The Vancouver Canucks set some dubious records on their season-opening road swing.
Not only did they become the first team in NHL history to lose their first four games of the season while blowing multi-goal leads, but after five straight losses (0-3-2), Vancouver is the only team in the league that has yet to record a win.
Despite the dismal record, the Canucks are still looking at the positives, said head coach Bruce Boudreau.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not like we鈥檙e going out and playing and losing 6-1 every night and getting outplayed,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e right there 鈥榯il the end in every game we鈥檝e played this year, and it just hasn鈥檛 bounced our way in the last seven minutes of the third period. We haven鈥檛 had that luck.鈥�
Vancouver鈥檚 also given up a lead in every game it鈥檚 played, and its special teams have struggled, capitalizing on 10.5 per cent of its man advantages and killing off 58.8 per cent of its penalties.
The Canucks need to be better at taking care of the puck, said Luke Schenn.
鈥淒efending wins championships,鈥� said the defenceman who won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning. 鈥淎nd that starts with taking care of the puck when you have it at the lines and on the boards and that starts with taking care of it in the front of your net and winning battles in the corner. And that鈥檚 what wins at the end of the day. And that鈥檚 one thing that we need to get a lot better at.鈥�
The Canucks will look to clean up their defence on Saturday when they host the Buffalo Sabres (3-1-0) in Vancouver for their first home game of the season.
It鈥檚 a matchup the group is looking forward to, said centre J.T. Miller.
鈥淲e have a ton of belief. It鈥檚 upbeat in (the locker room),鈥� he said after an off-ice workout Friday. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to play tomorrow. We鈥檙e excited to be home. It鈥檚 not down.
鈥淭here were moments of the road trip that were depressing, no question. But it鈥檚 going to make us stronger at the end of the day.鈥�
Weathering a rough start to the season is nothing new for the Canucks.
Last season, the team went 8-15-2 to start the campaign, prompting the dismissal of then-head coach Travis Green, general manager Jim Benning and several coaching and front-office staff.
Vancouver went 32-15-10 under Boudreau to close out the year and finished five points out of a playoff spot.
The current stretch is challenging but could help the group going forward, Miller said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 going to be times where you want to quit, there鈥檚 gonna be times where you want to go to a different game plan and get on your own page, but at the same time, we鈥檝e got a job to do,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd we have a plan and a process and we鈥檝e got to stick to that because it鈥檚 an 82-game season.
鈥淎nd as we showed last year, things can turn very quickly. So the more games, the more periods we play good hockey, things are gonna turn for us, for the team and individuals. So we鈥檝e got to really be mentally tough in times like this.鈥�
Staying positive right now is the only option, said Schenn.
鈥淥bviously you want to correct a lot of things and there鈥檚 a lot of coulda, woulda, shoulda. But the more you focus on that, the more it鈥檚 counterproductive,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o positivity is a big thing. It鈥檚 early on in the year, there鈥檚 lots of time up and coming.鈥�
The team spent part of Friday morning watching clips from its 4-3 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, and Boudreau said he saw a lot of positives.
鈥淭he playoffs aren鈥檛 won in October, unless you鈥檙e playing baseball,鈥� the coach said. 鈥淚 look at things in a positive light all the time, or I try to. We鈥檝e gone through the parenting where you鈥檙e tough on them and then you build them back up and everything else. But what are we, four points out of a playoff spot, with 77 games to go?
鈥淚 like the way we鈥檙e trending and I think we鈥檙e going to trend in a positive manner.鈥�
鈥擥emma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
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