The Vancouver Canucks know January could make or break their season.

Struggling with consistency and faced with a daunting schedule, this month will likely show whether Vancouver has the ability to claw its way into playoff position or if it will miss post-season play yet again.

B次元官网网址淚 know from our standpoint, we have to be good this month or itB次元官网网址檚 going to get ugly, for sure,B次元官网网址� forward J.T. Miller said Monday. B次元官网网址淚t turns into a grind and a race to push where weB次元官网网址檙e at.

B次元官网网址淏ut I think weB次元官网网址檙e just worried about the immediate future right now and just playing a really solid game (on Tuesday) and trying to go from there.B次元官网网址�

A stacked lineup of opponents is sure to make the month difficult.

The Canucks kick off 2023 Tuesday with a home tilt against the New York Islanders before hosting the Stanley Cup-champion Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. The team then heads out on a punishing five-game swing through Winnipeg, Pittsburgh, Tampa before finishing the road trip with back-to-back matchups against Florida and Carolina. Back in Vancouver, contests with the Lightning, Avs and Oilers await.

B次元官网网址淭hat (scheduleB次元官网网址檚) not an easy task,B次元官网网址� said head coach Bruce Boudreau. B次元官网网址淏ut the thing is, weB次元官网网址檝e beaten a lot of those teams already. And we can beat them again if we consistently play at the top of our game.B次元官网网址�

The Canucks head into TuesdayB次元官网网址檚 game following losses in Winnipeg and Calgary B次元官网网址� both outings that Boudreau saw as winnable matchups.

B次元官网网址淲e just didnB次元官网网址檛 play our best and we were right there,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e need consistency through the lineup, one through 20. And if we get it, we win, it doesnB次元官网网址檛 matter who we play. But when you donB次元官网网址檛 get it, itB次元官网网址檚 hard to win.B次元官网网址�

Consistency has been hard for Vancouver to come by this season.

The Canucks currently sit in sixth place in the Pacific Division with a 16-17-3 record, seven points out of a playoff spot. After starting the campaign with a dismal 0-5-2 record, the team has neither won nor lost more than three games in a row and has made it over the NHL .500 mark just once, when they downed the San Jose Sharks 6-2 on Dec. 27.

Finding a way to string together a series of solid performances is key to becoming a perpetual playoff contender, said defenceman Luke Schenn.

B次元官网网址淚f you feel good about your game, youB次元官网网址檙e winning, you donB次元官网网址檛 let your foot off the gas. And if you go into a bit of a rut and drop a couple, then you get right back on it and find your game right away,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淪o thatB次元官网网址檚 what the good teams do and obviously weB次元官网网址檝e got a ways to go to find that.B次元官网网址�

Fighting to get back into playoff position is nothing new for the Canucks.

Last season, Vancouver made a late push, closing out the campaign with a 32-15-10 record and missing the playoffs by five points.

Captain Bo Horvat said thereB次元官网网址檚 no reason the team canB次元官网网址檛 repeat the performance this year B次元官网网址� with different results.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 going to be tough, IB次元官网网址檓 not going to lie. But weB次元官网网址檙e in a lot better position than we were last year at this time. So itB次元官网网址檚 going to be a challenge for us,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e got a lot of good, hard matchups coming up, but I have faith in our group that we can pull through this and make a push for the playoffs here. ThatB次元官网网址檚 been our goal since the beginning of the year.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擥emma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press