It’s fair to say the Canucks were always going to be the underdog in this game.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are defending Stanley Cup champions, and sit near to top of league standings. Vancouver, meanwhile, is near the bottom. With Sidney Crosby having another excellent season, and Evgeni Malkin returning from injury, the Pens already had an advantage down the middle.
Still, before the puck dropped the Canucks’ situation became just a little bit worse:
Bo Horvat and Brandon Sutter were both unable to play due to injury.