Nobody said tanking was easy, and while the benefits are obvious, maybe these guys could throw us a bone? We're used to the losses, but this is getting ridiculous.

Vancouver Canucks (16-26-5) vs. Edmonton Oilers (23-17-8)

Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC

7:00 pm PST; 10:00 pm EST

TV: Sportsnet, CBC, City

Radio: Sportsnet 650

There was a point in this season where you could go "Well, at least the Canucks are decent enough on the road, right?" So what do you do when that's no longer a thing?

That road trip couldn't have gone any worse for the Canucks, honestly. Losing every single game, along with another handful of players has sealed their fate, and the rest of the season will just be them riding it out, playing the kids and hopefully, having it all pay off with a top three draft pick come June.

And while that sounds simple, it's really not. There's a lot that needs to be done, selling off of assets, and making sure which ones to keep to build a new core around. And the hardest part? They need to sell the team to new owners. It's not going to be quick. It's going to be painful. But it's the only way out of this godforsaken mess.

And now, with the potential to set a new low with the most consecutive losses, and the penalty kill operating at a 50% clip during that road trip, they return home to face the league's best power play in the Edmonton Oilers. I am already feeling uneasy at just how bad they're going to look tonight.

35 games to go, and most of them are at home. For some teams, that would be reassuring. For the worst team on home ice in the NHL? Not so much. And it's a rough schedule, too. 8 straight at home, a game every second night. No chance to practice in between, really. No extended periods to let nagging injuries heal. This is a nightmare scenario.

LINEUPS

Via that nhl dot com place, this is what will likely shake down tonight:

Oilers projected lineup

Vasily Podkolzin -- Connor McDavid -- Zach Hyman

Trent Frederic -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Kasperi Kapanen

Isaac Howard -- Jack Roslovic -- Matthew Savoie

Andrew Mangiapane -- Curtis Lazar -- Mattias Janmark

Mattias Ekholm -- Evan Bouchard

Darnell Nurse -- Ty Emberson

Jake Walman -- Spencer Stastney

Tristan Jarry

Calvin Pickard

Scratched: Leon Draisaitl, Alec Regula, Connor Ingram

Injured: Adam Henrique (upper body)

Canucks projected lineup

Liam Ohgren -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser

Jake DeBrusk -- David Kampf -- Evander Kane

Drew O’Connor -- Aatu Raty -- Conor Garland

Arshdeep Bains -- Max Sasson -- Linus Karlsson

Marcus Pettersson -- Filip Hronek

Zeev Buium -- Tyler Myers

Tom Willander -- Victor Mancini

Nikita Tolopilo

Kevin Lankinen

Scratched: P.O Joseph, Nils Hoglander

Injured: Thatcher Demko (lower body), Kiefer Sherwood (undisclosed), Marco Rossi (lower body), Filip Chytil (concussion protocol), Teddy Blueger (lower body), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)

Lots going on here, so let's start with the big news. No Leon Draisaitl, as he's returned to Germany to deal with a sick family member. Unfortunate for him and the Oilers, but potentially a ray of light for the Canucks if they hope to not hit double digits on this losing skid. It's Nikita Tolopilo in goal tonight, as Kevin Lankinen is ill, so much so they had a third goaltender at the morning skate, but he will dress tonight, apparently. Chytil and Blueger are almost ready to return, likely Monday against the Islanders, but not tonight.

GAME DAY CHATTER

GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN

Just playing this track from SEPULTURA's classic 'Chaos A.D.' album, for no particular reason.

Enjoy the game, folks. Fuck Fascism! Go Canucks Go!