It’s easy to say the Vancouver Canucks haven’t played well, given the schedule and eight straight losses. But that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Over their last five losses, the Canucks have actually done an admirable job of staying in these games through the first 40 minutes. It’s the final 20 where the Canucks just can’t manage a way to get the result across the finish line.

Against the New York Rangers, they trailed by one; against the New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Carolina Hurricanes, they were tied; and against the Florida Panthers, they held a two-goal lead heading into the third period. And have zero wins and just one loser point to show for it.

It’s not just that they’re getting outscored in the final frame; they’re getting heavily outplayed, even when they’re trailing. Score effects should come into play at some point, but the Canucks have struggled to turn on the jets when the game is still within reach.

In the third period of their last five losses, the Canucks have been outscored 12-0 and outshot 68-27. They have to find a way to flip the script in the final 20 minutes, and Zeev Buium and Luke Schenn are fully aware of that.

“I feel like every game it’s been something different, whether it’s special teams or a costly mistake here and there,” Schenn told Daily Faceoff Vancouver when asked what’s been going wrong in third periods. “I think we’re getting outshot by a decent margin in the third period too, which, obviously you’d like to play on your toes a little more than being on your heels. So there are a number of factors. In saying that, there are some encouraging things throughout the game, but we’ve yet to put together a full 60 this year, and that’s something we need to continue to chip away at.”

“I think we have the right mentality and the juice going into the third,” Buium told Daily Faceoff Vancouver. “Personally, I think [against Carolina], I turned that puck over at the blueline; obviously, it doesn’t end up in our net right away, but maybe we extend O-zone possession if I don’t. I think just little plays like that. But I think it’s just not getting deflated. Sometimes we still get a little deflated. Like we get scored on, and it’s like, ‘oh man, here we go again’.

“I think we just got to get through a game where it’s hard; when you’re on a losing streak, and now you’re down in the third, and it’s hard to find that gear,” Buium continued. “But I think we’re doing a better job of trying to stay even keel and have that leap. And I think once we get that win and get that confidence a little bit, it’ll kind of help us moving forward.”

Buium shared that it was about finding consistency in their game, and alluded to a phrase Schenn has been telling the rest of the room: game it out.

“Schenner had a great phrase for it: game it out. Sometimes you just got to game it out. You know, sometimes your legs aren’t going or your hands aren’t going, you’re not clicking, and you just got to find a way to win. So I think we’re just looking for that; hopefully we kind of find that soon.”

Along with the phrase, Schenn shared Buium’s sentiment about the Canucks’ lack of consistency causing them late in games:

“Like I think the biggest thing is we haven’t got the consistency. Like one night, you know, maybe we’re breaking the puck out better, and the next night we’re not; or one night we’re forechecking better, and the next night vice versa. I mean, you could ask me two days from now; I might be saying something different. I think that’s just sort of been the inconsistency, and yet I feel guys are still showing up and working and trying to find that consistency in the identity, and this is something we have to continue to do.”

Following Tuesday’s loss to the Hurricanes, Elias Pettersson and Max Sasson seemed dejected in their postgame availabilities, with Sasson describing all the losing as getting “extremely old”:

“Yeah, I would agree with that,” Schenn replied when asked about Sasson’s postgame comment. “I mean, at the end of the day, we all understand there’s talk about a rebuild, but to guys in this room, you know, no one’s thinking long-term. We’re all living it day-to-day, right? At the end of the day, there’s no better feeling than 20 guys in the room coming together and pulling off the win and working for one another; just having a good vibe and feeling around the room and showing up to the rink the next day, feeling good about yourself.

“It’s been a long stretch, for sure. But in saying that, the past is the past; the only thing we control now is the next one. At the end of the day, it starts with one, and you can’t control what’s going on. So start with one and go from there.”

Schenn, who signed in Vancouver this offseason, did not have to suffer through the painful 2025-26 season. Buium, however, did. And the 20-year-old defenceman gave a meaningful answer, acknowledging managements message that it’s not about the wins and losses, but to the players, it does matter:

“Yeah, I mean, it’s not acceptable to lose eight in a row,” Buium said. “Like, there’s no words for it. It’s embarrassing. It’s disappointing. It’s frustrating. At the end of the day, we’re all grown men in here, not just pro hockey players, but grown men. You come to the rink, and you go to work, and you can’t be pouty; you can’t cry or mope around about it. You got to stick together because the only way we’re going to figure it out is within each other. So we just gotta keep kind of going along and trying to find ways to get better.

After what has been a difficult stretch of hockey over the last two weeks, with all the losing clearly hitting the morale in the locker room, the Canucks have an opportunity to snap that streak tonight against the Detroit Red Wings.