Crashed, Burned & Eaten Alive: Canucks @ Jets

T-minus 11 games to go...

It's a Canadian dash for the exit door! Today is the first time since we've been tracking McCardy's numbers that Vancouver pops into double digits.

Staring at the schedule the reality has sunk in that it's distinctly possible Vancouver won't win another game before it's golfing time.

After tonight they play seven straight against playoff-bound teams, including a particularly nasty stretch that starts with Chicago on Sunday before four away games against the California gangs.

If - and it's a big "if" obviously - the Canucks can't get a win the rest of the way it would mark a 15 game losing streak to end the season which, thankfully, wouldn't break the NHL-worst 17 game losing streak set by the '73 Caps and '93 Sharks. So there's that.

Helping them towards this dubious possibility is the fact two of their top nine and their linchpin defenseman are all shutdown now. For Vrbs, that's almost certainly the last you'll see of him in a Canuck uniform.

Across the ice, our injured-riddled friends in Winnipeg - losers of three straight - are also in a mad dash for the services of Mr. Auston Matthews. Currently sitting in 29th in the league, having today placed Enstrom on the shelf and on the heels of their 4-0 loss to Chicago where Ladd scored against them to rub salt in their wounds, they join Vancouver in admiring from afar their playoff adventures from last spring as the count the days remaining.

Fortunate for Vancouver's rebuilding efforts the Jets are somehow facing an even weaker Vancouver roster this time than they did eight days ago. At least this time around they'll have Tryamkin and Pedan to adsorb some of the physicality coming their way. Then again if the Canucks can't even get a lucky bounce at this point and light the lamp against Winnipeg...

...get those white towels ready!

Human Guinea Pig Formations

Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Alexandre Burrows

Jared McCann - Linden Vey - Emerson Etem

Sven Baertschi - Bo Horvat - Jake Virtanen

Chris Higgins - Brendan Gaunce - Alexandre Grenier

Ben Hutton - Alex Biega

Dan Hamhuis - Nikita Tryamkin

Andrey Pedan - Matt Bartkowski

Jacob Markstrom

Nicolas Petan - Mark Scheifele - Blake Wheeler

Marko Dano - Alex Burmistrov - Drew Stafford

Chris Thorburn - Adam Lowry - Matt Halischuk

Chase De Leo - Andrew Copp - Scott Kosmachuk

Dustin Byfuglien - Jacob Trouba

Julian Melchiori - Tyler Myers

Ben Chiarot - Paul Postma

Ondrej Pavelec

Two Observations

First, Winnipeg has outscored Vancouver 9-3 in their two meetings so far. So at least Vancouver is consistently poor against the poor teams.

Secondly, Burrows should reunite with the Sedins on the top line tonight. Dub it the farewell tour. Kesler was one thing, Bieksa was another, but bidding farewell to Burrows will be a big gut punch considering what he's meant to the organization over the years.

I ask for very little, but hear me now hockey gods: should Burrows leave this summer, PLEASE do not let him end up in Anaheim.

Fearless Prediction

Rooting for the kids to do well while also getting the L is all we have left. I don't see much scoring coming from Vancouver's top nine unless Winnipeg starts gifting them PP's since the Jets 26th-ranked PK (78.3%) is probably their biggest weakness Vancouver can look to exploit.

3-0 Winnipeg. We may need to make a new drinking game soon.

GCG.