Canucks HC Rick Tocchet addresses players' mentality being affected after going 0-3 down 

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Oct 16, 2024 04:34 GMT

Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet spoke after his team’s third straight loss, a 4-1 defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tocchet said his players need to work harder, especially after their slow start in the first period.

He also acknowledged that Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy played well but felt his team wasn’t ready to compete early on.

“We weren’t ready to play the first period,” Tocchet said, noting that the Canucks struggled to recover after giving up two goals.

Tocchet was frustrated with Vancouver’s lack of grit in important moments. He also noted that many players were losing battles in the corners and missing scoring chances.

“There’s pockets of the game I like,” he said, “but we need some guys to dig in a little bit.”

The Canucks’ inconsistency has been an issue in their first three games, with missed chances and failure to win important plays hurting their performance.

Looking ahead to their next game against the Florida Panthers on Thursday, Tocchet said the team must "start on time" and win more battles. He mentioned there were no excuses since the team arrived in Tampa early to prepare.

Despite the tough start, Tocchet remained hopeful that the players would stay mentally strong. When asked if the 0-3 record would affect the team’s mindset, he said:

“You got to dig in... you're playing, we're going to play another good team in Florida. So, I mean, the Stanley Cup champs, you got to be ready to play, you got to come to the rink every day trying to get better and that's what we're going to do.”

Vancouver is looking for consistency, both mentally and on the ice. They’ve scored only three goals in their last seven periods, with none coming from their top-six forwards at even strength. The Canucks know they have work to do to improve and get their season moving in the right direction.

How did Tampa Bay overcome Vancouver in their delayed home opener?

The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Vancouver Canucks in their delayed home opener on Tuesday by a 4-1 final score. The game at Amalie Arena was initially delayed due to Hurricane Milton. Nikita Kucherov, coming off a hat trick, scored early with help from Darren Raddysh. He now has four goals this season. Meanwhile, Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel each added a goal and an assist.

Vasilevskiy made 26 saves on 27 shots, allowing only a power play goal by Conor Garland in the third period. Vancouver’s Arturs Silovs stopped 24 shots.

Tampa Bay will play the Vegas Golden Knights next, while Vancouver faces Florida.