The Vancouver Canucks are running out of time.
As the Canucks head into Winnipeg to face the Jets, they're chances of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs have grown threadbare. Hockey analytics site MoneyPuck and even that seems high.
The Canucks are currently six points back of the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues in the race for one of the two Wild Card spots and eight points back of the Edmonton Oilers for third in the Pacific Division. Both of those gaps seem insurmountable with only nine games remaining in the Canucks' schedule.
At this point, the Canucks only hope might be to win out, earning two points in all nine of their remaining games. That would bring them to 99 points, which ought to be enough to make the playoffs. In fact, the record for the most points by a team to miss the playoffs is 96 points, a record shared by the 2014-15 Boston bruins, 2017-18 Florida Panthers, and 2018-19 Montreal Canadiens.
But the Oilers only need 10 points in nine games to reach 99. The Wild and Blues need 12 points in eight and seven games, respectively. All three could conceivably do it. And would it not be the most Canucks thing ever to set a new record for the most points by a team to miss the playoffs?
Realistically speaking, the Canucks are not going to win nine-straight games, of course. Their longest winning streak of the season was four games way back in October. At one point, they went 24 games without winning two in a row.
What the Canucks really need is a colossal collapse by one of the teams ahead of them, which is at least a little bit more realistic than a nine-game winning streak for the Canucks. The Blues look like they'll never lose again, so maybe the Wild could fall apart and go 2-5-1 in their final eight games, bringing them to 92 points.
Then the Canucks would only need 12 points to get to 93, while hoping that the Calgary Flames also fall apart down the stretch and don't pass them. The Canucks could go 5-2-2 in nine games, right? It's possible.
It feels like we might be at the bargaining stage. We're long past denial, that's for sure, and most Canucks fans are done being angry about this season. This is the "what if" stage, where maybe, just maybe, the Canucks could still salvage something out of this season and it's okay that it went off the rails.
Depression and acceptance are just around the corner. Heck, a lot of Canucks fans are probably there already.
Vancouver Canucks projected lines
With Sunday's game against the Jets an early one, the Canucks didn't hold a morning skate nor did they practice on Saturday, so the lines are unknown at the moment. Still, it's hard to imagine them changing much, if at all.
Here are the Canucks' projected lines:
The Canucks' starting goaltender is expected to be Thatcher Demko, who has been very good in his first two games since returning from injury. His save percentage on the season is an ugly .892 but in his last five games, from before and after his groin injury, he has a .949 save percentage.
Winnipeg Jets projected lines
The Canucks , beating them 6-2, but the Jets are still the best team in the NHL, with a 6-2-0 record in their last eight games. Perhaps the Jets took them too lightly two weeks ago; that's not likely to happen again.
The Jets have clinched a playoff spot but they still have plenty to play for, as they're looking to fend off the Dallas Stars for first in the Central Division and also aim to finish first in the NHL for their first-ever Presidents' Trophy.
Here are the Jets' projected lines, :
Kyle Connor - Mark Scheifele - Alex Iafallo
Nikolaj Ehlers - Adam Lowry - Mason Appleton
Nino Niederreiter - Vladislav Namestnikov - Cole Perfetti
David Gustafsson - Morgan Barron - Brandon Tanev
Josh Morrissey - Dylan DeMelo
Dylan Samberg - Luke Schenn
Logan Stanley - Colin Miller
Connor Hellebuyck
Eric Comrie
The Jets' starting goaltender is expected to be Connor Hellebuyck, but it's certainly possible that they'll start Eric Comrie instead, as the Jets will likely want to get Hellebuyck some rest down the stretch.
