VANCOUVER — Falling behind has become a habit for the Vancouver Canucks this season.
Making a big comeback has, too.
The Canucks (14-7-4) erased a two-goal deficit Friday and rallied to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2.
“It took us a little while to get into the game, probably longer than we would have liked," said winger Kiefer Sherwood. "But good thing is, we found two points and keep things rolling.”
Columbus (11-12-3) outshot Vancouver 17-2 in the first period and held a 2-0 lead heading into the locker rooms.
In 25 games this season, the Canucks have given up the opening goal 15 times. The squad boasts a 9-5-1 record over those 15 games.
"Something just clicks and we start winning our puck battles and playing our style of hockey, but it's obviously frustrating," said winger Brock Boeser. "We know we need to be better from the start.”
Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet poked his head into the locker room during the first intermission Friday to see whether he needed to speak to his team.
He determined captain Quinn Hughes had the situation under control.
"They didn’t need me to scream and yell. They had it," Tocchet said. "There’s a time and place for that, but I knew right now, when he looked at me it was like, ‘Hey, we got it.’ So that's a good thing from my captain.”
Asked what was said in the first intermission, Sherwood said he and his teammates talked about needing to "wake up and get going."
“We’ve got to get our work boots on," he recounted. "Obviously, we knew that they were on a back to back, and we’ve got to find 60 minutes here. But there's a lot of good that we keep building on.”
The game turned late in the second period off of an ill-timed play by Columbus goalie Elvis Merzlikins.
The netminder came out to the top of the left circle in a bid to chase down a loose puck, but sent it into Vancouver centre Teddy Blueger along the boards. Blueger quickly dished off to Sherwood, who blasted a shot in past Blue Jackets defenceman Zach Werenski as he attempted to protect the yawning net.
Sherwood's goal tied the game at 2-2 and Vancouver added three more tallies in the third period.
The Canucks' ability to rally comes from sticking with the game, said centre Pius Sutter, who scored twice Friday.
"We don't try to do fancy stuff no matter what the score is, or we try not to," he said. "And we get in on the forecheck, and then we get those pucks back, and that's kind of how it's been going.”
Early deficits aren't the only obstacles the Canucks have faced this season. The team has also dealt with a rash of absences, with key players such as Boeser, goalie Thatcher Demko and defenceman Filip Hronek all missing time due to injuries. Star centre J.T. Miller remains on an indefinite leave due to personal reasons.
The team has consistently shown resilience, Tocchet said.
“I thought we could see it last year," the coach said. "Honestly, you’ve got to credit them because they don’t give up. The team’s getting hit with some adversity this year, a bunch of stories that have hit us, and we're dealing with it in a good way.”
PROVOROV HURT
Columbus blueliner Ivan Provorov went into the boards hard early in the second period and appeared to injure his hand. He went directly to the locker room and did not return.
Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evanson didn't have an update on his condition after the game.
"Obviously, it didn't look good," he said. "He's getting X-rays tonight. … I don't know if he's had them yet or not. I haven't seen the trainer.”
BOES-T MILESTONE
Boeser registered an assist on Jake DeBrusk's third-period power-play goal, marking his 400th NHL point.
“It means a lot," he said of the achievement. "And just to do it with the guys in this room and the fan base — I always say how much I love playing here so it's obviously special.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press