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Boudreau calls out Horvat OT error after Canucks loss

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
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Apr 4 2022, 6:06 pm
Boudreau calls out Horvat OT error after Canucks loss
Vancouver Canucks/Sportsnet

Bruce Boudreau was feistier than usual Sunday night.

The Vancouver Canucks lost in overtime, 3-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights. It was their third loss in a row and the Canucks’ ninth loss in their last 12 games.

The Canucks are now effectively out of playoff contention — sitting eight points back of Vegas with just 12 games to play.

After the game, Boudreau was visibly frustrated with his team’s effort.

“I don’t know why we don’t start on time,” Boudreau told reporters, in a game that saw the Canucks have another slow start. The Golden Knights outshot Vancouver 10-1 to start the game.

Another troubling recurring theme? Losing in overtime.

The Canucks have lost their last four games that have gone to overtime, and are 2-6 in OT games since Boudreau was hired in December. They’re also 1-8 in their last nine games that went beyond regulation.

It was pointed out on the broadcast that Elias Pettersson was on the wrong side of the puck on a board battle preceding the game-winning goal. But the more egregious error came from Canucks captain Bo Horvat, who doubled down on Pettersson’s risk, and was on the wrong side of everyone except Vegas goaltender Robin Lehner.

 

Jonathan Marchessault came out with the puck, and Horvat and Pettersson caught up ice, he fed Vegas defenceman Shea Theodore for the game-winning goal on a two-on-one.

“Do you think if I knew the answer to the problem, I wouldn’t be solving it already?” Boudreau said about his team’s troubles in overtime.

Then, Boudreau called out Horvat, and to a lesser degree, Pettersson, for their lack of attention to detail prior to the winning goal.

“We talked about [staying on the right side of the puck] before the overtime. We talk about it allĀ the time, to stay on the right side of the puck. There was no reason for [Horvat] to go on that side of the puck. We didn’t have control of it. Even Petey could have checked from the other way.

“I saw Petey and Marchessault in a battle there. Maybe a little bit of a hope play,” Horvat admitted.

Boudreau, who isn’t afraid to give an honest assessment after losses, had a second critique, which could have been applied to both Horvat and J.T. Miller.

“You know in overtime you can’t go deke guys one-on-one when you’re not going a hundred miles an hour, and we still try that too. So, I don’t know, I’m at a loss on that,” said Boudreau.

Horvat’s unsuccessful dangle resulted in a turnover prior to the Pettersson board battle. Miller tried a low percentage deke earlier in OT, which also resulted in a turnover and a scoring chance for the Golden Knights.

 

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