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Vancouver Canucks playoff chances extremely low after disastrous Saturday results

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
|
Mar 23 2025, 1:58 pm
Vancouver Canucks playoff chances extremely low after disastrous Saturday results
Bob Frid/Imagn Images

The Vancouver Canucks are going to need to play some great hockey over their final 12 games in order to make the playoffs.

They entered Saturday just one point behind the St. Louis Blues for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. However, they wound up losing to the New York Rangers in regulation, while the three teams they are fighting against; the Blues, Calgary Flames, and Utah Hockey Club, all picked up two points.

nhl-standings

NHL.com

The Canucks are now three points shy of a playoff spot with just one game in hand, while the Flames are just two points back of the Blues with two games in hand. Utah remains in a rather dire situation, sitting four points out with just one game in hand.

Based on the standings, one would think the Canucks may still have a reasonably good shot at getting into the playoffs, but based on a popular analytical model, that isn’t the case.

Entering the season, MoneyPuck gave the Canucks an 80.4 per cent chance at making the playoffs. Now, with 12 games to go, that number is all the way down to 14.1 per cent.

The Flames sit significantly higher than the Canucks at 33 per cent, while the Blues are in the driver seat at 43.9 per cent. Utah, meanwhile, is being given just a 13.9 per cent chance of squeaking in.

MoneyPuck’s model is based off of three main factors: each team’s ability to win, scoring chances, and goaltending. Home-ice advantage and rest is also factored into these probabilities.

Making matters even worse for the Canucks is that both centre Elias Pettersson and winger Nils Höglander were forced to leave yesterday’s game with undisclosed injuries. Head coach Rick Tocchet didn’t have much of an update on either, but listed them as doubtful for Monday’s game versus the New Jersey Devils.

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