And that remains the story of the season. Close, but far. And they were once again exposed for their lack of speed by the Montreal Canadiens, who took home a fine 4-2 win. The Canadiens are quick and have a fun set of forwards. They’re also the second-youngest squad in the league. Will they top out as a true contender? Tough to say. But you can see the direction they’re trying to go. The Canucks, on the other hand, remain stuck in neutral. It’s tough to tell where they’re going to go. All we can see is a team that’s struggling to define itself still, six weeks after the departure of J.T. Miller. We’re seeing more and more positive glimpses out of Elias Pettersson — he had seven shot attempts and a goal — but the team’s offence remains mostly lacking in edge.