To paraphrase Prince, the Canucks are getting ready to party like it's 1999. Or, failing that, getting on the golf course around the same time as the players did 17 years ago.

That, of course, was the team's worst season in recent memory when they posted a measley 58 points under the iron fist of head coach and general manager Mike Keenan.

He was fired before the season ended. So far, a similar fate has not befallen Willie Desjardins, who just skippered his ninth consecutive loss behind the Canucks bench.

"All the games are tough," Desjardins told reporters after the game.

This one stung because it was at home.

Sharks captain Joe Pavelski opened the scoring 20 seconds into the second period with his 37th goal of the season. San Jose stalwards Brent Burns and Joe Thornton each recoreded assists.

The Canucks tied the game six minutes later on a short-handed goal by Chris Higgins. It was his third marker in what has been a disappointing season.

But with just 11 seconds left in the second frame, Logan Couture beat Jacob Markstrom with a wrist shot. Then at 14:01 of the third period, Couture made it 3-1 on a power-play goal. 

The Canucks weren't helped when they took another penalty with less than five minutes left when Daniel Sedin boarded Tommy Wingels.

To close things out, Couture scored into an empty net with just 16 seconds left in the third period, giving him a hat trick.

The Canucks didn't play badly, but they also didn't play well enough to win.

It's a storyline that the team's fans have become all too familiar with in the month of March.