It's Canucks fan-appreciation night on Saturday (April 9) at Rogers Arena. And the way things have gone this season, the players and front-office staff will certainly be appreciative if a few ticket holders don't show up in the stands with paper bags over their heads.

That's because the Canucks final-season game against the Edmonton Oilers is going to be telecast on Hockey Night in Canada, ensuring a national audience.

In recent years, disgruntled fans in other cities, including Toronto, have expressed displeasure by donning paper bags or by throwing team sweaters onto the ice.

Tonight, the Canucks endured a 7-3 drubbing at the hands of the Calgary Flames. It dropped Vancouver's record to 30-38-13 in what is the team's worst campaign since the 1998-99 season.

Mikael Backlund led the Calgary charge with a hat trick, with the back-breaker coming on a shorthanded goal with less than a minute left in the second period. That put the Flames ahead 5-3, leaving Derryk Engelland and Sam Bennett to round out the scoring late in the third period.

One of the Canucks' highlights was the first NHL goal by giant rookie defenceman Nikita Tryamkin. Bo Horvat and Emerson Etem were the other Vancouver goal scorers.

Calgary's 43-27 edge in shots on goal indicated how lopsided the play was. It came the night after the Canucks were trounced 6-2 by the Oilers.