The Canucks came into this game playing some good hockey but not getting good results.

This was once again the case as the Oilers scored four straight goals to overcome a 3-0 deficit and the Canucks lost by a score of 4-3.

The Oilers have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL. They averaged over four goals over their past 11 games and have nine wins in that stretch.

We all know that this Oilers team runs through Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Canucks defence and top-six group had their hands full once again in this game.

Thatcher Demko was in the crease for the Canucks while Mike Smith patrolled the crease for the visitors.

As for the lineup, it was much of the same for the Canucks as they did not make any roster changes from their Sunday night affair with the Winnipeg Jets.

It was that time of the night once again, the Canucks need to string together a handful of wins to even get back in the playoff conversation.

Time for puck drop, let’s go!

The Canucks came out looking to put pucks on net and test Smith early. It worked well for them as Bo Horvat fired a shot through Smith’s five-hole from a bad angle. 1-0 Canucks.

The Canucks kept pushing in the early stages of the period as they were able to get a handful of shots on net. The Oilers big guns were also firing shots and it felt like this was going to be a high-flying game.

The Canucks’ luck looked like it was finally starting to turn as Tyler Myers ripped a slap shot that deflected off of Tyler Ennis’ stick and past Smith. 2-0 Canucks.

It was a back and forth period as both teams were able to get some scoring chances but the Oilers weren’t able to capitalize like the Canucks were.

Speaking of capitalizing, Elias Pettersson got in on the action after he won an offensive zone faceoff and went to the net where he swept a backhand shot past Smith to make it 3-0 Canucks.

Demko was tested and stood up to the task in the opening frame as he made a couple of big saves to maintain the lead. The Oilers did get a late goal as Dominik Kahun fired a shot that rolled down Demko’s back and into the net. 3-1 after the Kahun goal.

That was it for the first period, the Canucks got their goals and outshot the Oilers by a count of 11-9.

The period began with much of the same as the Canucks were controlling possession and getting shots on Smith from some dangerous areas.

There was noticeable extra attention being thrown at McDavid in the first half of the game. No matter where he was on the ice, the Canucks had two or three skaters around him.

That’s really all you can do against the best player in the world. McDavid is going to get his, and the Canucks just want to limit his one-on-one situations with their defencemen.

The first power play came with 13:48 remaining in the period as Quinn Hughes took a stick to the face and the Canucks went to work with the man advantage.

The first unit looked extremely dangerous as multiple players had grade “A” scoring chances but couldn’t get one past Smith. The second unit looked sharp as well with the best chances coming from a Nate Schmidt bomb that just narrowly missed the net.

The Oilers loaded up their two-headed monster line after the penalty kill and worked the puck in the offensive zone for two minutes as they drew a Canucks penalty. This was the first power play chance for the Oilers and they are always dangerous.

The most dangerous scoring chance came when Antoine Roussel stole a puck and broke in all alone on Smith. He attempted a deke before going to the five-hole but Smith was up to the task.

It was becoming a game of penalty tag as the Oilers took a penalty right after their power play expired. This sent the Canucks to their second power play of the game.

Tag, the Canucks are it.

The Oilers went back to the power play when Roussel made Jesse Puljujarvi bleed his own blood with an uppercut in a post-whistle scrum.

Even with the man advantages for both teams, it was a scoreless second period and the Canucks took their two-goal lead into the third period.

The Oilers made things interesting very early into the period as they cut the lead down to one goal just 55 seconds into the period. Kahun scored his second goal of the game and that gave the visitors a major boost of momentum. 3-2 after the Oilers’ second goal.

That momentum carried over to the next sequence of events which included Alex Edler taking a penalty to give the Oilers their third power play of the game.

McDavid made it happen for the Oilers as he found a ton of space on the right side and fired a shot into the open net. 3-3 after the McDavid power play goal.

The Canucks were on their heels after being in control for the first 40 minutes of this game. This Oilers team can score at the drop of a dime and the Canucks needed to show some pushback or they’d add to their tough record in the month of February.

The Canucks were looking shaky in the first half of the third period. The Oilers brought wave after wave of pressure and though the Canucks were able to get some scoring chances off the rush, the Oilers were able to score once again.

It was a pinball goal that hit a leg before bouncing off of Ennis’ skate and past Demko. 4-3 Oilers after their fourth straight goal.

The Canucks had six minutes left to show something. If not, they were going to be back in a zoom meeting talking about how they couldn’t give a full 60-minute effort.

Tyler Myers took a bonehead penalty with 3:23 remaining when he got in front of Kailer Yamamoto after he chipped the puck in and took an interference penalty.

The Canucks weren’t able to generate any scoring chances late and they lose 4-3.

Cancelled due to NST being down for this game.

This is huge.

Bo Horvat: Horvat scored the opening goal and had five shots on net in 17:42 of ice time.

Olli Juolevi: Throughout the night, Juolevi looked to defend well and was physical at times on the boards to gain possession. His game has come a long way and Tuesday night was a perfect example of him having a good, quiet game.

The Canucks now only have two wins in their last 12 games and the hope of playoffs is all but over. This team just gave away a three-goal lead and that might be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The game took a massive swing in the third period and the Canucks weren’t able to rein in their game to milk a third period lead to the finish line. It’s another example of this team just not being good enough to be considered a playoff team.

There’s not much to say anymore, this team just isn’t good enough.

Expect 2021 draft coverage soon.