Canucks will be battle-tested during upcoming road trip

The Vancouver Canucks hold a one-point lead in the Pacific Division, and the upcoming five-game road trip could make or break their season.

With the All-Star break over, the Vancouver Canucks are ready return to business on Monday night, when they host the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.

But Vancouver’s biggest remaining challenge this season will begin on Wednesday, when they begin a five-game road trip against the San Jose Sharks. The Canucks will then travel to the other side of the continent when they visit the New York Islanders on Saturday.

After that, Vancouver has a meeting with the reigning Eastern Conference runner-up Carolina Hurricanes, followed by showdowns with the Boston Bruins — last year’s Eastern Conference Finalist — and the Minnesota Wild, their former Northwest Division foes.

The Canucks are barely hanging on to the Pacific Division lead by a single point. This five-game road trip could either go a long way in helping Vancouver secure first place. Or, it could end up derailing their lead on the division — possibly forcing them to try and earn a wild card spot instead.

Simply put, leaving the road trip with less than five points would seriously hamper Vancouver’s chances of winning their first division title in seven years.

The Canucks have the prime opportunity to make a statement to the rest of the league: That they are too be taken more seriously down the stretch. Three of these showdowns take place against a trio of playoff teams in the East, after all.

If the Canucks can win two of the three showdowns between New York, Carolina and Boston, that would only add more confidence for a team that’s been surging since the new year.

Vancouver endured a brutal six-game road trip from Nov. 19 to 30, and it featured showdowns with two powerhouses in the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Canucks came away with six of 12 possible points to close out a frustrating month of November, and they haven’t looked back since.

Now, just imagine what it would do for Elias Pettersson and company if the Canucks were to put together a superb five-game road trip during an intense race for the Pacific Division title. It could very well be the trip that determines their 2019-20 season, one way or another.