Overview
- Vancouver sits 9-12-2 through 23 games and 30th in the NHL, with the most goals allowed and the league’s worst penalty kill reported.
- After a 5-2 loss to Calgary, Adam Foote said he was satisfied with the defensive structure, noting 12 five-on-five scoring chances against.
- Foote dismissed third-party analysis with a widely repeated line about "people in Russia in a basement, having cigarettes and cashews."
- The first-year head coach said he will not publicly single out young players, emphasizing that criticism and teaching will stay in-house.
- He attributed defensive problems to injuries, citing absences of Thatcher Demko, Filip Chytil, Teddy Blueger, Nils Höglander, and Derek Forbort, as the Canucks open a road trip in Anaheim on Wednesday.