As exciting as it’s been to see the Canucks claw their way out of the NHL’s basement since the removal of the coaching and management team back in December, it was always the longest of long shots that they could win enough games to actually get into a playoff position. And as promising as last week’s performance was, the cold splash of reality came last night, where a tired Canucks team ran into the same hot goalie who stymied them the last time these teams met, and a combination of sloppy defensive play and bad bounces led to a 4-1 loss in St Louis.