defensive zone, the Canucks couldn’t find a way to slow New York down.
To wrap things up, one player who did have a positive evening was Elias Pettersson. He created one of Vancouver’s best even-strength chances with great danger, while his 50% even-strength SF% ranked second on the team. Pettersson also led the team in shots with six, drew a penalty, threw two goals and blocked a shot. Although he didn’t get on the scoresheet, he was easily one of the Canucks’ best players and, after a slow start, is starting to look like his old self.
