Canucks Week 17 Preview: Playoffs Within Reach, but Tough Schedule Ahead

The Canucks sit just one point back of a playoff spot coming out of the All-Star break, but going forward they will face their toughest competition.

With his first All-Star game under his belt, Bo Horvat now turns his attention back to the Canucks.

His team went 1-2-0 on the road the last week. They picked up a close win against the Colorado Avalanche, but lost to the Chicago Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes.

Still, they sit just a single point behind the Calgary Flames for the final wild card spot. And Vancouver has the advantage with two games against the Flames.

That’s the good news. But there are three challenges they will have to overcome as they push for the playoffs.

Challenging Times Ahead

First, there are three teams who are fighting the Canucks for the final playoff spot. The Los Angeles Kings are tied with Vancouver (52 points), and the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets are right behind (50 points).

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When you count the Flames and the St. Louis Blues, who currently hold the wild card places with 53 points, and there are a total of six teams separated by just three points.

Which brings me to the second challenge: with the playoff race being so close, there’s a chance it comes down to a tie-breaker at the end of the year. The first tie-breaker will be non-shootout wins. Unfortunately, the Canucks are sixth out of six in that category, with just 19; the Blues, Flames and Kings each have 23.

So, Vancouver has to make up ground not just in points, but in the tie-breaker as well. Winning in regulation or overtime is paramount down the stretch, as every shootout will count against them in a tie.

Third, the Canucks have one of the toughest schedules from this point on.

Jeff Paterson pointed out their difficulty on Twitter:

They will get their first taste of that tough schedule this week. Vancouver has just two games, against the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild — teams that are ahead in the standings by 12 and 17 points, respectively.

Luckily, the Canucks will be at home, where they have been dominant all year. Will home ice be the difference, or will the better teams on paper prevail?

I asked the other writers at The Canuck Way to predict the scores of both these games.

Thursday, Feb. 2: Canucks vs. San Jose Sharks

Gerald Morton:

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Bo Horvat is emerging as the building block of the team, but Joe Thornton is one of the 100 best players in NHL history (and so is Jarome Iginla). And if you bring up ‘no Cups’ I’d remind you the consensus number one player of all time didn’t win a Cup after he left Edmonton. I think I’m getting off topic. The Sharks will win, because the Sharks are really good.

Janik Beichler:

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Bo Horvat is the most motivated hockey player in the world after a strong showing at the All-Star Game. Hence, he will score two goals to win the game for Vancouver.

Alex Hoegler:

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It’s been 3.5 years since a home team won a meeting. Sharks continue the streak

Jeff Godley:

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Ryan Miller will start yet another game. The Canucks will probably be outplayed and outshot, but he will steal two points once again.

Saturday, Feb. 4: Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild

Gerald:

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This seems like a good time for a mid-season slump. Boudreau’s magical F-bomb magic has Minnesota playing well and I Vancouver still can’t score. This game they don’t score at all.

Janik:

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The Canucks can’t beat the top Western Conference team this time. But, after trailing 1-0 early in the first, they get back into the game and take it to overtime.

Alex:

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The Canucks are not good enough to beat them twice. Sorry

Jeff:

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Wow, none of thinks the Canucks can pull it off! Sadly, I’m not picking them to win, either. Even when Vancouver was good and the Wild weren’t Minnesota always seemed to give them problems. And now the Wild are good.