from Ian MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun,

They haven’t played well defensively, have been atrocious on special teams and look like they can be physically bullied without injured bangers Brandon Prust and Luca Sbisa.

Except for rookie Ben Hutton, their entire defence is struggling. Chris Tanev, at least, is playing hurt. But veterans Alex Edler and Dan Hamhuis have been erratic, and Yannick Weber, kept in the lineup by Sbisa’s foot injury, hasn’t looked like an everyday NHL defenceman.

The Canuck power play is 0-for-11 on the trip and hasn’t scored in five games, and has surrendered a short-handed goal in consecutive games — matching in two nights the number of short-handed goals Vancouver yielded all of last season.

But the most confusing statistic is the NHL standings, which shows the Canucks somehow leading the Pacific Division at 7-4-5. They have six regulation or overtime wins in 17 games but lead their division. It’s difficult to know what to make of them.

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