3 major takeaways from Vancouver Canucks' thrilling 6-5 OT loss to Calgary Flames

The Vancouver Canucks dropped a thrilling 6-5 game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night at Rogers Arena. The Canucks led 4-1 at one point, but the Flames came roaring back in the third, scoring four unanswered goals to take a 5-4 lead.

The Canucks tied the game late to force overtime but ultimately lost the game on Connor Zary’s OT winner with 1:33 ticks left in the extra period.

Brock Boeser had two goals for the Vancouver Canucks, while Daniel Sprong, Conor Garland and J.T. Miller had the other tallies. Anthony Mantha, Rasmus Andersson, Martin Pospisil, MacKenzie Weegar, Jonathan Huberdeau and Zary scored for the Flames.

Here are three key takeaways from the Vancouver Canucks' thrilling OT loss to the Flames.

3 major takeaways from Vancouver Canucks' OT loss to Calgary Flames

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#3. The Canucks’ power play struck early

Sprong and Boeser quickly put the Vancouver Canucks up 2-0 on two power-play goals roughly two minutes apart in the first period.

Overall, the Canucks went 2-for-4 with the man advantage. However, it’s worth pointing out that the Canucks gave up a shorthanded goal in the first.

Moving forward, the Canucks will need to shore up their power play to minimize potential scoring chances from the opposition.

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#2. The Canucks played on cruise control

Leading 4-1 heading into the second period, the Vancouver Canucks became too comfortable. They allowed a late goal from Andersson in the second that brought the Flames to get back into the game.

The Flames came out flying in the third period, pressuring the Canucks defense. The Canucks struggled to contain them, with goaltender Arturs Silovs looking out of sync.

The Pospisil goal, which made it 4-3, highlighted the defensive breakdown the Canucks underwent until they regrouped late in the third.

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#3. The Canucks didn’t quit

After blowing a 4-1 lead, the Canucks made a late push to force OT. J.T. Miller’s late goal with the net empty showed resilience on Vancouver’s part.

Kudos to coach Rick Tocchet for pulling the Canucks together late in the game. While other teams may have completely fallen apart after blowing a big lead, the Canucks managed to shake off the poor showing in the third to score late.

Unfortunately, the Canucks lost the game on a bit of a bad break in OT. Moving forward, the Canucks will need to focus on playing with full intensity for the full 60 minutes. The Canucks cannot afford to assume games are under total control regardless of how large a lead they hold.