The Canucks Could Tie A Franchise Record On Saturday Against The Edmonton Oilers

The Vancouver Canucks have the opportunity to tie a franchise record on Saturday night when they take on the Edmonton Oilers. Vancouver has lost their last nine-straight games, with their most recent win coming on December 29 against the Seattle Kraken. If they lose to the Oilers on Saturday night, they’ll tie a franchise-high losing streak of 10 straight games. 

The first and only time the Canucks have lost 10 straight games was during the 1997–98 season, with their streak running from October 23 to November 12. This season’s iteration of the Canucks finished with a record of 25–43–14, collecting a total of 64 points to place themselves last in the Pacific Division. Only two other teams, the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, had worse records than the Canucks. 

Vancouver has hit nine-straight losses four other times throughout franchise history, with all of these taking place from the span of 1974 to 1988. This season is the first time the Canucks have registered a losing streak of nine or more games since the start of the 2000s. 

The first of these four other nine-game losing streaks took place from January 1 to the 18th in 1975. Their first win of the new year came against the Washington Capitals on January 23, in what ultimately ended as a 3–2 game. Interestingly enough, the Canucks actually finished first in the Smythe Division this season with a record of 38–32–10 and a total of 86 points. They placed ninth in the entire NHL by the end of the season, putting them at the exact halfway-mark of the league. 

Vancouver’s next two nine-game losing streaks both came in the 1984–85 season. Their first ran from October 14 to 31, ending after a 6–4 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on November 3. Within the seven games between their first nine-game losing streak of this season and their next, Vancouver only registered three wins and two ties. 

It didn’t take the Canucks long to put up their next nine-game losing streak, as a 7–0 loss to the Oilers on November 17 kickstarted yet another one. Ironically enough, this very losing streak ended with a 3–2 win against Edmonton on December 8. Unsurprisingly, Vancouver finished last in the Smythe Division this season, putting up 59 points and finishing the year with a 25–46–9 record. They finished 18th in the 21-team league, ahead of only the New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Toronto Maple Leafs. 

Prior to this season’s, Vancouver’s most recent nine-game losing streak came during the 1987–88 season. The streak started with a 6–1 loss to the New York Islanders on February 23 and ended the month after with a 3–3 tie against the Oilers. While they technically didn’t lose this game, they didn’t actually win their next game until March 18 against the Los Angeles Kings. Vancouver finished this season with another 25–46–9 record, 59 points, and a last-place finish in the Smythe Division. They finished third from the bottom of the NHL, beating out only the Maple Leafs and the Minnesota North Stars. 

In theory, the Canucks have already made franchise history by recording their longest losing streak since the start of the 2000s. Whether or not they tie franchise history will depend on what happens on Saturday night. 

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