VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Canucks hit the road for crucial back-to-back games this week knowing full well that their season likely hangs in the balance. Jeremy Roenick Jersey . With just nine contests left on the schedule and the club sitting four points adrift in the Western Conference playoff race, the Canucks have no margin for error. "Everybodys looking at the standings. We are too," head coach John Tortorella said after Tuesdays practice at Rogers Arena. "All we can do is control what we have. "Were going to keep on trying to battle away here and find points." That begins Wednesday in Minnesota against the Wild before another tough test the following night against the Colorado Avalanche. Both teams are all but locked into playoff positions, something the Canucks can only dream of at this point. While the standings dont look all that daunting at first glance — the eighth-place Phoenix Coyotes were four points up with a game in hand on Vancouver heading into Tuesday — the math tells a different story. The website www.sportsclubstats.com, which calculates teams playoff chances, currently gives the Canucks just a 2.3 per cent shot at making this years post-season. Its a stunning slide for a club that has become accustomed to battling for division titles in recent years, not its playoff life. Vancouver has won its last two games over the punchless Nashville Predators and the Buffalo Sabres to stay above water, but the Wild and Avalanche should pose a much tougher test in what could be two season-defining contests. "Weve been a very resilient group. Weve been on the outside looking in for a while now and weve climbed right back up there," said Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa. "Weve had some tough losses for sure. Theres no hiding that, but we keeping fighting. "Were still here. Were still standing." They might not be after this week. Apart from the Coyotes, the Dallas Stars also stand in the way of the Canucks playoff hopes. Dallas was three points up on Vancouver with two games in hand heading into Tuesday. But if Vancouver can survive the trip to Minnesota and Colorado, the club could have some life with six of its final seven games coming at home. "Im just trying to take it day by day here," said goaltender Eddie Lack, who is expected to make his 14th straight start Wednesday. "I know (Phoenix and Dallas) have a really tough schedule left. We have a lot of home games too so hopefully we can take advantage of that and just do our part here and well see if its enough or not." Canucks forward Zack Kassian said the players are aware of the out-of-town scoreboard each night, but added that the daunting task makes his preparation easier. "We know theres only nine and we know that every one of those games is going to be very important for our hockey team," he said. "You definitely look (at the scores) as a team when youre not playing and youre seeing how other teams are doing that youre trying to chase. "At the end of the day if we dont take care of our business and win hockey games it has no effect on us." Canucks forward Daniel Sedin said he cant help but pay attention to other teams results when every point is so critical. "I think you have to right now. We need those two teams to lose a few games," he said. "I think you keep an eye on that, but on game day youre so focused on your own games you dont really worry too much about the other scores." Tortorella and his players both refuse to use injuries as an excuse, but the Canucks have rarely had a chance to ice their full lineup since the end of December. Daniel Sedin returned on Sunday against Buffalo, but the club lost Henrik Sedin the same night, while fellow forward Alexandre Burrows was hurt against Nashville. Neither will make the two-game road trip. "It cant be deflating. Weve been going through this all year long. You get a couple back, another one goes out," said Tortorella. "Its been most of our top guys ... but it cant be deflating at this time of year. We just need to stay upbeat." While refusing to use injuries as a crutch to explain his teams predicament, the fiery coach who preaches pressure in all three zones added that the crowded sick bay has left him hamstrung at times. "The lineup when we were healthy, I think we were a different team. I think it allowed us to play a little bit differently, too," said Tortorella. "When we started getting banged up there ... we had to make some adjustments within our play and it changes things." Bieksa said that despite the injuries and long odds, a belief remains in the Canucks locker-room that the playoffs are still attainable. "Weve set ourselves up to make a push at least," he said. "Were fighting to the end. Were not going to give up." Follow @JClipperton_CP on Twitter Denis Savard Jersey . Paul, MN (SportsNetwork. Jonathan Toews Jersey . Louis second-period goal increased the New York Rangers lead but Dustin Brown has countered for the Los Angeles Kings who now trail the New York Rangers 2-1 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final at Madison Square Garden. http://www.officialblackhawksauthority.com/steve-larmer-blackhawks-jersey-c-26/ . The motion to expand the stadiums capacity passed through by a count of 39-3, with Toronto mayor Rob Ford being among those in opposition.BARCELONA, Spain -- Top-ranked Rafael Nadals clay-court struggles worsened Friday as his 41-match winning streak at the Barcelona Open ended with a three-set loss to Nicolas Almagro in the quarterfinals. Nadal was looking for his ninth title in Barcelona but lost 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, a week after going out in the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters to David Ferrer. Nadal, widely considered the greatest clay-court player of all time, hadnt lost in Barcelona since his debut as a 15-year-old in 2003, although he missed the tournament in 2010. He had not dropped a set here since the 2008 final. The 20th-ranked Almagro converted his second match point, smashing a forehand down the line for his first career victory over his fellow Spaniard on the 11th try. "I had a lot of opportunities in the second set," Nadal said. "I didnt take advantage of break points, so credit goes to him." After failing to convert any of his five break points in the second set, Nadal missed a return in the tiebreaker to give Almagro a 6-5 lead. Almagro followed up with a crosscourt forehand winner to level the match and end Nadals streak of 44 straight sets at the tournament. Both players were steady on serve until an exchange of breaks made it 4-4 in the third, and Nadal then sent aa shot long to be broken again and give Almagro a chance to serve for the match. Nathan Noel Jersey. Nadal set up two straight chances to break back, but hit a forehand long and then sent a smash into the net with Almagro out of position. Nadal then saved the first match point when Almagros backhand flew wide. But Almagro used a serve-and-volley to save a third break point of the game before Nadals long return set up the second match point. Nadal hadnt been eliminated this early in back-to-back clay-court tournaments since 2004, when as an 18-year-old he also failed to get past the quarterfinals in Stuttgart and Bastad. "This is an important win for my career," said Almagro, who celebrated wildly. Almagro will face Santiago Giraldo in Saturdays semifinals after Philipp Kohlschreiber retired with an injury while trailing 6-4, 4-3. Earlier, Kei Nishikori of Japan and Ernests Gulbis of Latvia overpowered opponents to set up a semifinal meeting. The fourth-seeded Nishikori continued his good run since returning from a groin injury with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Marin Cilic of Croatia, while the ninth-seeded Gulbis dismissed Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia 6-1, 6-4. Gulbis saved all five break points against Gabashvili, who had knocked out the fifth-ranked Ferrer. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '