Canucks: Power rankings for the first week of March
By Alex Hoegler
A recent losing streak caused the Vancouver Canucks to fall in power rankings across the web. Let’s see where they placed this week.
There was a time when the Vancouver Canucks had a comfortable cushion on the teams that stood outside the playoff picture, but that has quickly vanished.
Injuries to Jacob Markstrom and Brock Boeser have seriously affected the Canucks, who bring a four-game losing streak into Friday night’s home tilt with the Colorado Avalanche. Vancouver currently holds the second wild card spot with 74 points, thanks to tiebreakers over the Nashville Predators, Arizona Coyotes and Winnipeg Jets due to less games played.
The Canucks are barely holding off those three teams, but they’re still only three points behind the Calgary Flames (with two games in hand) for third in the Pacific Division. Vancouver also sits just six behind the Edmonton Oilers for second, and Connor McDavid‘s squad has played two extra games.
16 games remain on the schedule, and head coach Travis Green needs every single player to step up over the final weeks.
In the meantime, let’s take a look at where Vancouver sits in power rankings across the web.
- NHL.com: Though the Canucks landed in the “Super 16,” they had the biggest drop, moving from 11th to 15th.
- CBS Sports: Vancouver only slipped one spot on Pete Blackburn’s list, placing 13th for this week.
- NBC Sports: Well, this is unfamiliar territory. The Canucks now sit outside the top half, placing 18th this week on Adam Gretz’s rankings.
- ESPN: Vancouver falls two spots this week, down to 14th.
- Sporting News: Green’s team took quite the fall here, moving from seventh all the way down to 15th.
- Sportsnet: Vancouver falls outside the top half here, placing 18th for the week.
Next. Canucks: It's time for the role players to step up. dark
Following Friday’s game against Colorado, Vancouver will host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday before closing out the homestand against the New York Islanders. It’s becoming now or never time for the Canucks as they look to end a five-year playoff drought.