The Canuck Way
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Canucks Recap: Three stars of the week (Feb 20th – 26th)

By Zaahid Lalani

VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 19: Goalie Thatcher Demko #35 of the Vancouver Canucks gets a piece of the puck on a glove save against the Winnipeg Jets during NHL hockey action at Rogers Arena on February 19, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - FEBRUARY 19: Goalie Thatcher Demko #35 of the Vancouver Canucks gets a piece of the puck on a glove save against the Winnipeg Jets during NHL hockey action at Rogers Arena on February 19, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /
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Vancouver Canucks goaltender, Thatcher Demko. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
Vancouver Canucks goaltender, Thatcher Demko. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /

The Vancouver Canucks are a dangerously fragile team right now.

Like a baby dandelion caught in a massive windstorm, the team found themselves hanging on for dear life as their world around them continued to spiral out of control, and it’s only a matter of time before they’re forcefully uprooted from the ground that they laid last year in Edmonton and are swept into the harsh, unforgiving environment of the all-Canadian division.

In a mere span of five days, the city has gone from pencilling in their own “moral victories” column to the league’s standings, to witnessing a humiliating, downright unacceptable third period collapse, all while embracing the growing notion that this ugly, cringe-worthy season actually has the possibility of becoming worse.

To sum up, it hasn’t been going well for the Canucks.

The team wrapped up their four-game homestand this week with three more lackluster and uninspired losses, somehow throwing away each of those tilts in a unique, yet equally embarrassing manner, while riding the unlucky fortunes of their reverse retro jerseys. They exit the dismal month of February with a 2-9-2 record and are gradually sliding down towards the dark, dingy and talentless basement of the National Hockey League.

Games played:

Fans do not have much to be hopeful for, and many of them are, rightfully so, throwing in the towel on this pandemic-shortened season.

The team was outscored by a margin of 13-6 over four games, including being shut out twice and outworked on all four accounts. Had this campaign been scheduled to run the full 82-game course, the team would be on pace to record 62 points, seven lower than the laughable amount they put up during their tire fire performance in 2016-17.

They are currently tied with the Ottawa Senators for the most losses this year with 14, despite having already played two more games than them, and their 0.375 points percentage is good for third in the league, only behind the aforementioned Senators and the Detroit Red Wings.

Not exactly elite company for the Canucks to be a part of.

As a result, we’re no longer talking about what the team can do to squeeze into the playoffs this year.

That ship has essentially sailed, and it isn’t turning around anytime soon. The organization can no longer continue to hide in the dark corners of the Twitterverse. Instead, Francesco Aquilini and co. will need to make some hard, but necessary decisions to ensure that the future of this club doesn’t crumble on the ice, much like Tyler Myers’ penalty-killing “strategy”.

Of course, Canucks fans are known for their non-stop drama and over-the-top theatrics, and this writer is no exception.

Believe it or not, behind all of the repetitive defensive breakdowns and truly unenthusiastic style of play, there are a few bright spots for this club, and it’d be an understatement to say that the Vancouver sports world could use some positivity right now.

Let’s take a look at The Canuck Way’s three stars of the week:

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