Canucks’ first stumble of the season
— From comeback to come down, the Vancouver Canucks crashed to earth Sunday with a 4-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
Nick Ritchie batted in an arcing puck several seconds after a Jannik Hansen turnover to break a 2-2 tie at 11:24 of the third period, and Corey Perry added an insurance goal as the Canucks suffered their first regulation loss of the National Hockey League season.
Ritchie’s winner trumped the fluky one scored by Henrik Sedin that had evened the game 4:19 into the period when the Canuck’s weak shot caromed in off the skate of Duck defenceman Sami Vatanen.
Maybe it was fatigue from six games in nine days, maybe emotional exhaustion after so many late comebacks, or maybe this is a start of a market correction after Vancouver far surpassed expectations with their 4-0-1 start. But the Canucks were badly outplayed for most of the game, and especially in the first 40 minutes when they were outshot 30-11 and survived on Ryan Miller’s goaltending.
With the Canucks playing only 19 hours after overcoming a three-goal deficit before losing 4-3 in a shootout to the Los Angeles Kings, we wondered if they would be both physically and mentally ready for the Ducks. Turns out neither.
Anaheim made it 1-0 on the first shift of the game when a slow, weak backcheck by Daniel Sedin on a 3-on-2 somehow caused defencemen Alex Edler and Chris Tanev to yield the middle of the ice to Josh Manson. Andrew Cogliano scored on the rebound.
Shots were 9-1 at one point and Anaheim should have led by more than a goal.
But when Anaheim pointmen Cam Fowler and Vatanen conspired to lose the puck at the Vancouver blue line during a power play, Canuck Loui Eriksson sent Bo Horvat in on a breakaway that the centre buried top corner on John Gibson to make it 1-1 with 32 seconds remaining.
The Canucks seemed in a hurry to fall behind again because 18 seconds into the second period Fowler’s screened shot made it 2-1.