LATEST | Rick Tocchet critical of Quinn Hughes & Filip Hronek's play

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Cooper Godin
March 1, 2024 (1:51 PM)

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It has been a rough couple of weeks for the Vancouver Canucks, and in their last seven games, the team only has one win, which came last Saturday in overtime against the Boston Bruins.

However, thankfully due to their strong start to the 2023-24 season and their play throughout the first few months, the Canucks remain in first place in the Pacific Division, with a ten-point lead on the second-place Vegas Golden Knights. They also are two points up on the Dallas Stars for first place in the Western Conference.

Last night, the Canucks took on the Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Arena before heading off on a three-game road trip, but they would go on to lose the game by a score of 5-1.

Following the game, Canucks Head Coach Rick Tocchet was critical of the play of Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek, saying that they need to play better and that maybe he's playing them too much.

"They gotta play better. You've got to be able to defend. Maybe we're playing them too much." Tocchet said.

He added, "Sometimes you've gotta win a game 2-0 or 2-1 & I don't know if we have that mentality right now. Some guys haven't scored in a while, and they're pressing I wouldn't say I like stats. Stats come when a team plays well. If you chase stats, that's what happens."

While the Canucks haven't played well at all in the last two weeks, there's no doubt that with the roster they have, they'll bounce back, and it's good that they're facing some adversity now rather than in April or the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Vancouver Canucks will open up their three-game road trip in Anaheim against the Ducks on Sunday night. The puck drop is set for 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on Sportsnet Pacific.