If you were hoping that this season would be different for the Vancouver Canucks, it might be time to uncross your fingers.
The Canucks have won only two playoff series since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2011, and they’ve missed the postseason six times in the last seven years. Despite a talented roster, Vancouver has been unable to emerge as a legitimate threat in the Western Conference.
Despite that, it seems like people get sucked in by Bo Horvat and company year after year, thinking that each new season will surely be the one in which this team takes another step forward.
Well, their track record is not on their side, and their start to the 2022-2023 campaign is further proof that they can’t be trusted.
The Canucks have proven they’re not capable of being a competitive team.
After beginning the season with a 5-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, the Canucks blew a chance to get in the win column against a Philadelphia Flyers team that figures to experience its fair share of difficulties this season.
In both games, Vancouver held multi-goal leads, yet couldn’t manage to get a win (it was even 3-0 against Edmonton). According to Sportsnet Stats on Twitter, no team in NHL history had blown three such leads to open the season. We can’t say that anymore.
The Canucks went up 4-2 against the Washington Capitals on Monday before surrendering four unanswered goals in the third period to fall to 0-3.
On Tuesday, Vancouver extended its unfortunate record by turning a 2-0 lead over the injured Columbus Blue Jackets into a 4-3 overtime loss. They did pick up their first point in the standings, but I doubt that that will be the major takeaway for coach Bruce Boudreau.
Canucks are the first team in NHL history to lose 4 straight games after holding a multi-goal lead in each contest
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) October 19, 2022
(h/t @OptaStats)
We’ve seen the Canucks falter for several years now, giving fans little reason to believe that this year would go differently. Now, having watched Vancouver become historically bad at holding leads, this team has proven yet again that it can’t be trusted.
The Canucks’ next contest will be a visit to the also-winless Minnesota Wild on Thursday. It’s a great opportunity to end this miserable skid, but if there’s anything we’ve learned so far in this young season, it’s not to count on Vancouver.