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Lekkerimaki scores first NHL goal in Canucks’ 5-2 loss to Islanders – The Hockey Writers – Vancouver Canucks

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Lekkerimaki scores first NHL goal in Canucks’ 5-2 loss to Islanders – The Hockey Writers – Vancouver Canucks

Upon Dakota Joshua’s return to the lineup, the Vancouver Canucks met their former captain Bo Horvat and the New York Islanders for their first matchup of the season. Unfortunately, his return did not arouse the enthusiasm of the Canucks. They started on a high note with Jonathan Lekkerimaki’s first NHL goal, but things quickly went downhill from there as they were only able to generate six shots on Semyon Varlamov before the start of the third period. Thanks to Scott Mayfield and Pierre Engvall, two players who don’t score often, the Islanders took a 3-1 lead in the second half. The third was better for the home team, but they still ended up losing 5-2 in another lackluster effort at Rogers Arena.

Game Summary

After allowing the first goal in eight straight games, the Canucks finally opened the scoring thanks to Lekkerimaki’s first NHL goal. Taking a pass from JT Miller on the left wing, he scored his first shot of the league on his team’s first shot of the game. Unfortunately, they couldn’t build on that positive energy and only put two more pucks on Varlamov for the rest of the period. And one of them came from outside center ice, by Filip Hronek. The Islanders, meanwhile, had the measure of chances in the first period, outshooting the Canucks 9-3, eventually tying the game on their second power play when Anders Lee scored a pass crossed with Jean Gabriel Pageau for a tap-in. .

The Canucks’ lethargic play continued into the second period as the Islanders scored two quick goals in the opening 2:30 to turn a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 lead. Mayfield scored his first since April 8, 2023 on a deflection from Miller 14 seconds later, then Engvall scored his first of the season 1:46 later. The rest of the period was pretty much all Islanders, this time outscoring the Canucks 15-3. Heading into Game 3, the Islanders held a 24-6 advantage with only three Canucks forwards generating shots.

The Canucks managed to increase their shot total in the final period, firing 20 pucks to Varlamov, but were only able to put one away in garbage time when they were already down 4-1. Islanders captain Anders Lee scored his seventh goal a little more than halfway through the period before Noah Dobson scored into an empty net to make it 5-1. Tyler Mylers scored his first goal in the final two minutes to make it a 5-2 final as the Canucks fell to 2-3-3 at home. They have now allowed 29 goals to Vancouver, which translates to a terrible average of 4.14 per game.

Kevin Lankinen stopped 27 of 31 shots in the loss while Varlamov countered with 24 saves on 26 shots after facing just six in the first two periods.

What’s next for the Canucks and Islanders

The Canucks will play their fourth game of this six-game homestand on Saturday when Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks come to town. The Islanders will also play on Saturday, traveling to Seattle to face the Kraken.