VANCOUVER—If the Vancouver Canucks’ current season has offered a confusing narrative about an inconsistent team, we may soon find out just what kind of story is really unfolding.
On Saturday, the Canucks fell 6–3 to the Minnesota Wild at home. It was Vancouver’s third loss in a row, and a tough blow for a team that will now embark on a six-game road trip.
The Canucks’ struggles on the road have been well documented, but to make matters worse, four of their next six games come against teams currently holding down a playoff spot. Vancouver now finds itself six points back of the first wild card spot and five points back of the second.
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In other words: This is crunch time.
“This road trip’s gonna pretty much set us up for where we’re gonna be coming back,” said Jannik Hansen. “We’re probably either gonna be in the hunt or we’re gonna be out of it. It’s probably that simple. We’re gonna need to scrape some points together.”
Hansen, who played in his first game since Dec. 22 after missing 17 games with a knee injury, said a few unfortunate momentum swings in Minnesota’s favour helped the Wild get “on a roll.”
Canucks coach Willie Desjdins praised Minnesota for being “relentless,” adding: “The minute we were gonna break down, they were gonna jump on us ’cause they were going every shift.”
“Breakdowns are gonna happen, but we gave them way too many odd-man rushes and chances in front of our net,” said Daniel Sedin. “A few is fine, but not the number we had tonight.”
Sutter said he felt the loss came down to a combination of defensive sloppiness and lack of execution, and noted that the failure was collective. “We just turned over too many pucks down there, and that goes from the defencemen to the forwards right on through the lineup,” he said.
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Despite the loss, the game offered a few silver linings for the Canucks. Entering the game, they’d scored just one goal in a span of 128-plus minutes. But on Saturday, the Canucks tallied three goals against Devan Dubnyk, who averages fewer than two goals against per game.
And while Hansen’s return was marked by what Desjardins described as “a little bit of rust,” the winger could provide a boost to the Canucks on the road once he settles into game action.
“It’s never easy,” Hansen said of making his return. “It’s a long time to sit out and be out of game action, so it’s gonna take a little bit. First game back, so hopefully it’ll come sooner rather than later.”
What they’ll surely need sooner rather than later is a string of wins against legitimately good opponents.
“We have to come out flying,” Horvat said. “In order for that to be a good road trip we have to start off well. We can’t dig ourselves in the hole early and we gotta be—we have to play like a playoff team.”
In Horvat’s eyes, the difference is all in getting that small amount of extra effort from everyone on the ice. “I think every guy’s gotta give that extra five per cent,” he said.
Whether the Canucks, who’ll face the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, can claw their way back from the hole they’ve already dug and re-enter the playoff picture remains to be seen. Sutter, for his part, said the group is about “to find out what we’re made of here.”
“I’ve always said I believe in the team,” Desjardins said of the road trip ahead. “But this will be a test.
“This is our biggest test.”
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