For the second game in a row, the Vancouver Canucks took a 2-0 lead; for the second game in a row, they couldn’t hold it.
To paraphrase Lord Tennyson, ’tis better to have taken a lead and lost than never to have taken a lead at all.
In these early stages of the rebuild, it’s important for fans to look for the positives where they can find them. On Saturday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Lightning, there were positives if you knew where to look.
Sure, the Canucks have lost seven games in a row and haven’t been able to score more than two goals in each of those games, but at least they’re not getting shut out, and they gave the Lightning a little bit of a scare.
Sure, the penalty kill gave up another goal on the Lightning’s lone power play opportunity, but at least the power play broke out of a small slump and went 1-for-2.
Sure, the Canucks were outshot 35-to-14, but at least Elias Pettersson had a team-high seven shot attempts, as he finally started firing the puck with some confidence.
Pettersson has provided several positives to start the season. After scoring the Canucks’ second goal against the Lightning, he now has ten points in ten games to lead the Canucks in scoring.
That’s a solid point-per-game pace for Pettersson, which most Canucks fans would have been thrilled about heading into this season.
You just have to ignore that he has just two points in his last five games. That’s not what this season is about.
That’s the secret to enjoying this season for Canucks fans: don’t look into it too much. Don’t dig beneath the surface. Take the positive things at face value. Trust that the wizard is exactly as impressive as he says he is, and don’t pull back that curtain.
You have to enjoy that great save, and ignore that the opposing team immediately scored on the rebound. You have to appreciate that nice goal, and ignore that the Canucks were outscored four-to-one when that player was on the ice.
You have to be a little bit delusional to enjoy the Canucks right now, but sometimes it’s nice to give in to a delusion.
I got a little bit deluded when I watched this game.
- This was Zeev Buium’s best game of the season, though that might be damning with faint praise given he didn’t record a point. But he finally looked dangerous offensively, buzzing around the offensive zone like a bee — Beev Buium? Is that anything? No, probably not.
- Buim was the lone Canuck with a corsi above 50% in this game, with the Canucks out-attempting the Lightning 19-to-12 when he was on the ice. It was in a somewhat sheltered role — he was on the third pairing and didn’t start a single shift in the defensive zone — but this is hopefully a confidence-builder for Buium.
- Kevin Lankinen made some absolutely outrageous saves in this game and was a key component of the Canucks taking the lead. He was flashing more leather than the photographer for a BDSM catalogue.
Kevin Lankinen has been very, very good to start this game. What a save. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/FDzkz3kNz5
— Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) October 17, 2026
- “I was really impressed with [Lankinen’s] response to his frustration with his own game over the past couple of outings,” said Manny Malhotra. “The way he stepped up today gave us a real chance to be in it right until the third period there. A couple of ten-bell saves — happy for him that he had the response that he did.”
- I didn’t know what to expect from Filip Chytil in his return from injury, but I definitely didn’t expect him to be deployed like a first-line centre. Chytil led the Canucks in 5-on-5 ice time against the Lightning, and he played the most minutes matched up against Nikita Kucherov.
- Kucherov picked up his second assist in as many games on the opening goal. Just after a power play, Chytil drove to the net and set up Liam Öhgren backdoor, but Öhgren missed the open net. No matter: Chytil grabbed the rebound and sent it to Paul Cotter, who relayed it to Linus Karlsson for a slap shot bomb past Dennis Hildeby.
Two games for Chytil, two assists.
Great setup for Öhgren, then retrieves the puck for Cotter to relay to Karlsson for the slap shot. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/I72634Gqg2
— Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) October 17, 2026
- That’s seven points in ten games for Karlsson, tied for second on the team in scoring. Like Harrison Ford being a quarter Jewish, that’s not too shabby.
- Just like the previous game against the Panthers, Elias Pettersson gave the Canucks a two-goal lead. This time, it was the other Elias Pettersson: the original one.
- Filip Hronek tried to set up Jonathan Lekkerimäki for a one-timer on the power play, but Brandon Hagel dove out to intercept the pass. When Hagel couldn’t get the puck over the blue line, Lekkerimäki took it back and played catch with Brock Boeser for another one-timer. Lekkerimäki missed the net, but the puck ricocheted out to Pettersson, who neatly took the puck off his skate and fired it in from the tightest of angles to make it 2-0.
Elias Pettersson ties Elias Pettersson in goalscoring. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/zwXCLDOlaE
— Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) October 17, 2026
- Lekkerimäki drew the penalty prior to Karlsson’s goal and the one that led to Pettersson’s goal. If Lekkerimäki can keep his feet moving and turn drawing penalties into a regular occurrence, that would be a very nice addition to his game.
- Like Alfred Hitchcock in Psycho, the Lightning eliminated the lead in the second act.
- The Lightning power play picked apart the Canucks’ penalty kill with some precision passing to set up Kucherov, but Lankinen lunged across to make a magnificent glove save. Focus on the save, and not Kucherov cleaning up the rebound over Lankinen, leaving Hronek staring at his left hand, lamenting his own missed glove save.
What a glorious glove save by Lankinen on Kucherov.
Just ignore what happened immediately after the save. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/wOtt6Qs12L
— Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) October 17, 2026
- The Lightning then capitalized on a faceoff win. Brayden Point beat Pettersson and drew the puck back to Kucherov, who immediately snapped it past Lankinen. Defenceman Elias “Dunk” Pettersson was a moment too slow getting into Kucherov’s shooting lane off the draw.
- Lankinen made some magnificent saves in this one, but he’ll want the Lightning’s game-winning goal back. After the referees missed a high stick on Pettersson (D), the puck came around to Jake Guentzel, who hammered a slap shot that beat Lankinen from where we are all instruments marching in a common band: from a distance.
- That goal gave the Lightning the lead two minutes into the third period. The Canucks response to being down a goal was…uninspired. They managed just two shots on goal in the entire third period. Both were from defencemen, and both were from 45+ feet away.
- Perhaps Hronek was thinking of his missed glove save on Kucherov’s tying goal, as he got his whole body behind the puck to make a save late in the third period. That would have been the PITB Transformative Moment of the Game™ (which is legally distinct from the TSN Turning Point) if the Canucks had mounted a comeback. Alas and alack.
Filip Hronek? More like fills-up Hro-net, amirite?
No, I am not right. That is dumb. But this is a great play. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/BeHYF7W3Or
— Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) October 17, 2026
- Another faceoff play led to Tampa Bay’s fourth goal. Pettersson (F) won the faceoff this time, but Pontus Holmberg jumped past Pettersson (D) to get the puck first. Holmberg then turnstiled Hronek like it was a holiday as he cut across the slot to tuck the puck through Lankinen’s five-hole.
- “Obviously, a lost dive-in,” said Manny Malhotra. “It’s something we talk about before every game: being ready for faceoffs. They got the jump on us, came up with a puck battle — we just can’t allow those things to happen.”
- “It sucks to lose,” said Karlsson. “It’s frustrating. But we need to trust the process. We’re still learning the new system and stuff, but I think we need a little bit more of a team effort. We need to battle a bit harder.”