Another day, another one that got away. Sure, they didn't hand an extra point to a Conference rival, but the number of points they've lost out on so far this season is going to come back to haunt the Canucks come playoff time.

Vancouver Canucks (18-12-9) vs. Washington Capitals  (26-10-4)

4:30 pm PST; 7:30 pm EST

TV: Sportsnet

Radio: Sportsnet 650

It was a microcosm of the entire season for the Vancouver Canucks, really. Kicking off the road trip, and still without Elias Pettersson and Thatcher Demko, the Canucks needed to have a monster game from J.T. Miller and they absolutely got it.

And they still lost.

The team's inability to hold leads, and get the big save late when they need it is absolutely killing them, and if they cannot get stronger play on the defensive side of things, they're going to miss out on the playoffs. I don't think it's at the panic stage just yet, but Filip Hronek cannot return to the lineup soon enough.

And while so much of the blame lies in the inconsistent defensive play, and lack of scoring, there's an elephant in the room, and we need to discuss it. Yes, Kevin Lankinen was crucial to the Canucks treading water while Thatcher Demko was out, and he's been, for the most part, a good addition. But with the Canucks being worse defensively than they were last season, good isn't cutting it. With Thatcher Demko still not back to his All Star form of last season, and out yet again, this time with back spasms, the Canucks absolutely need Lankinen to start stealing some games for them if they want any chance at staying in the playoff picture in the West.

And as we mentioned in Monday's post, the road trip absolutely doesn't get any easier. Tonight they face the absolute surprise of the season in the NHL, the Washington Capitals. Not only did people not expect the Caps to be as solid as they have been this season, doing it without Alexander Ovechkin for a good chunk when he suffered a broken leg was downright shocking. A team that was looking like their window is closing is a serious Cup threat, and Ovi is scoring like a man possessed as he continues his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's goal scoring record.

The bottom line here is the bleeding has to stop, and the Canucks need to start rattling off some wins, something that won't be easy given they have the toughest schedule in the NHL for the remainder of the season. And with Colorado and Utah in action tonight, as well as the Flames and Kings playing each other, we are officially in every game is a must win mode.

LINEUPS

Scrawled on the back of a military vehicle eagerly awaiting orders to invade Canada, we found the lineups for tonight, which can also be found on nhl dot com, supposedly...

Canucks projected lineup

Jonathan Lekkerimaki -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser

Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Conor Garland

Phillip Di Giuseppe -- Pius Suter -- Kiefer Sherwood

Nils Hoglander -- Teddy Blueger -- Danton Heinen

Quinn Hughes -- Tyler Myers

Carson Soucy -- Noah Juulsen

Derek Forbort -- Vincent Desharnais

Kevin Lankinen

Arturs Silovs

Scratched: Erik Brannstrom, Guillaume Brisebois, Max Sasson

Injured: Thatcher Demko (back spasms), Filip Hronek (upper body), Dakota Joshua (lower body)

Capitals projected lineup

Alex Ovechkin -- Dylan Strome -- Aliaksei Protas

Connor McMichael -- Pierre-Luc Dubois -- Tom Wilson

Ivan Miroshnichenko -- Lars Eller -- Taylor Raddysh

Brandon Duhaime -- Nic Dowd -- Andrew Mangiapane

Rasmus Sandin -- John Carlson

Jakob Chychrun -- Matt Roy

Martin Fehervary -- Trevor van Riemsdyk

Logan Thompson

Charlie Lindgren

Scratched: Dylan McIlrath, Alexander Alexeyev, Jakub Vrana

Injured: Sonny Milano (upper body)

Both Elias Pettersson and Derek Forbort are game time decisions, and if I had to guess, I would say Petey goes, and Forbort rests for the weekend. Demko is getting closer to recovering from the back spasms that have kept him out, and I would expect that we see him in Toronto Saturday night. And it's Lankinen vs Logan Thompson in the creases.

GAME DAY CHATTER

Okay, we know things have just been so bloody bleak, so let's try and focus on good things as much as possible, and this is very, very good. Filip Hronek is off to Abbotsford for a conditioning stint... And speaking of Abbotsford, the Canucks and Kraken have a deal for some prospects showcases against each other starting next September in Seattle, and 2026 in Abbotsford. That means an end of the annual Young Stars tournament in Penticton, for now at least... Comments from the coach ahead of tonight's contest...

GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN

With the dawning of a new year, some of the most influential metal albums will be celebrating their 40th anniversary over the next twelve months. By the time '85 rolled around, I was absolutely committed to being a banger for life, and some of my all time favorite albums came out in this year. Over the next while, we'll revisit some of those, starting off with an absolute game changer: "Bonded By Blood" by EXODUS.

They may never have come close to the commercial success of Metallica, but their impact and influence on other bands and thrash metal as a genre may have been bigger. They were the original kings of the Bay Area, and their shows were legendary for being absolutely insane, led by vocalist Paul Baloff. If you were a poseur in his eyes, he'd literally tear a strip off you, wearing arm bands of chunks of fabric cut from people wearing shirts of bands he thought were lame. Baloff was out after just their debut album, but did return to the band in 1997. Baloff passed in 2002 after suffering a stroke.

From that landmark album, this is "A Lesson In Violence".

Enjoy the game, everyone. Go Canucks Go!