San Jose SharksThe Canucks led San Jose 2-0 going into the third period on Thursday and lost 3-2. Will Smith scored twice in two minutes and 39 seconds, and Mason Marchment put the Sharks ahead 11 seconds after Smith's second. Two nights earlier Vancouver had ended a ten-game losing streak with a 6-5 overtime win in Anaheim, Jonathan Lekkerimäki scoring twice. It lasted one game.
Vancouver is 3-11-1. It has seven points, the fewest in the league, and it has allowed 68 goals, 18 more than any other team. In September we wrote that Vancouver finished last and its luck was about to improve. That was wrong, and it is worth saying why. Luck was a small part of last season's problem, and this season it is barely part of it at all.
How bad is Vancouver at five-on-five?
The worst in the league. Through Tuesday, Vancouver had 38 per cent of the five-on-five expected goals, last of 32 teams, and 42 per cent of the shot attempts, 31st. It creates 2.02 expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five, 31st, and allows 3.24, the most in the NHL.
The surprising part is that the finishing has been fine. Vancouver is shooting 12.0 per cent at five-on-five, fifth in the league, and has scored about three goals more than its chances were worth. In early October we pointed out that Vancouver led the league in goals while its chances ranked 26th, and said the goals would not last. The chances got worse instead of better, and the goals followed them down. Vancouver has been outscored 42-26 at five-on-five.
Where is it breaking down?
On the blue line first. Filip Hronek is playing 25.6 minutes a night, and Vancouver has 38 per cent of the five-on-five expected goals with him on the ice. It has been outscored 18-12 in his minutes. Zeev Buium is at 36 per cent and Tom Willander at 42, and both are playing more than 20 minutes a night.
| Vancouver, five-on-five, 2026-27 | Minutes per game, all situations | Expected goals share | Goals for-against |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filip Hronek | 25.6 | 38% | 12-18 |
| Zeev Buium | 20.8 | 36% | 12-17 |
| Tom Willander | 20.5 | 42% | 10-12 |
| Elias Pettersson (C) | 20.0 | 41% | 12-12 |
| Brock Boeser | 18.6 | 33% | 6-12 |
| Jonathan Lekkerimäki | 14.7 | 42% | 9-10 |
There is no line that is winning its minutes. The most-used one, Jake DeBrusk with Elias Pettersson and Lekkerimäki, has 43 per cent of the expected goals over 74 minutes. Brock Boeser is at 33 per cent. Pettersson has 15 points in 14 games and is still on the wrong side of the chances when he is on the ice. Lekkerimäki leads the team with six goals, which is the one encouraging number on the roster.
And the penalty kill?
It is the worst in the league by a wide margin. Vancouver allows 12.47 expected goals per 60 minutes at four-on-five. The next-worst team, Winnipeg, allows 10.49. Vancouver has given up 16 power-play goals, the most in the NHL, and its penalty kill succeeds 65.4 per cent of the time.
A penalty kill that bad is usually a structure problem, and the shot locations say so. Ten of the 16 power-play goals against have come from high-danger chances, on only 13 high-danger shots. Opponents are getting to the slot almost whenever they want.
Is the goaltending part of it?
Half of it is. Kevin Lankinen has an .808 save percentage in eight games and is 12.1 goals below expected, the worst figure among the 59 goaltenders who have played at least four games. Leevi Meriläinen, claimed on waivers from Ottawa before the season, has a .900 save percentage and is 1.2 goals above expected, with a .921 save percentage at five-on-five.
| Vancouver goaltending, 2026-27 | Games | Save % | Five-on-five save % | Goals saved above expected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leevi Meriläinen | 9 | .900 | .921 | +1.2 |
| Kevin Lankinen | 8 | .808 | .834 | -12.1 |
Meriläinen has been asked to stop 261 shots in nine games behind the worst defensive team in the league and has been above average doing it. He stopped 21 of 24 on Thursday. Lankinen's numbers would be poor for any goaltender, and on a team that allows this many chances, poor goaltending turns close games into four-goal losses.
The case for patience, stated fairly
The argument for patience is that this is a young team being rebuilt on purpose. Buium, Willander and Lekkerimäki are the future of the franchise and are learning in hard minutes. Several of the losses have been close: Vancouver held two-goal leads against Tampa Bay, Florida and San Jose. A team that leads that often is not hopeless, and Meriläinen gives it a goaltender who can keep games close while the skaters grow.
The other side is that leading games and losing them is its own warning sign, and that a team with 38 per cent of the expected goals is the worst five-on-five team in the league, with the worst penalty kill by a long way. Last season's last-place finish was partly bad goaltending. This season's is mostly the skaters.
Our view is that Manny Malhotra should give Meriläinen the large majority of starts, shelter Buium and Willander so they are not facing top lines every night, and treat the penalty kill as the first fix. None of that makes Vancouver a playoff team. It might stop the season from getting any worse.
What to watch
Toronto visits on Saturday. Watch who starts in goal, and how many shots Vancouver allows in the first period, because Vancouver has been out-shot in most of its games and leads have not survived it. Every Canucks number is on the team stats page, and the Pacific race is on the standings.