Lekkerimaki Scores First NHL Goal in Canucks’ 5-2 Loss to the Islanders

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In Dakota Joshua’s return to the lineup, the Vancouver Canucks met their former captain Bo Horvat and the New York Islanders for their first matchup of the season. Unfortunately, his return did not spark the Canucks. They started on a positive with Jonathan Lekkerimaki’s first NHL goal, but it quickly went downhill from there as they could only generate six shots on Semyon Varlamov before the start of the third period. Thanks to Scott Mayfield and Pierre Engvall, two players that don’t score that often, the Islanders jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second. The third was better for the home team, but they still ended up losing 5-2 in yet another lackluster effort at Rogers Arena.

Game Recap

After allowing the first goal in eight games straight, the Canucks finally opened the scoring via Lekkerimaki’s first NHL goal. Taking a pass from JT Miller down the left wing, he blasted home his first in the league on his team’s first shot of the game. Unfortunately, they couldn’t build on that positive energy and only put two more pucks on Varlamov the rest of the period. And one was from beyond center ice by Filip Hronek. The Islanders, meanwhile, had the measure of the chances in the opening frame, outshooting the Canucks 9-3 eventually tying the game on their second power play when Anders Lee connected on a cross-crease pass to Jean Gabriel Pageau for a tap-in.

The Canucks’ lethargic game continued in the second as the Islanders scored two quick goals in the opening 2:30 to turn a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 lead. Mayfield scored his first since April 8, 2023 on a deflection off Miller 14 seconds in and then Engvall potted his first of the season 1:46 later. The rest of the period was pretty much all Islanders, this time outshooting the Canucks 15-3. Heading into the third, the Islanders held a 24-6 advantage with only three Canucks forwards generating shots.

The Canucks were able to up their shot total in the final frame, throwing 20 pucks at Varlamov, but could only put one by him in garbage time when they were already down 4-1. Islanders captain Anders Lee scored his seventh a little over halfway through the period before Noah Dobson scored into an empty net to make it 5-1. Tyler Mylers scored his first in the final two minutes to make it a 5-2 final as the Canucks fell to 2-3-3 on home ice. They have now allowed 29 goals in Vancouver, which translates to a dreadful average of 4.14 per game.

Kevin Lankinen stopped 27 of 31 in the loss while Varlamov countered with 24 saves on 26 shots after facing only six in the first two periods.

What’s Next For the Canucks & Islanders

The Canucks will play their fourth game on this six-game homestand on Saturday when Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks come to town. The Islanders also play on Saturday, traveling to Seattle to play the Kraken.

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