Canucks gameday: It’s now or never against the Islanders

The Vancouver Canucks slipped out of the playoff picture on Monday. It’s time to bounce back against the New York Islanders tonight.

For Vancouver Canucks fans, watching their team lose five of the last six games has been frustrating enough, but the agony doesn’t end there.

The teams below Vancouver in the playoff bar have suddenly caught fire. On Monday night, the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 to surpass Elias Pettersson‘s squad in the Western Conference playoff picture. The lone silver lining for the Canucks? It wasn’t a three-point game.

However, the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in overtime on Monday night. The two teams are now 10 and seven points up on Vancouver, respectively. Even if they qualify for the postseason, the Canucks can only dream of home ice advantage in the first round. It’s simply not happening.

Vancouver has two games in hand on Winnipeg, and one on the eighth-seeded Minnesota Wild. It’s time for the slumping Canucks to show their fans what they’re made of. Tonight’s tilt against the equally desperate New York Islanders will say a lot about this team.

Players to watch

Bo Horvat: Situations like this are where team captains especially need to shine through. The 24-year-old Horvat only has one goal in his last six games. Not only do they need Horvat to regain his scoring form, but they need him to guide this banged-up roster back into the win column. Consistently

Mathew Barzal: Scoring has been a problem for the Isles, but the 2018 Calder Trophy winner isn’t at fault. Barzal leads the Islanders in scoring (59 points), and he’s tallied 11 points over his last nine games.

Elias Pettersson: The second-year superstar isn’t to blame for Vancouver’s slump. He’s carried the group on his back offensively, but ‘Petey’ cannot do it on his own. At this rate, he might have to go from “great” to Superman-like for Vancouver to make the playoffs.

Anders Lee: Head coach Barry Trotz knows he can match up Lee anywhere. It’ll be interesting to see where they use him: Against Pettersson’s top line or Horvat’s checking line?  Lee has 20 goals and 42 points on the season.

Prediction: 4-3 Canucks

The Canucks have had enough time to focus and regroup during this frustrating slump. Another loss on home ice would seriously hurt this team’s chances of sneaking into the postseason, and they know it. Every game is essentially a playoff game at this stage.

When all is said and done, Vancouver’s big guns will shine through in a big way. Pettersson (two goals), Horvat and Quinn Hughes each find the back of the net as the Canucks pull away with a much-needed 4-2 victory.