February was a rough month for the Vancouver Canucks.
Sure, they were above .500, technically speaking, with a 4-3-1 record in their eight games. But it was some ugly hockey that got them to that extremely mediocre record.
The Canucks had the fewest shots per game in the NHL in the month of February, averaging 24.8 shots per game. They averaged just two goals per game, also the lowest in the NHL in that time.
As much as the team as a whole has underwhelmed, the individual performances have been worse. The team's leading scorer in February was Filip Chytil, who had 5 points in 8 games. Brock Boeser and Conor Garland had three points each. Elias Pettersson had two points, both assists. At least they were primary assists.
It's been, to be frank, sad and uninspiring. Even the return of Quinn Hughes couldn't help lift the Canucks out of their doldrums, as their loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday was the Canucks' worst performance of the month.
And yet.
Despite playing some awful hockey and ceding ground to teams behind them in the standings, the Canucks head into their first game in March in a playoff position. It certainly helps that the Calgary Flames had a slightly worse 3-4-1 record in February and lost their first game early on Saturday but the Canucks are clinging to the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference as they head into the final month-and-a-half of the 2024-25 season.
The Canucks are on pace for just 90 points. It's hard to believe that will be enough to make the playoffs and hold off all of the teams behind them in the West but stranger things have happened.
But it would certainly be a lot better and more comforting for their fans if they started winning a few more games.
The Canucks close out their five-game road trip on Saturday against the Seattle Kraken, a team that is far enough back in the standings that they're not a legitimate threat to catch the Canucks. They haven't been good this season and the Canucks, in theory, should be able to beat them comfortably.
Both of the previous games against the Kraken, however, have gone past regulation. The Canucks coughed up a three-goal lead in the third period to lose the Kraken in overtime back in December, then gave up a two-goal lead in the third period in January but managed to prevail in the shootout.
So, even if the Canucks get a lead against the Kraken, Canucks fans will be left waiting for the other shoe to drop all night.
Vancouver Canucks projected lines
With no eyes on the Canucks' morning skate, it's tough to know whether the team will make any changes to the lineup and what they might be. Well, they will be making a change: the last two games, the Canucks have dressed seven defencemen and 11 forwards; on Saturday night, they'll be back to the usual six defencemen and 12 forwards.
"We just did it for precautionary [reasons]," said head coach Rick Tocchet. "So we're going to go with four lines now, a four-line system."
With that in mind, here are the Canucks' projected lines:
The biggest positive of the Canucks going back to six defencemen is that they're confident in Quinn Hughes' health. He played just short of 23 minutes on Thursday night and is evidently no worse for wear.
Arshdeep Bains was the forward scratched for Hughes' return on Wednesday, so we'll make the assumption that he will get back into the lineup on the fourth line. As always, if the Canucks show us a different lineup during warm-up prior to puck drop, it will be updated here.
UPDATE: We have some major changes up front, as the Canucks put two different wingers up on the top line with Elias Pettersson presumably in an effort to get him going.
Dakota Joshua and Brock Boeser will be on the flanks with Pettersson, with Nils Höglander and Jake DeBrusk, who played with Pettersson the last couple of games, bumped down to the third line with Pius Suter.
Drew O'Connor and Conor Garland will be on the second line centred by Filip Chytil.
The Canucks' starting goaltender will be Kevin Lankinen, who has given up fewer than three goals in regulation in each of his last six starts.
Seattle Kraken projected lines
Shane Wright has been the Kraken's best player of late, with eight points in seven games in the month of February. Some of that is fueled by shooting percentage: he has just 10 shots in those seven games but scored on 40% of them.
Jared McCann, meanwhile, has 24 shots in those seven games but just one goal — a 4.2% shooting percentage. Keep an eye on McCann; he's due.
Here are the Kraken's projected lines:
Jaden Schwartz - Matty Beniers - Kaapo Kakko
Eeli Tolvanen - Chandler Stephenson - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Jared McCann - Shane Wright - Andre Burakovsky
Brandon Tanev - Ben Meyers - Jordan Eberle
Vince Dunn - Adam Larsson
Jamie Oleksiak - Brandon Montour
Ryker Evans - Joshua Mahura
Joey Daccord
Nikke Kokko
Yanni Gourde practice in a regular jersey rather than a non-contact jersey, so he is close to returning from the hernia surgery that has kept him out since January 2. He won't return against the Canucks, however.
The Kraken's starting goaltender is expected to be Joey Daccord, who has been very good this season, even as the team in front of him has struggled. He has a .915 save percentage this season but he's coming off a rough night against the St. Louis Blues in his last start, giving up 5 goals on 21 shots before he was pulled halfway through the game.
