Biggest game of the season up next for Vancouver Canucks to start massive road trip
From here on out, every Vancouver Canucks game carries the same weight as a playoff contest.
They’re in a tight playoff race with the Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, and Utah Hockey Club. All four teams still have a shot at grabbing the second Wild Card spot and are within just four points with roughly a month left in the season.
NHL.com
Tomorrow night, the Canucks take on the Blues in what is likely their most important game of the season. They have no other remaining games against direct competitors in the playoff race, meaning they won’t get another chance as significant to open up a gap in the standings.
The playoff implications for the contest are huge. If the Canucks win in regulation, their probability jumps from 15.5% to 50.2%, making them more likely than not to earn a postseason birth, per MoneyPuck. If they lose in regulation, their probability drops from 11.2% to 23.5%.
The two teams have played twice already this season, with the Blues picking up a 4-3 overtime win in Vancouver and the Canucks winning 5-2 in St. Louis.
The Canucks are on the road again on Thursday night, but that might not be a bad thing for them. They have a 17-12-4 record away from Rogers Arena compared to a 15-13-7 mark at home.
If the Blues win, they erase the game in hand the Canucks currently have on them. If the Canucks win, they establish themselves as the team to beat in the race and put a massive damper on the Blues’ chances.
The Blues game kicks off a six-game road trip for the Canucks. The fate of their season depends on their results in these games. They’re facing some other desperate teams as the Blues, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and Columbus Blue Jackets are all also fighting for their playoff lives.
- March 20 @ St. Louis Blues
- March 22 @ New York Rangers
- March 24 @ New Jersey Devils
- March 26 @ New York Islanders
- March 28 @ Columbus Blue Jackets
- March 30 @ Winnipeg Jets
While unlikely, the Canucks could catch the Minnesota Wild for the first Wild Card spot. They’re six points behind, but the Wild have sputtered with a 4-5-1 record in their last 10 games. MoneyPuck gives the Canucks a 7% chance of finishing in that top Wild Card spot as of today.
Whichever team finishes in the second Wild Card spot will likely earn the right to play the NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets in the first round. The Canucks just beat the Jets 6-2, although they’d be massive underdogs in any playoff series.
The final stretch of the NHL regular season is setting up to be very exciting. The Canucks are battling for that final playoff spot. With the parity across today’s league, once you’re in, anything can happen, and all four of these teams are hoping they can be part of this year’s Cinderella story.