Canucks' sparse December schedule could alleviate fatigue issues
After a wonderful start to the season, the Vancouver Canucks have lost four of their last six games. Included in those losses are defeats to the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames, both teams currently sitting in the bottom 10 of the NHL standings.
This is the first slump of the season, and one factor that could be affecting their play is fatigue. The Canucks have 15 scheduled games in November, tied for the most of any team.
They’ve also had three back-to-backs and no breaks of at least three days. After the recent 4-3 loss to the Sharks, head coach Rick Tocchet was asked about the busy nature of the team’s recent schedule and if it’s wearing on players.
“Every team goes through these schedules, and you have to play smart,” Tocchet said after the loss against the Sharks. “You’ve got to have good angles, short shifts; you’ve got to do your staples when you don’t have your game.”
In each of the Canucks’ past three losses, they’ve been tied 2-2 heading into the third period before fading in the final frame, losing all of those games in regulation.
“You can’t just be ‘I’m tired, I’m not going to do my staples,’ you’ve got to stay in it, and if it’s 25 seconds, get off. I felt we just had too many guys not ready,” Tocchet continued. “Whether they were tired or not, do something different, I guess.”
Head Coach Rick Tocchet speaks to the media post-game in San Jose.@theprovince | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/nz59LPjsMD
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 26, 2023
While the coach doesn’t outright accept fatigue as the reason for the team’s recent losses, there could be some validity to the hypothesis.
Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek have played the second and third most minutes of all NHL players. J.T. Miller also ranks first, and Elias Pettersson is also in the top 10 among forwards.
The good news for the Canucks is that their schedule does lighten up in December. They play just 12 times in the month, tied with the Oilers for the fewest games.
While no one in the organization is leaning on the schedule as an excuse, it’s hard not to acknowledge that it hasn’t been leaning in the Canucks favour recently. As the calendar turns to a new month, the lack of games will provide clarity as to just how much the schedule has been affecting the team.