"We let them back in the game": Canucks blow it against Penguins
The Vancouver Canucks managed to earn just a single point against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.
Erik Karlsson scored in overtime to give the Penguins the 4-3 win and the extra point. It was the second game between these two teams that went past 60 minutes this season and they split them.
EK65 CALLS GAME! đ¨
Erik Karlsson scores the @SUBWAYCanada OT winner for the Penguins. pic.twitter.com/g2ISDHOMhT
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 28, 2024
Brock Boeser had a chance to end the game in overtime but was denied by the pad of Tristan Jarry.
“I didn’t get it upstairs but obviously I’d like to score that one for the team,” the sniper said after the game. “I’ll be thinking about that tonight.”
This may be the save of the season for the Pens. What a timely save that sets up eventual GWG.
Tristan Jarry with a handful of excellent saves against Vancouver.
— Nathan Breisinger (@NateBreisinger) February 28, 2024
The Canucks led both 2-0 and 3-2 in this game. Despite those leads, the home team could not get the job done in regulation.
“That’s the maturity level, that’s the next level we’re trying to get to as a group. We’re up 2-0 at home, that should be locked down point,” said J.T. Miller after the loss. “We don’t need three, four, five, six goals at that point and we let them back in the game.”
Nils HĂśglander and Boeser both scored for the Canucks in the first period to build that multi-goal cushion.
“If we had the mentality of winning the game today, we could’ve killed them in the second period,” continued Miller. “Instead we let them back in the game and we only got a point. It’s frustrating.”
Miller later broke a second-period deadlock with a dominant solo effort while short-handed. He chipped the puck past Kris Letang before picking the top corner on the breakaway. It was the forward’s second point of the night after a first-period power-play assist.
Itâs J.T. Miller Time. â°đ¨ pic.twitter.com/fz9WDHR4Rn
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 28, 2024
Miller played so well that fans chanted his name throughout Rogers Arena in the third period. He has now cracked the 30-goal and 80-point marks for this season in just 61 games.
Crazy P helps get a pretty good "J.T. Miller" chant going đĽ
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) February 28, 2024
Thatcher Demko finished with 36 saves on the night. The American-born goalie made a huge diving save on Lars Eller in overtime but was beaten by the rebound on the game-winning goal.
Tonight’s overtime loss brings the Canucks to 83 points on the season. They’ve now matched last season’s 82-game total. 
NHL.com
“We weren’t getting pucks deep. We have to realize and we have to mature as a group that’s when we are at our best,” said Tyler Myers about the loss. “We have some guys that can really skate and when we don’t get pucks down, it doesn’t allow them to do that.”
The Canucks will get a chance to get back in the winner’s column when they host the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. That game will carry a little more weight as it’s a Pacific Division battle.