Here's how many points the Canucks need to make the playoffs
While it’s still very early, the Vancouver Canucks have already done a lot of the heavy lifting needed to secure a playoff spot.
The team is off to its best start in franchise history and, as a result, has significantly increased its odds of hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2015.
Across the last five 82-game NHL seasons that featured a traditional playoff, the average minimum number of points needed to make the postseason in the Western Conference has been 94.2. The Canucks have a .792 point percentage through this hot start, which has put them on pace for 130 points, well above the mark.
| 8th place in West points | Canucks points | |
| 2016-17 | 94 points | 69 points |
| 2017-18 | 95 points | 73 points |
| 2018-19 | 90 points | 81 points |
| 2021-22 | 97 points | 92 points |
| 2022-23 | 95 points | 83 points |
| 2023-24 (projected) | 88 points | 13o points |
Over that time period, the lowest number of points that’s gotten a team into the playoffs is 90, a total which drags the average down somewhat. Typically, teams need at least 95 points, with the bar even being set as high as 97 points in 2021-22.
With 19 points already, the Canucks will need to collect 75 points from the remaining 70 games to clear that 94-point bar. That would equate to a points percentage of 0.535, a number that the team has easily cleared ever since head coach Rick Tocchet was hired.
While the Canucks have gotten off to a wonderful start, the same cannot be said about many of their fellow Pacific Division teams. The Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers, and Seattle Kraken all currently sit in the bottom 10 of the NHL standings.
This slow start from many of their division rivals means two things. The first is that the playoff bar for the division could be lower this year. The second is that the Canucks, who are already 4-0 against divisional rivals so far this year, could feast on a relatively easy schedule if these teams continue to flounder.
While the Canucks have built up a solid cushion, it’s far from a guarantee that they’ll make the playoffs. There are many examples of teams that have gotten off to similar starts before stumbling later in the season and failing to reach the postseason.
In stark contrast to the past couple of seasons, the Canucks have actually set themselves up well through the first few weeks. All of that winning will pay dividends as the year goes on as any losing streak will not be a death sentence on the team’s playoff hopes.