The Canucks have suffered another loss as the Washington Capitals claimed a 6-4 victory in tonight’s much anticipated third game of the new season. They now find themselves in a predicament as they have started off each game since the beginning of the season with a two point lead in the first period only to be overthrown by a victory from their opponent in the remaining periods. They are the only hockey team in the league that is in this situation. In fact, Sportsnet just confirmed that this is the first time in NHL history that a team has lost their three first games when they started out with a multi-goal lead.
Pettersson tallies 3 points but the #Canucks fall short against the Capitals in Washington.@BudweiserCanada HIGHLIGHTS | https://t.co/Gr5W526ZkZ pic.twitter.com/aWpJkE66xx
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) October 18, 2022
Things looked optimistic earlier on today before tonight’s game as players told press that they were ready to do what it took to win tonight. Those sentiments were a far cry from the words of coach Boudreau post-game calling the team “mentally weak” and saying that his team appears to be “too afraid of pushing themselves.” After tonight’s game, team captain Bo Horvat called for a players only meeting, looking somber yet determined.
The Canucks came the closest to a win tonight as they held their lead at 4-2 heading into the third period. But Washington, with star player Alexander Ovechkin at the helm, managed to make a triumphant comeback scoring four times in the final twenty minutes of the game. The Canucks head to Columbus to play the Blue Jackets tomorrow, let’s hope a good sleep and some mental rest is all they need to bounce back this time.