{"id":443847,"date":"2026-02-03T20:09:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T20:09:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/443847\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T20:09:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T20:09:19","slug":"canucks-news-rumours-lankinen-ohgren-blueger-eroding-confidence-the-hockey-writers-vancouver-canucks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/443847\/","title":{"rendered":"Canucks News & Rumours: Lankinen, Ohgren, Blueger & Eroding Confidence – The Hockey Writers – Vancouver Canucks"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was another long night for the Vancouver Canucks<\/a>, and by now the pattern is familiar. The Utah Mammoth came in looking like a team tired of hearing about its two-game skid, and it played with the kind of purpose Vancouver hasn\u2019t been able to match lately. Nick Schmaltz picked up his second hat trick of the season<\/a> and finished with five points in a game that never really felt in doubt for the Mammoth.<\/p>\n

Utah built a 2\u20131 lead in the first, carried the momentum into the second, and by the end of the period, they were cruising at 5\u20131. The Canucks spent most of the night chasing, reacting, and trying to settle things down, but Utah simply kept pushing.<\/p>\n

Related: Canucks Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines \u2013 Lekkerimaki, Ohgren, Willander, Tolopilo & More<\/a><\/p>\n

Liam Ohgren and Teddy Blueger scored for Vancouver, and both played hard in a game where their team never found any rhythm. Kevin Lankinen only faced 20 shots, which on most nights should mean your team is keeping things manageable. Instead, almost every one of Utah\u2019s looks came from prime scoring areas. It was that kind of night again.<\/p>\n

Item One: Vancouver\u2019s Slide Is Eroding Confidence<\/p>\n

When this skid started, the talk was about structure: missed coverages, sloppy neutral-zone touches, slow support. Coaches can correct those things. Systems can be tightened. But after 18 games with only two wins, something bigger is settling in. You can see it shift from X\u2019s and O\u2019s into body language and hesitation. The Canucks aren\u2019t playing like a team that expects good things to happen. They\u2019re playing like a team waiting for the next mistake.<\/p>\n

\"KevinVancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen stops a shot by Seattle Kraken forward Eeli Tolvanen during a shootout (Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the tricky part. In the NHL, the gap between being sharp and being unsure is pretty thin. When you feel good, you trust your reads, your stride has some bite, and the puck works for you. When you don\u2019t, every decision comes half a second late. That\u2019s what Vancouver looks like right now. Zone exits have become slower. Close plays around the net aren\u2019t followed up with second efforts. Breakouts collapse because players are waiting instead of moving.<\/p>\n

Related: Canucks: A Look Back at the Bo Horvat for Cory Schneider Trade<\/a><\/p>\n

This doesn\u2019t look like a group that\u2019s quit, but rather one that\u2019s just stuck. Sometimes being stuck is worse because you can see the effort, but not the confidence. The Olympic break might arrive at the perfect time. The coaches can reset the deck, the players can breathe a little, and maybe the noise around the team quiets long enough for them to remember that they have the talent to win games. Belief, though, that\u2019s the part that has to come back first.<\/p>\n

Item Two: Ohgren Has Become a Small Bright Spot<\/p>\n

Liam Ohgren<\/a> hasn\u2019t had the smoothest start to his NHL journey, but he\u2019s beginning to show enough flashes that we can understand why the Canucks were eager to bring him in. His goal against Utah<\/a> wasn\u2019t highlight-reel stuff, but it was exactly the kind of assertive, middle-driving play Vancouver wants from him. When the team is struggling this badly, it\u2019s easy to worry that young players might shrink a bit. Ohgren has gone the other way. He\u2019s embraced the opportunity.<\/p>\n

\"LiamLiam Ohgren, Vancouver Canucks (John Jones-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

The coaching staff has had to walk a fine line with him: give him enough minutes to develop, but not so much that he\u2019s overwhelmed. And this stretch hasn\u2019t been the ideal context for a young winger trying to find his footing. Still, his habits look strong. He\u2019s battling on pucks, he\u2019s tracking well, and he\u2019s working to make plays even when everything around him is stuck in first gear.<\/p>\n

Related: Canucks News & Rumours: Tolopilo, Patterson & Romani<\/a><\/p>\n

As the season moves forward, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising to see the coaches trust him more. Adversity can reveal who\u2019s steady, who\u2019s rattled, and who keeps pushing. Ohgren looks like he\u2019s built to handle the rough patches.<\/p>\n

Item Three: Blueger Has Become a Second Bright Spot <\/p>\n

In a game with very few positives, Teddy Blueger<\/a> made sure his name didn\u2019t get missed. He had a goal, an assist, four hits, and basically drove whatever offence Vancouver managed to create. He was noticeable, showing a ton of urgency.<\/p>\n

\"TeddyTeddy Blueger, Vancouver Canucks (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Since returning from a 43-game absence, he\u2019s put up five points, and for a bottom-six centre, that\u2019s a solid stretch. The bigger thing is the jump in his pace and confidence. He\u2019s reading plays, pushing the puck, and winning battles. When a team is stuck like Vancouver is right now, small sparks matter more than usual.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s making a case for some extra responsibility. With the Canucks leaking chances defensively and searching for players they can lean on, Blueger\u2019s consistency has become one of the few reliable things in the lineup right now.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next for the Canucks?<\/p>\n

The Canucks\u2019 big concern now is direction. Two wins in 18 games will force management to ask big questions. That brief homestand offered a flicker of life, but the road has dragged the group right back into the same questions. They face the Vegas Golden Knights for their final game before the Olympic break on Wednesday, and it feels like more than just another date on the calendar.<\/p>\n

Related: Canucks News & Rumours: Tolopilo, Lekkerimaki, Willander & Reichel<\/a><\/p>\n

A clean, competitive game would help reset the temperature and give them something to build on after the break. Another lopsided loss, though, and the break becomes less about rest and more about figuring out what\u2019s gone off the rails. This market reacts fast, and the players and coaches know it.<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was another long night for the Vancouver Canucks, and by now the pattern is familiar. The Utah…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":443848,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5128],"tags":[894,5,1538,798,4,10316,893,27,5313],"class_list":{"0":"post-443847","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-vancouver-canucks","8":"tag-canucks","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-kevin-lankinen","11":"tag-liam-ohgren","12":"tag-nhl","13":"tag-teddy-blueger","14":"tag-vancouver","15":"tag-vancouver-canucks","16":"tag-vancouvercanucks"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116008516048610957","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=443847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/443848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=443847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=443847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=443847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}