Tank Tracker: Canucks won't finish in last place

On the heels of a near-franchise worst nine-game losing streak, the Canucks have inexplicably won three games in a row against the very tough Californian teams, including a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings last night.

VAN sweeps ANA, SJ & LA, and all I see on Twitter are angry Canuck fans. What a world.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 5, 2016

The win pushed the Canucks up to 73 points, vaulting them ahead of both Winnipeg and Calgary. It also means that the Canucks can no longer finish in last or second last place, as they are clear of both Edmonton and Toronto.

Out of tank scoreboard

The Canucks didn’t get any help from the other games last night.

• Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 loss to New York Rangers
• Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 loss to Florida Panthers
• Arizona Coyotes 5-2 loss to St. Louis Blues

Reverse standings

The Canucks are in 6th-last spot, meaning they have a 7.5% chance to win the first pick…

Odds of getting the other picks:

The top-3 picks are up for grabs in the lottery this year, which means we must look at more than just the odds at the first pick.

Here’s a look at the odds of each draft position, taking into account the odds of where the Canucks can finish in the standings, as compiled by stats knight, Sir Earl:

Order	Season Position	Draft Position
1	N/A	8.30%
2	N/A	8.50%
3	4.30%	8.80%
4	18.50%	1.20%
5	28.20%	9.20%
6	43.90%	24.40%
7	4.60%	27.10%
8	0.50%	10.90%
9	0.02%	1.50%
10	N/A	0.10%
11	N/A	0.002%
12	N/A	0.00002%
13	N/A	N/A
14	N/A	N/A

Tonight’s games of importance for the Canucks

• Buffalo Sabres @ New Jersey Devils
• Florida Panthers @ Montreal Canadiens
• Arizona Coyotes @ Chicago Blackhawks
• Los Angeles Kings @ Calgary Flames
• Winnipeg Jets @ Anaheim Ducks

Canucks remaining games

• Wednesday @ Edmonton Oilers
• Thursday @ Calgary Flames
• Saturday vs Edmonton Oilers

Random run of the NHL Lottery Simulator

 

That would be nice…