Official, power-play woes set Canucks back in Sharks loss

SAN JOSE — When the referee turned the game into a power-play shootout, the San Jose Sharks brought out a rocket launcher while the Vancouver Canucks tried a Nerf gun. Even David could not defeat Goliath with that firepower.

The Sharks got two goals from their power play and another from the National Hockey League’s command center in Toronto and snapped Vancouver’s winning streak by one game with a 3-2 win over the Canucks on Friday.

The Canucks haven’t won two straight since Oct. 19.

That they lost by just one goal Friday shows how much better Vancouver was in a game even at power when shot attempts were 65-43 for the Canucks.

The struggling team has lost a bunch of games on special teams this season, but it’s usually the penalty kill that wears down the Canucks, not their power play.

Against the Sharks, who turned the game around in the second period on a five-on-three power play made possible by referee Garrett Rank’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes, the Canucks failed to produce more than 11:37 of power-play time and, officially, eight advantage.

San Jose went 2-for-6 on the power play, though the Sharks’ winning goal came at 15:17 of the second period on a review initiated by the NHL’s situational room, which used X-ray technology to determine that Vancouver goalie Nikita Tulopello’s glove was completely over the goal line.

“I don’t think so,” Tolopello said after former Canuck Adam Gaudet’s game-winner. “I don’t think my glove was behind the line … but I haven’t seen the replay from above. My glove was right on the post. I don’t think they could see clearly that, of course, completely behind the line. But they made a call and (there’s) nothing you can do.”

Referees Rank and Riley Brace made a lot of calls.

Of the 60-minute game, which wasn’t particularly physical, 19:58 were played on special teams.

After Willem Eklund threw a puck under Tupelo at the back post to tie the game 2-2 with the Sharks tied at five at three with 14:03 left in the middle frame, the referees did what NHL officials usually do when they become a factor: They began looking for San Jose penalties.

The Sharks were shorthanded six times in the final 25 minutes, though the final Canuck power play lasted less than two seconds at 19:58 due to a melee that saw Sharks Barkley Goodreau and Ty DeLandrea each push back Elias Patterson.

But the Canucks’ eighth-ranked power play (23.8 percent), a 10-for-30 hitter in the last seven games, couldn’t score. It failed to create enough close-range chances against Sharks goalie Yaroslav Skarov, who had daylight in front of him to see, catch and put away a bunch of late point shots from Vancouver.

“We seemed a little out of sorts,” Canucks coach Adam Foote said of the power play. “It looked like emotions got into it, got involved, and we were just out of sync. You’ve got to start all over again; it’s a game to get a win. We had them all night (on five). There was a lot going on with the calls … on both sides, so I don’t know what to tell you about it.”

Foote later added: “I didn’t like our shots. We’ve got to take a hard look at it and maybe … when it’s happening, we’ll throw two Ds and get Phil (Hronic) shooting on net. I think we’re predicting a little too much, and they were just jumping on it. We’ll talk about it and figure it out.”

The Canucks visit the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night before finishing their grueling four-game road trip against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.

“They scored power play goals, we didn’t,” Canuck Brock Boozer said. “So it comes down to that.”

“I think we had some good looks; we just didn’t score. I think we have to hold on when we get the power play late in the game and find a way to score.”

Boeser, who finished with five shots and 10 attempts on net, scored on a power play to put the Canucks ahead 1-0 at 4:28 of the first period. The lead only lasted until 9:25 when Will Smith scored at the back door with Hughes in the penalty box for interference.

That soft call for a hit against Häklund, who was jumping for a high puck and reacted dramatically to the contact, is a citation for the unsportsmanlike penalty assessed to Hughes at 12:28 of the second period.

Prior to that call, Patterson scored one of the most impressive goals in the NHL this season, using his nimble hands to hustle the puck around Shark Tyler Toffoli, then weave around Skaroff before scoring off a knee at 3:04.

Peterson later took a holding penalty, so the Canucks’ two best offensive players, Peterson and Hughes, were assessed a total of three minors in one game, after collecting just six penalties all season.

Another call against Hughes turned out to be particularly damaging when Canuck defenseman Marcus Peterson tripped Maclin Celebrini during the Sharks’ five-on-four power play, bringing down two Vancouver players.

Asked postgame if he had been assessed a non-sports minor during his first six years in the NHL, Hughes told SportsNet: “I’m not sure, I can’t remember one.”

But the skipper added: “References do a really good job in the league, so I don’t have anything to say about that. And it doesn’t matter what happened (to their power plays) because it’s not like we didn’t have our power play and we didn’t have our vision. So I won’t blame them (the call).

“I know what was said (and), I mean, I’ve heard worse that wasn’t called,” Foote said. “But I don’t even know what caused it, you never know.”

Foote said the call could be due to “the last couple of games,” which suggests some history between Hughes and the rink, or at least Hughes and the referee.

A senior official, Rank worked in the Canucks’ 5-4 win on Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks, who had a 6-3 advantage on the power play. (And we’ll take that chance for the state, for 83^RD time, that NHL referees must not call consecutive games involving the same team).

“Across the league, I think the one with the ref is pretty good,” Marcus Peterson said. “I mean, they can take a lot and we can take a lot back. I don’t know what was said… but I don’t think Quinn said anything stupid or anything like that, there should be a little more way.”

“It was a weird game, you know, the momentum swings both ways with a lot of penalties. So, yeah, it’s a stinker. We thought we’d play a pretty good game, especially in the second period … and then, bang, bang, they have three on five.”

There was no “bang” from the Vancouver Power Play.

“Sure there were a lot of penalties,” Boeser said, “but I’m not going to say anything bad about those referees. You know, they see the game before their eyes. It comes down to our power play finding a way to score.”

ICE CHIPS – Lucas Rachel returned as the Canucks’ fourth-line center after being sidelined the past three games, but barely played due to 14 power plays (4:59). . . Outside of his impressive goal, Patterson had five shots and three late tackles in the offensive zone to finish in the 14-15 circle. The rest of the Canucks went 12-25. . . Four years later when Scharz ended his contract, Evander Kane pulled the puck every time he shot for Vancouver. He assisted on Patterson’s goal. . . In his second game since Kiefer Sherwood’s name went on trade billboards, the fire winger had four shots, eight attempts, four hits, one block and two faceoffs in 17:57 of ice time in the win.