Fan In Van

Crunch Time For Canucks

The All-Star Break couldn’t have come any slower for Alain Vigneault’s crew, as they limped into the halfway point of the season having lost six in a row, the longest losing streak since 1999.

Although judging by the last few results for the Canucks, you could easily say that if a lucky bounce had gone their way or a bad break the other way, the Canucks would’ve scraped out a couple wins going into the break. The Canucks were 40 seconds away from becoming the second team to beat the San Jose Sharks on home ice and if they had buried a couple shootout goals earlier they may have another extra point, but as of now the Canucks are reeling, clinging to an 8th-place position in the Western Conference.

It is now clear that there is no better time than the break to bring this team back together and get back to basics. The Canucks’ sloppy play in their own end in the final minute of last night’s game was nothing short of pathetic, as they allowed the Sharks to throw all kinds of traffic in front of Roberto Luongo. Their ineffective powerplay has been a primary reason they have not found success and must be corrected after the break. Even basic plays like breaking out of their own zone and winning puck battles along the corners has been mediocre at best.

If anything has been evident about January’s version of the Canucks, it’s that their legs have seemingly been taken out from under them. There’s no hustle in the legs that outworked the opposition and made the Canucks a successful team in November.

Whether or not the Canucks will be able to get enough rest and respond with a resounding second half is still up in the air. If they’re able to recharge their batteries in time to surge ahead of their Western Conference rivals, there’s no doubt this team can make it to the playoffs. But if the Canucks show up after the break looking like the same tired and lost crew, they’re not going to go very far after early April.