Vancouver Canucks look dismal in shootout against Minnesota Wild

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      Seven shots in the shootout and not a single goal sealed the fate of the Vancouver Canucks last night.

      Despite an outstanding performance by rookie goalie Eddie Lack at Rogers Arena, the home team still came up short when the Minnesota Wild's Justin Fontaine converted on his team's seventh attempt in the shootout.

      Canucks forward David Booth tried without success to even the tally with a spinerama. His shot was easily turned aside by goalie Darcy Kuemper.

      In the NHL shootout statistics, the first Canuck on the list, Mike Santorelli. He's the 76th entry with two goals on eight attempts. (He's actually tied with Daniel Alfredsson of the Detroit Red Wings.)

      Yannick Weber, Alex Burrows, and Chris Higgins are the only other Canucks with goals in the shootout this year.

      Santorelli and Weber are on the injured-reserved list.

      Among teams, Vancouver is in 21st place in the shootout this year, with just three wins and seven losses.

      The Canucks are only 1-5 in the shootout at home.

      Management can claim a moral victory in winning three of four available points in the first two games after the Winter Olympics.

      However, that doesn't erase the reality that the Canucks are in danger of missing the playoffs.

      They're in fourth place in the Pacific Division with 66 points, just one ahead of Phoenix, which has two games in hand.

      In the Western Conference, the Canucks are tied for ninth with Dallas, though the Stars have three games in hand.

      If Vancouver fails to make the playoffs, a primary reason will be the team's inability to score goals on penalty shots when the game is on the line.

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