It started good, but that didn't even last a minute. You couldn't get a better example of where the Canucks need to be by watching that Sharks team dismantle them. And now they have the Ducks to deal with tonight. It's just not gonna get any better, is it?

Vancouver Canucks (17-31-5) vs. Anaheim Ducks (28-22-3)

Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC

7:00 pm PST; 10:00 pm EST

TV: Sportsnet Pacific

Radio: Sportsnet 650

When people ask how bad are the Canucks right now, is this a good example?

Generationally bad.

It's got to be hard right now, for a team that just can't get a break, and plays like they wouldn't know what to do with it if they got one. That game against the Sharks saw them come out all guns blazing, and rewarded for it with an early goal. Less than half a period later, it was 3-1 San Jose and Kevin Lankinen was heading for the showers. Nikita Tolopilo turned in a fine performance, giving up a couple power play goals, but the Canucks were never gonna come back in this one.

And now, having lost 16 of their last 18 games, they have to face a team that just had a 7 game win streak stopped as they welcome the Anaheim Ducks in the second to last game of this disastrous 8 game home stand.

I was hoping to say we'd come out of that game unscathed, but no. Nils Hoglander was injured in the loss to the Sharks,and will not play this evening. Filip Chytil continues to get better, so I am sure he'll score at some point over these next two games, this one and the struggling Leafs who visit for another pandering early start on Saturday afternoon. Then, they hit the road for games in Utah next Monday and Vegas Wednesday before mercifully shutting down for the Olympic break. They'll return on the 25th with a visit from the Winnipeg Jets, before finishing the month in Seattle.

March will feature 10 of 14 games at home, and it's a very real possibility this team won't crack 25 wins this season. Think about that for a moment. We knew they weren't going to be good, but I don't think there's anyone out there who seriously saw them being quite literally one of the worst teams this franchise has iced in its 56 year history.

LINEUPS

From that nhl dot com racket, here's the potential lineups for this shitshow on ice...

Ducks projected lineup

Alex Killorn -- Mikael Granlund -- Beckett Sennecke

Jeffrey Viel -- Ryan Poehling -- Cutter Gauthier

Chris Kreider -- Jansen Harkins -- Sam Colangelo

Ross Johnston -- Tim Washe -- Ian Moore

Jackson LaCombe -- Jacob Trouba

Pavel Mintyukov -- Drew Helleson

Olen Zellweger -- Radko Gudas

Lukas Dostal

Ville Husso

Scratched: Ryan Strome

Injured: Troy Terry (upper body), Leo Carlsson (thigh), Mason McTavish (upper body), Petr Mrazek (undisclosed), Frank Vatrano (undisclosed)

Canucks projected lineup

Evander Kane -- Elias Pettersson -- Conor Garland

Filip Chytil -- David Kampf -- Linus Karlsson

Liam Ohgren -- Teddy Blueger -- Jonathan Lekkerimaki

Drew O'Connor -- Aatu Raty -- Jake DeBrusk

Marcus Pettersson -- Tyler Myers

Elias Nils Pettersson -- Filip Hronek

P.O Joseph -- Tom Willander

Nikita Tolopilo

Kevin Lankinen

Scratched: Max Sasson, Victor Mancini

Injured: Nils Hoglander (lower body), Brock Boeser (concussion protocol), Zeev Buium (facial fracture), Marco Rossi (lower body), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)

You have to feel for Hoglander, having missed so much time already, just a frustrating couple seasons for him after that breakthrough campaign a couple years ago. The Ducks are pretty banged up themselves, but that hasn't seemed to stop them too much as their record over the last while would indicate. No surprise that Nikita Tolopilo gets the nod tonight, and I would expect Kevin Lankinen to go Saturday if they don't win tonight, but if they do... I could see Tolopilo riding the hot hand.

GAME DAY CHATTER

GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN

'Prejudice is just another way of saying ignorance'. NUCLEAR ASSAULT, proving all the 'Metal wasn't woke in the 80's!!1!" wrong yet again. From the 'Fight To Be Free' ep, this is 'Equal Rights'.

Enjoy the game. Fuck fascists worldwide! Go Canucks Go!