Winless in their last five, the Vancouver Canucks are a “fragile” team.
Head coach John Tortorella didn’t hesitate to admit it last night after the Pittsburgh Penguins scored twice in the final 71 seconds to tie it, ultimately winning 5-4 in the shootout.
“But that’s part of growing as a team,” said Tortorella, notably calm and composed after such a tough loss. “That’s what’s on us. Yeah, I think it’s fragile. I think all teams get in this state; it’s how quickly you can get out of it. That’s the important thing for our club right now; it’s how to change the momentum.”
Last night’s blown lead wasn’t the first of the season for Vancouver. In fact, it wasn’t even the first in the last week. Sunday in Anaheim, the Ducks tied it with 87 seconds left and won in the final tick of overtime.
For the Canucks, it sure feels a long way from 2010-11, when, if anything, they were accused of overconfidence and arrogance.
It also won’t get any easier anytime soon. Friday, the Blues pay a visit to Rogers Arena. Then, it’s a three-game trip to Los Angeles, Anaheim and Phoenix.
“The state of our team right now, we’ve gotta just try to get the positives and build off it,” said Tortorella, who seemed pleased with the overall performance versus the Penguins, save for the late collapse.
“There’s no sense in whining about it. There’s no sense in looking for excuses. We just have to continue to try and get better as a team.”