Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet made his feelings known about forward Kiefer Sherwood’s defensive play, which contributed to the team’s 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.
Nikita Kucherov tied the game 1-1 early in the second period after Ryan McDonagh set him up for an open shot. Tocchet pointed out that Sherwood’s decision to press forward instead of maintaining his defensive position led to a breakdown in the team’s structure.
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He noted that this misalignment left the Canucks vulnerable, allowing Kucherov to capitalize on the opportunity. After the game, Tocchet said:
“They got twisted around. Sherwood should have went to — he pressed, he should have stayed back. We would have got back in our diamond. If you look, when they scored, we were in a box situation.”
“And obviously Kucherov hits that back door. He’s so good at that, or he’s unreal …. we just got a little twisted up.”
The Tampa Bay Lightning were effective on the power play, converting two of their opportunities, including the crucial goal that came with the man advantage.
Throughout the game, the Lightning recorded 11 shots on goal during their power plays, which ultimately contributed to the Canucks’ loss. Reflecting on the team’s penalty kill, Sherwood said:
“I thought our five-on-five play. . . was a lot better tonight. I think our defensive detail was a lot better. I mean, their power play is just so good for so many years, and you saw. They just capitalized.”
This marked the second defeat for Vancouver in its last five games. The club currently sits third in the Pacific Division with 32 points (14-8-4) after 26 games.
