The Vancouver Canucks run through the past month and change has truly been remarkable. They have gone from worst to first, and currently have settled into the second spot in the Northwest Division. However, some feared the All-Star break came at the worst possible time for a Canucks team that had won 10 out of 12 games going into the break. They may have been right.
Since the break, the Canucks have usually been good when they have needed to be. Excluding a close loss to the Flames, the Canucks have taken care of tough opponents, perhaps none bigger than their effort in a 3-1 victory over the always challenging San Jose Sharks. However, losses to bottom-dwelling Los Angeles, and to lackluster Columbus and Chicago teams have left the Canucks looking up at Calgary, and leaving huge points on the table. Last night’s loss to the Blackhawks was especially tough, being shutout by a goaltender who had not appeared in an NHL game since last season.
Perhaps no team knows the value of a few points better than Vancouver. Last season, in a year with much greater expectations than this one, the Canucks fell just three points shy of the final seeded Edmonton Oilers, who eventually went on to the Stanley Cup Finals. A different result in just two games could have made the Canucks that Cinderella team rather than Edmonton.
With the recent injury to Ryan Kessler, the Canucks could be looking to rent a verteran for the stretch run. The Blackhawks’ Bryan Smolinski is a name that has been on the Canucks radar in recent discussions, and could be a nice fill in for the injured center.
While it is true that the Canucks need to keep their division record above .500, they also cannot continue to throw away points against non-playoff teams. Picked by many experts to finish in the cellar of the division, the Canucks have perhaps already exceeded those expectations. However, in a hockey-crazy town, nothing short of a playoff run will be expected as the season comes to its conclusion.
