Chicago stay on the skids after loss to Canucks

This is really not how the script was written or conceived in Chicago.

On Thursday night, the Blackhawks lost, again, this time to the Vancouver Canucks, 4-1.

Thatcher Demko made 29 saves to get the win.

for the Canucks (2-2-1), who lost their previous two games.

“It was a good bounce-back game,” Demko said. “There was some stuff we wanted to clean up from Buffalo (a 5-2 loss Tuesday). It’s a good 60 minutes, I thought. We sustained our style for the full 60, which is something we’re trying to evolve with. A lot of good things tonight.

“I think ‘statement’ is actually the perfect word for it. We’re not trying to prove anything to anyone outside off our room, but it’s important for our group to all be on the same page with that stuff. I think that’s where the standards come from. Last year wasn’t good enough for our group. We need to make sure that we’re not falling into those patterns again.”

Chicago is now 0-4-1.

“We’ve got to shoot the puck more, got to be at the net, give ourselves a chance to score a dirty goal, let the puck go in off you, create a rebound,” Chicago coach Jeremy Colliton said. “When they’re pinching their D, let’s win a puck battle so we can create a 2-on-1. We were pinching our D the first three games and they were winning battles and going 2-on-1 the other way. We can do that too. There’s little things you can do and ultimately we’ve got to give ourselves a chance to get a bounce.

“I feel like we haven’t generated enough of those second opportunities, those deflections, those rebound goals. Not enough pressure around the net and then when you have it there, you’ve got to put the puck there. That’s something we’ve talked about.”

Alex DeBrincat had the lone goal of the match for Chicago. His power-play goal tied the game, 1-1, in the first period.

Jason Dickinson gave Vancouver the early lead.

“We’ve got some skill in our group,” Vancouver head coach Travis Green said. “You can’t play the game on the outside. Certain guys are more capable than others and play different types of games. There’s no secret to that either. Big goal.”

Tanner Pearson gave the Canucks a 2-1 lead in the middle frame.

Brock Boeser scored off the power-play for a 3-1 lead.

“A two-goal lead is huge,” Boeser said. “When you get a 5-on-3, it’s really important to cash in on it.”

Conor Garland iced the game with an empty-net strike for the 4-1 final.