from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province,

There are as many opinions about the Vancouver Canucks as there are stars in the sky but, as they head into the final two months of their NHL schedule, here’s the one thing we can say about this team without fear of contradiction:

They weren’t overburdened with the weight of expectations at the start of this season.

The Canucks, if you need reminding, were pegged for another dreary campaign by everyone who had a laptop and access to the internet. NHL.com, for example, posted predictions from 18 writers. Not one had the Canucks in the playoffs. The Sporting News picked the Canucks to finish last in the Western Conference and added this:

“The Canucks might be the only team in the Western Conference without a case for the playoffs. Seriously.”

Over at The Hockey News, it was noted Vegas had set the over-under on the Canucks’ point total at 77.5 and strongly advised to take the under.

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