Canucks lack firepower in 4-0 loss against Edmonton

Last night, the Vancouver Canucks indicated that they may not have enough scoring punch to get far in the playoffs.

The Edmonton Oilers jumped out to a four-goal lead within the first eight minutes, thanks in part to a hat trick by Taylor Hall.

And the Canucks were held off the scoresheet for the entire game, managing a mere five shots in the third period.

With centre Ryan Kesler still wearing a plaster cast over his broken foot and winger David Booth out for the season, the Canucks are having a hard time finding the back of the net.

One of the very few bright spots for the Canucks last night was Roberto Luongo, who looked sharp after letting in two goals in the first period.

Luongo has a respectable 2.44 goals-against average this year, which means he could be a useful bargaining chip if general manager Mike Gillis wants to beef up the offence in advance of the April 3 trade deadline.

Meanwhile, former Canucks centre Cody Hodgson is enjoying a breakout year with the Buffalo Sabres, scoring 12 goals and 16 assists in his first 35 games. Only the Sedins have more points among Canucks.

Hodgson was traded last year for forward Zack Kassian, who has five goals and three assists. Kassian is also minus-seven, tying him for the Canucks' team worst with Chris Higgins.

So far, the Kassian trade hasn't turned out to have been Gillis's finest moment as a general manager. Perhaps he can redeem himself in the next few days by swapping Luongo for a sniper.