Canucks vs. Kings Game Day: Responsibility, resiliency is being tested

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Vancouver Canucks vs. Los Angeles Kings

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When/where: Thursday, 7 p.m., Rogers Arena

TV: SN Pacific. Radio: Sportsnet 650

The buzz: You don’t want to be good enough to compete, but not good enough to win.

The Canucks have often skated that fine line between consistency and combustibility during this trying season. They’re currently sitting below the NHL playoff bar, and like they say, objects in the rear-view mirror are closer than they appear.

It’s not all bad.

Two overtime losses during a difficult and revealing 1-2-2 record on a five-game road trip proved the Canucks can compete with the elite — especially against the league-leading Washington Capitals — and they measured up in a tough 2-1 setback.

However, after a impressive 3-0 victory in Toronto, the Canucks imploded Tuesday in Winnipeg in a disastrous 6-1 pummelling. Which brings us to this sobering thought: The cavalry isn’t coming folks. What you see is what you get, unless management is moved to soon change the mix.

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The Canucks have long thought that once healthy, reverting to that dominant club which piled up 50 wins and 109 points last season to top the Pacific Division would be more plausible than problematic.

The return of Filip Hronek from injury will help the transition game, and his symmetry with Quinn Hughes is elite, but there are bigger concerns.

The Canucks are 31st in shots per game (25.2), 22nd in goals per outing (2.88) and have slipped to 13th on the power play (21.2 per cent). They are easier to defend because the level of hesitation, lack of shot selection and finish in the offensive zone is alarming.

And the repeated refrain from frustrated head coach Rick Tocchet is having less than the desired affect. Is the message falling on deaf ears? Who’s really to blame?

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“It’s hard to be consistent and do the right things all the time, and go through people, hard to re-load and get pucks out and take them to the net,” Tocchet said following the Winnipeg whipping.

“You can’t do it once in a while if you want to be a good team. It’s my job. I’ve got to get some guys committed and it’s on me.”

To make matters worse, the Kings didn’t get the message about being a division back-marker. They are 24-12-5.

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Consistency and versatility make the Kings a tough out. They’ve won five of their last seven games by piling up goals or prevailing in low-event, one-goal games against the tough opponents.

They lead in stinginess by allowing 2.41 goals per game and have a dynamic top line of Anze Kopitar between Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala that has combined for 46 goals and 101 points. Kempe has 20 goals.

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The history: Second meeting of season. The Canucks prevailed 4-2 in L.A. on Nov. 7 as Jake DeBrusk scored and had five shots and seven attempts. Last season, the Canucks went 1-3-0 and were outscored 15-8. They lost 5-1 at home on Feb. 29, won 2-1 in overtime on March 5 in L.A., were edged 3-2 at home on March 25, and were doubled up 6-3 on April 6 on the road.

The hope: Whatever is troubling J.T. Miller, a nagging ailment, or indifference, or whatever, he’s pointless in his last four games after four points (2-2) on Jan. 6 in Montreal. It capped a strong run of 10 points (2-8) in seven games.

The fear: The pressure to perform has never been more evident than on home ice. A 7-8-6 mark is not going to cut it in hopes of securing a playoff position. The Kings are comfortable in one-goal games and are 9-3-5 on those nights. They’re also 15-0-2 when leading after two periods.

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Carson Soucy must gather his game to avoid a scratch. And where is the leadership? The Canucks miss the presence and persuasiveness of Nikita Zadorov and Ian Cole.

The top guns: Norris Trophy contending efforts from Hughes, who’s attracting Hart Trophy attention, are the norm. Had three points Saturday (1-2) for 16th multi-point game of season. Is second among defenders in even-strength points (29) and even-strength goals (eight), third in power-play points (18) and overall production with 47 points (9-38).

The wounded: Canucks: Dakota Joshua (leg, week-to-week, IR). Kings: Drew Doughty (fractured ankle, week-to-week, IR).

The quote: “Everybody on our team had a tough night.” — Rick Tocchet’s sorry summation of being overwhelmed in Winnipeg.

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The projected lineup: 

DeBrusk-Pettersson-Boeser

Hoglander-Miller-Garland

Heinen-Suter-Sherwood

Di Giuseppe-Blueger-Lekerimaki

Hughes-Hronek

Forbort-Myers

Soucy-Juuslen

The prediction: The Canucks respond after being walloped in Winnipeg and are more consistent in defensive-zone coverage and more pressing in offensive zone. They eke out 3-2 win.

(FAN FORUM: Do you have a specific question for a player? Pass it along to @provincesports and we’ll get it in a future edition.)

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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