The Vancouver Canucks keep doing it to themselves. Once again, Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and company have failed to string together wins in the NHL, losing to the Chicago Blackhawks at home. Following the gut-wrenching defeat, Hughes dropped a vivid message.
Vancouver had won 11 games a row against Chicago—going all the way back to the 2021-22 NHL season. However, when the Hawks visited the ‘Nucks at Rogers Arena, they put an end to the losing streak with a commanding triumph. At least, the scoreboard reflected that. On the ice, the action was evenly-matched, and the Canucks actually dominated most of the game.
Vancouver’s lack of efficiency in front of the Blackhawks and Spencer Knight’s net came back to bite the home team. On the other end of the ice, Hughes, Pettersson, and the Canucks did no favors to goalie Kevin Lankinen. The star defenseman in Vancouver had seen enough of his team’s missed opportunities, making his frustration clear with a blunt postgame statement.
“I didn’t see any insane saves [from Spencer Knight], did you? Yeah, so,” Hughes answered during his postgame media availability. “We had out chances in the first and second period. Then, a little bit too sloppy in the third, for sure.”
Elias Pettersson at Rogers Arena on October 9, 2025 in Vancouver, Canada.
Un-knighted
After the game, Knight earned second-star honors, finishing with 43 saves on 45 shots (.956 save percentage). The former Florida Panthers netminder shut the door on Pettersson and the Canucks, denying them any chance to build momentum. In more ways than one, Knight took the wind out of Vancouver’s sails during the rainy night in Vancity. Regardless, Hughes didn’t think too highly of Knight’s outing.
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“Not really, [I don’t give credit to the goaltender]. He made some good saves, but I don’t think he made any outlandish saves,” Hughes stated. “I don’t know what the shot count was, I mean he played well, but. We got some good shots to him.”
Rough night
Coming off a two-point night in the 5–4 overtime win over the Nashville Predators, Pettersson wasn’t on his A-game against the Blackhawks. Fans in Vancouver are still scratching their heads over some of his decision-making throughout the night. Perhaps the clearest sign of Pettersson’s rough outing came when he squandered a potential game-tying opportunity—choosing a drop pass that was easily broken up instead of taking the shot.
The Canucks want to see their Swedish star fire the puck more often, but that remains a work in progress. Naturally, some nights will be better than others, but Adam Foote and his staff are hoping for a little more consistency.
