Tonight the Vancouver Canucks face the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal. These are two teams going in opposite directions. If you’re a Canucks fan, don’t expect a watershed game. The season is pretty much what it is. Face the facts: This is not a playoff team. Still, tonight’s match is important for what it is. It’s a mirror, and the Canucks might not like what’s staring back at them.
They arrive carrying the weight of a 5-0 loss in Toronto, a road trip gone sideways and one win in nine games. No leads since the calendar turned. They scored poorly. That’s more than bad luck. It’s a team stuck between what it hoped to be and what it actually is.
So what are the Canucks’ issues heading into the remainder of the regular season?
Struggle one: The Canucks have to accept that they are down, but not broken
Being down is about results. Being broken is about faith, structure and whether the pieces still fit together. This Canucks team is eliminated. They’re beyond battered, young in key places, and going through the ugly part of a season where lessons come before rewards.
But they are not broken. Broken teams don’t maintain structure in blowouts. They don’t have players like Kiefer Sherwood, who actually calls things out. They show no NHL skill even when the game is out of hand. What’s missing isn’t talent. Instead, the team lacks consistency, trust and a safety net when mistakes occur. That’s a developmental problem, not a fatal problem.
Struggle two: The Canucks must face reality without falling into frustration
Sherwood said it plainly. The team’s play is unacceptable. And he’s right. The Canucks are not emotionally dominated; they lose too many little moments. The mistakes are a missed assignment here, a lost hole there, or hesitation that causes you to get to the puck half a second too late.
On Saturday night, Toronto didn’t overwhelm them with skill. Instead, they punished mistakes clinically. That tells you exactly how narrow the margin is at the moment.
Struggle three: The Canucks must remain patient with Demko’s injury
Thatcher Demko is injured again, and that hurts. But overall, the Canucks’ goaltending is solid. Nikita Tolopilo, drafted by the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, has shown he’s not half bad. Kevin Lankinen is also a solid goaltender.
Having Demko out isn’t where the team wants to be. But it is where they are. It will get better, even if not this season.
Why the Montreal game matters
The Canadiens are confident, structured and playing meaningful games. They are where Vancouver wants to be. There is a gap between the two teams. For Canucks fans, some nights it’s easy to check out: turn off the game, write off the season. That’s understandable.
But this is where games like tonight really matter. Fans should watch who sticks to their ways when wins don’t come easy, who competes and who remains coachable.
The Canucks aren’t broke. They are bruised, uneven and searching. And on nights like this, that difference comes to the fore – whether the scoreboard cooperates or not.
Related: The Canucks shouldn’t have to trade Tyler Myers forever
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