Tocchet apologizes to Canucks fans, takes blame for home woes
Published
With the Vancouver Canucks falling to 2-3-3 on home ice this season, head coach Rick Tocchet issued an apology to their spectators after a 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Thursday.
“I apologize to the fans,” Tocchet said. "We’re not playing good enough at home. It’s on me. Guys played light tonight. I thought we were ready to go. We weren’t. That’s on me.
"I’ve got to get this team to play harder. In the first period, [there were] spurts here and there, but not enough from a lot of guys. We’ve got practice tomorrow and go right back to the drawing board.”
The Canucks emerged from the first period on Thursday tied 1-1 with the Islanders despite being outshout 9-3 in the opening frame. The Islanders dominated the second period, scoring two goals while outshooting the Canucks 15-3. The Canucks pushed back in the third with a 20-8 shot advantage, but trailed 5-1 before Tyler Myers added a goal late.
The Islanders improved to 7-6-4 with the win, bouncing back after two straight overtime losses.
“[We] didn’t move our feet. We talked about hitting the weak side; we didn’t. The forwards were skating backwards instead of knifing through," Tocchet explained of the loss. "It’s not the defence or the forwards, it’s the collection of five.
“I give the Islanders credit. [They’re] a well-coached team tonight. Patrick [Roy] out-coached me tonight.”
The Canucks continue to sit in the playoff picture early this season, thanks largely to a 6-1-0 record on the road. Tocchet admitted he is struggling to find an answer for the extreme difference in his team's performance when away from the comforts of home.
“I don’t know. I don’t know. I have no idea. That’s the answer I’ve got to get," Tocchet said. "We’ve got to change pre-game skates, or do something different because we cannot play light. We’re too light of a team. You cannot guess where the puck goes. You don’t have to kill people, you don’t have to ram guys through the boards - even though once in a while, I wouldn’t mind it – I’d rather a guy just stay in front of a guy. At net front, there’s too many scramble goals. It’s got to stop.”
The loss to the Islanders marked Game 3 of a six-game homestand, which the Canucks have started 1-2-0 on. Vancouver will host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday with games to follow against the Nashville Predators and New York Rangers before setting out on a six-game road trip.