Are the playoffs over for the Vancouver Canucks?

Was it all a dream?That senseof cautious optimism that washed over Canuck Nationafter a better than expected regular season?

The feeling the Calgary Flames were the best (easiest) opening round playoff match-up for Vancouver?. Plucky yes, but eminently beatable, with a roster full of rosy-cheeked youngsters lacking playoff experience.

Fast forward to reality.The Canucksare down 3-1 to the kids andcoming offtwodisheartening losses in Albertawhere they were badly outplayed.

Flames fans are ecstatic.Calgary's mayor is gloating. The Vancouver Canucks are toast.

"Vancouver? You're toast"

9 years ago

Duration 0:43

Copious amounts of Wonder Bread branded with the Canucks logo are expected to be eaten week, says CBC Calgary's morning show team.

Does experience really matter?

As for all that experiencethe Canucks like to talk about? It doesn't seem to be amountingtomuch.

Perhaps a more telling tale is in the numbers.

• The Canucks have won only twoof their last 15 playoff games, going back to Game 6 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final series.
• In those 15 games, they've scored a total of 26goals. That's an average of 1.7 goals per game. It's hard to win when you can't score.
• According to NHL.com, a team trailing 3-1 in a best-of-seven series comes back to win only 8.7 per cent of the time.

Never say never but...

Of course acomeback is still possible. The Canucks strung together three straight overtime wins in 1994 to eliminate Calgary from the playoffs. So never say never.

But so far there's littleindicate the 2015 Canucks have any of the magic, the Bure-Linden-McLean bunch did 21 years ago.

These Canuckslook old. And slow. And incapable of making adjustments to deal with Calgary'shardforecheckingand hard-nosed style.

If that's what 'experience' looks like, then the only logical conclusion is this: Experience is overrated.

Canuckroster updates

Alex Burrows is out for the series. Burrows hurt a rib fighting Kris Russell in Game 3, and was subsequently hit by a puck in the same area the following morning.He flew back to Vancouver on Wednesday after spending the night in a Calgary hospital.

Former Flame Sven Baertschiwill be in the lineupfor the CanucksThursday in Game 5, likely playingwithRadim Vrbata and Nick Bonino.It's Baertschi'sseries and NHL playoff debut. Hope is he can spark some desperately needed offencefor Vancouver.

Baertschi in for game 5, coach Desjardin and Ryan Miller on how to stave off elimination

9 years ago

Duration 0:59

The Calgary Flames can eliminate the Vancouver Canucks from the playoffs with a win in game 5 Thursday night.