Canucks routed in Tampa

In Tampa on Tuesday night, the Vancouver Canucks had 1-0 lead in their game with the Lightning and were tied 2-2 in the middle frame.

There are no moral victories in a 9-2 loss, but it was important to point out the Canucks were in this game for at least a period of hockey before the roof fell in, in a six-goal second period for the Bolts.

Carter Verhaeghe scored his first NHL hat trick in the win.

“It feels pretty good,” Verhaeghe said. “All the guys were trying to get me the puck there and [Kucherov] makes a great play. It was a great effort by the guys.”

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 21 saves in the win.

“He (Verhaeghe) has been playing with some more confidence now and we saw that tonight,” the Lightning’s Steven Stamkos said. “He could’ve had four or five. Obviously, it was great to get him out there and [Kucherov] made a great play and as you could tell by the celebration on the bench we were so happy for him.”

Elias Pettersson and Loui Eriksson were the goal scorers for the Canucks.

“I think our guys were excited to play tonight,” Canucks head coach Travis Green said. “You could feel it on the bench when we made it 2-2. It’s no secret, there was a little bit of magnitude with this game. All of a sudden five minutes later it’s 6-2 and you could really feel a real letdown from our group. I don’t think we even recovered in the third period.”

Brayden Point, Alex Killorn,  Tyler Johnson, Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Erik Cernak  all scored single markers for the Canucks over the second and third periods.

“A big part of what we’re trying to learn, and trying to do, is close out games,” Point said. “Tonight I thought we did a good job in the third period. We stuck with it and kept playing our game. We got rewarded for it on the scoresheet.”

[WATCH: All Canucks vs. Lightning highlights]

Jacob Markstrom got the start for Vancouver but was given the hook late in the middle frame after giving up six goals.  He made 15 saves.

“It’s terrible,” Markstrom said. “There’s a reason you get pulled, because there’s a big possibility we’re not winning the hockey game. It’s embarrassing personally. Mostly for the team, you feel like you let down your teammates. It’s never a good feeling.”

Thatcher Demko (13 saves) finished up the game and yielded three goals in the third period.

“We turned to many pucks over,” Canucks center Bo Horvat said. “And a team like that, that’s got that much firepower, is going to make you play for it.”