NO PLACE LIKE HOME?
This season’s awful record at Rogers Arena has cost the Canucks dearly
To put the Canucks’ woeful performance on home ice this season in historical context, try these two examples on for size: The expansion 1970-71 Canucks, a ragtag assortment of misfits and castoffs from existing teams, managed 17 wins on home ice; in Alain Vigneault’s final season behind the bench — the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season with just 24 home games — the Canucks still came out on top 15 times. The guy got fired after winning more home games in a compressed schedule than this year’s team likely will.
The current Canucks are sitting on just 13 wins with two home games to go. They are an appalling 13-21-5 through their first 39 games at Rogers Arena. That is just 31 of a possible 78 points gained in front of the home fans.
However, in today’s NHL, which features a bonus point for losing in overtime or a shootout, each team really has two home ice records — their own, and then the mark the visitors leave town with. This season road teams have treated the Canucks like a piñata, battering them to the tune of 26-9-4, meaning opposing teams have rolled through our city and stuffed 56 of 78 (or more than 71 per cent) of the points available to them in their back pockets. Some home ice advantage that is. “It says where we are as a team,” Henrik Sedin said after the club’s most recent home ice setback, a 4-1 loss to San Jose on Tuesday as the Canucks fell to 4-13-1 with just 37 goals in their last 19 at home.
“We’ve been too hesitant at home and we’ve given other teams way too much ice, trying to play safe and playing not to lose, and that sets up for failure a lot of times.
“That comes with having a young team, and you see teams coming at you and you take a step back instead of going at them.”
The most troubling aspect in all of this is that the rebuilding Canucks have just nine regulation wins on home ice this season. On just nine of 39 occasions, the paying customer has left the building after seeing the home team come away untouched.
And if you need any further evidence why this disastrous season is coming to a close next week it’s this: Only three of those regulation victories have come at the expense of Western Conference foes (Chicago, Colorado and Nashville) and not one of those teams is in the Canucks’ division. Twelve visits from Pacific Division opponents so far and, incredibly, not a single one has left Rogers Arena empty-handed.
Home ice is where teams are supposed to be able to dictate matchups and use that edge to put players in the best possible positions to succeed. That simply hasn’t been the case for the Canucks, who are 30th in the league in home ice wins, 29th in home ice goals, 28th in both shots on goal and shot differential.
In 28 of the 39 games, the Canucks have been held to two or fewer goals, including three shutout losses.
It’s never good when there are nearly as many Town Hall meetings appeasing the ticket holders as there are regulation wins for those paying the freight. People have decisions to make about how they spend their time and money and at the very least need to feel they’re getting some kind of return on their investment.
Fans want something — anything — to get excited about, and the Canucks simply haven’t delivered nearly enough of that this season.
“You have to be good at home and I think that comes from having an identity — whatever that might be,” Jannik Hansen said. “Is it pressure, is it physical, is it skill? You have to have an identity.
“It seems like we’re too easy to play against and we don’t overwhelm a lot of teams. You have to take advantage of home ice. Travel is tough and you have to jump on teams that are a little fatigued, and use that to your advantage.”
The Canucks have two more chances to win at home before they scatter for the summer. Failure to do so will earn this group a spot in the franchise record book, equalling the fewest home wins in a full season — first set in 1976-77, matched a year later and again in 1989-90.
The Los Angeles Kings come calling Monday; it’s hard to like the Canucks’ chances in that one. That leaves the April 9 season finale against Edmonton as a game the home team will have to win.
Canucks versus Oilers — one for the ages. Who says these late-season games are meaningless? Hardly. The stakes are high. The home team has double-digits to play for.