Demkoless Canucks fall short in game 2 as series moves to Nashville tied at 1

It wasn’t the best night for Canadian teams in NHL playoff action.

Following emotional game one victories, both the Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets fell short in game two of their respective series on Tuesday evening.

Despite dominating possession from start to finish, Vancouver dropped a 4-1 decision to the Nashville Predators, while a tough five-minute stretch late in the second period led to a 5-2 Jets’ loss at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche.

The #Canucks had their chances, had their looks, but couldn’t convert in game two against the Predators.

READ | https://t.co/VSOeuaqqKB

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 24, 2024

In Vancouver, the big story leading into game two was the absence of all-star goaltender Thatcher Demko, who is now considered “week-to-week” with an injury, coach Rick Tocchet said post-game.

While Casey DeSmith played adequately, the Preds managed three goals on 15 shots on the Canucks backup and it would be hard to fault the goalie for any of them.

The biggest issues for Vancouver on Tuesday came at the other end of the ice, where they controlled the puck and play for most of the game but were unable to convert that into goals.

Extra notes/tidbits from #Canucks & #Preds Gm#2:

VAN shot attempts: 84 (new team playoff record) Previous-78 (May 24/11 vs SJS)

VAN missed shots: 31 (new team PO record) Previous-25 (Apr 11/07 vs DAL)

VAN hits: 47 (ties team PO record-June 10/11 vs BOS)@Sportsnet650@SNstats

— Joey Kenward (@kenwardskorner) April 24, 2024

In fact, the Canucks recorded a playoff franchise-record 84 shot attempts, but that only translated to 18 shots on Preds goalie Jusse Saros.

Nashville blocked a whopping 32 shots and Vancouver didn’t do itself any favours, missing the net 31 times to set another playoff franchise record.

In total, there were only 35 recorded shots between both teams in Vancouver, a miniscule number compared to the 62 recorded in the game three provinces over in Winnipeg.

Series is knotted at one game eachhttps://t.co/CCG87Y1JDq | #GoJetsGo pic.twitter.com/F2OByyAScY

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) April 24, 2024

The Jets led that game for large chunks of the first and second periods, both 1-0 and 2-1, but it all seemingly fell apart in the final six minutes of the middle frame.

Three Avalanche goals in 5:37, from Artturi Lehkonen, Zach Parise and Josh Manson, turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead for Colorado and the 2022 Stanley Cup champions were able to hold on from there.

Both the Canucks and Jets will now head south of the border as their series continue in Nashville and Colorado on Friday.

In other NHL playoff action Tuesday night, the New York Rangers beat the Washington Capitals 4-2 and the Florida Panthers got an overtime goal from Carter Verhaeghe to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2.

CARTER VERHAEGHE OT HERO 🦸‍♂️🚨 pic.twitter.com/uRjguOAtgH

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 24, 2024

Both those series are 2-0 leads in favour of the Rangers and Panthers, and the Capitals and Lightning will be looking to turn the tide at home in games three and four.

There are three games on tap tonight, including a pair of Canadian teams as the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Boston Bruins and the Edmonton Oilers host the Los Angeles Kings.

Toronto will be looking to take advantage of a split in Boston to go ahead 2-1 in the series, while Edmonton is hoping to jump ahead 2-0 on Los Angeles.

The other game this evening is the Vegas Golden Knights against the Dallas Stars in Texas, with the Stars hoping to rebound from a game one loss on home ice.

_{Thumbnail photo courtesy of the Nashville Predators on X.}