How do you properly judge a team nearing the quarter pole of the season knowing what we know about the roughly 100 man-games lost to injury?
It's difficult. Impossible? Hell no.
Given the roster issues, one game above .500 after the first 19 games is something I think most Canuck followers would accept.
I dug a little deeper and what became impossible to take is the Canucks' record against Western Conference playoff teams from last season.
Seven times they have faced off against these squads and have managed just the one win which came in the form of a late come-from-behind effort in Chicago.
In the other six losses they were severely out-played, badly out-hit, embarrassingly out-goaltended and ridiculously outscored 33-16. That's a 5.50 goals against average against teams they are guaranteed to face if they have any hope of exceeding last year's playoff run. Disturbing? Absolutely.
Over the past decade Canucks fans have witnessed a team that often saved its best hockey for the better teams in the league. Regardless where the team finished there was always this feeling that the Canucks could play with anyone in the West (Sharks notwithstanding).
So far this year, nothing could be further from the truth.
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