Canucks Malhotra Sounds Alarm After Embarrassing Loss

Getty GettyEveryone expected the Vancouver Canucks to be bad.I’m not sure how many people expected them to be this bad.The Canucks are now 3-16-1 at the 20-game mark. That’s tied for the worst 20-game start over the last 20 years in the NHL.Only the Arizona Coyotes managed to muster just seven points in their first 20 games over the last two decades, going 2-15-3 during the 2017-18 campaign.Monday night’s loss to the Philadelphia Flyers was a new low for the Canucks. Playing a similarly embattled team on home ice, the Canucks mustered just six shots through two periods before eventually losing 3-1.That had Malhotra beginning to show frustration with his club.Manny Malhotra Frustrated With Canucks’ Repeated MistakesAfter Monday’s defeat, Malhotra expressed frustration at mistakes that keep popping up, even though they’ve been addressed by his staff.“We discussed how we knew what we were getting into throughout the course of the season,” Malhotra said. “When mistakes are made, they’re going to happen; we understand that, but when we keep seeing the same mistakes, it’s problematic.”The Canucks coach preached that his staff is working to correct these mistakes, but they’re not seeing much improvement.“They’re addressed daily,” he said. They’re addressed post-game. And when you don’t see the proper response to those corrections, the end result is what you saw tonight.”Vancouver entered the season understanding that a rebuild would bring difficult results, but Malhotra clearly expects a higher standard of execution and effort.Monday’s performance offered little evidence that the message is getting through.“The most frustrating part was our start,” he said. “When you know what the topic of discussion for the game is, and you want to stress a team early that’s coming in on a back-to-back…the message is we have to have that same level of intensity that we played with the other night.”“To come out as flat as we did and make the same mistakes and take dumb penalties, it’s concerning. It’s frustrating. It’s becoming a problem.”Malhotra Has a Message for Canucks FansRogers Arena was a House of Horrors for the Canucks last season. It’s arguably even worse this year.Vancouver has an ugly 1-8 record on home ice, with their only win coming against the Calgary Flames back on Oct. 3.While attendance has dropped, Canucks fans still largely show up at Rogers Arena. And Malhotra had a message for them after Monday’s loss.“They’re intelligent hockey fans, they understand what’s going on here,” Malhotra said. “At the same time, we want to put forth an effort that’s worthy of their cheering and their praise and their commitment to the team.”For a team that entered the season expecting to rebuild, losing games was always going to be part of the process.But failing to put forth an effort that looks at least somewhat NHL-calibre isn’t something that Malhotra seems willing to accept. Nor should he.And, showing very little fight against a lowly Philadelphia Flyers team should serve as a wake-up call for the Canucks.This article was originally published on HEAVYThe post Canucks Malhotra Sounds Alarm After Embarrassing Loss appeared first on HEAVY.