Canucks Foil Habs' Bid for Best Start Ever

Typical Nux.

When everything's going Vancouver's way, they find a way to mess it up.

When nothing's working, they manage to find a way to mess someone else up.

And so it was when the red-hot Montréal Canadiens came to Lotusland, riding an NHL record nine-game win-in-regulation streak to begin the season. They had designs to tie the best overall start against a Canuck squad that had yet to win at home.

So what happened? What else?

The hell of it is, Vancouver's 3-0-0 on the road, which has kept them in the rugged Pacific Division's early hunt.

Well and truly Nuxian.

Those road wins have been satisfying, too:

• Clubbing heated rival Calgary, 5-1, on Opening Night;
• Squeezing by Anaheim, 2-1, in a shootout; followed by
• Shutting out Los Angeles, 3-0, two days later.

But they haven't been able to make hay at home. After losing to the Flames in their return match, Vancouver was looking at being skunked in the Garage after dropping one-goal decisions in succession to St Louis, Edmonton, Washington, and Detroit.

Their fans are virtually numb to stuff like this anymore.

With surprisingly slow starts by the Ducks and Flames, the Canucks have had a margin of error. But their burn rate in that regard has got to subside if they expect to be players in the spring.