As we all know, it was a depleted Canucks lineup. If you need a reminder on the Canucks’ latest injury updates, click here.

Tonight was a night where the Canucks were going to need their best players to be their best players. Clearly, Conor Garland got that memo, as he immediately set the tone for the visiting Canucks. In Washington, it was Garland setting up Elias Pettersson, and tonight, it was Pettersson setting up Garland, who moved in off the wing and blasted a slap shot past Arturs Silovs.

Through the first eight minutes of this game, it was all Canucks, as they were outshooting the Penguins 6-0. Evander Kane even found himself in all alone on a breakaway, but came up short. On his next shift, Kane took a penalty, giving the Penguins the game’s first power play opportunity. While shorthanded, Elias Pettersson (the forward) made a great read to pick off the Penguins’ cross-ice pass attempt and get going the other way on a 2-0 with Conor Garland. Pettersson elected to shoot, ripping the puck high and wide over Arturs Silovs’ blocker. While a 2-0 lead would have been great, the Canucks managed to kill the penalty off, which is mainly what mattered.

Back at 5v5, the Penguins turned in a strong shift where the Canucks were in essence shorthanded thanks to a shot block that left PO Joseph in discomfort, and managed to tie things up:

Evander Kane drew a tripping penalty shortly after, absolving himself from his earlier transgression. On the ensuing power play, Linus Karlsson made a power move from behind the goal line and tried to slide the puck underneath Arturs Silovs’ pads. Unfortunately, Karlsson’s ex-Abbotsford Canucks teammate got the better of him, and the game remained tied.

The power plays continued, as the Canucks were assessed a bench minor for too many men on the ice. Once again, the Canucks’ PK stood tall.

Some takeaways from the first:

-Pretty soft too many men on the ice penalty.
-A solid start from the Canucks in game four of five on this road trip.
-Conor Garland continues to be this team’s engine.

The Penguins came out with a strong push to start the second period. They were jumping on the Canucks’ passes through the neutral zone, and started to tilt the ice in their favour. Kevin Lankinen made a phenomenal save to help the Canucks’ withstand the Penguins’ push:

There wasn’t much flow in the second period for either side, but the Canucks did have a stretch where they began to stack shifts on the Penguins. Unfortunately, Drew O’Connor took an offensive zone penalty, giving the Penguins their third power play of the game. The Penguins made good on that opportunity:

The Penguins kept coming, and before the end of the second, Sidney Crosby continued his hot start to the season, where he’s once again reminded us all that he’s still got it.

Unfortunately, it didn’t stop there. After a great chance in the Penguins’ end, the Canucks conceded another goal, and found themselves down by three heading into the third.

Some more takeaways from the second:

-While the game was no question choppier than it was in the first period, the two teams both had a high effort level. That was cool, at least.
-In the first intermission, I watched Panthers-Bruins. The Bruins’ tribute video for Brad Marchand was yet another moment where I found myself liking Brad Marchand. I find myself liking him more and more these days, and I don’t know how to feel about it.
-Still waiting for Quinn Hughes to be his dominant self…

The Canucks got their second power play opportunity of the game within the first minute of the third period. They did not score. Then Marcus Pettersson took a holding penalty. And the Penguins’ power play made it 5-1 in a hurry.

The Canucks got another power play, and Quinn Hughes was quite clearly trying to test Silovs with high point shots (if you know, you know). Unfortunately, most of the Canucks’ attempts missed the mark, and the PP opportunity went by the wayside.

This game was close until it wasn’t, and once it wasn’t, it wasn’t much fun.

Some takeaways from the third:

-This looks like a depleted team. I’m going to use that adjective in the title, I think.
-Will a trade for a centre fix this? Here are seven who could be available via trade.

What’s your instant reaction to tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments section below!