Too many nights this season the Canucks simply haven't been good enough and have been deserved losers.

Rare have been nights like Saturday's, where the Canucks were dealing with a mountain of true unfortunate luck going against them.

Now, to be clear, the Canucks didn't lose because of bad luck. They had enough bad play beyond the bad luck but a bounce here or there another way on one or two of the early goals by the Seattle Kraken and maybe, maybe the Canucks fragile mental game wouldn't have shattered quite so quickly.

For the third straight game the Canucks were leading in the second period only to blow their lead. On Wednesday in Los Angeles they pulled a win out of the hat, but on Thursday and again Saturday they just had no counter kick to push their head back above water. Instead they just drowned, meekly.

As the saying goes, you've got to be lucky to be good but also good to be lucky.

And these Canucks just aren't good. There was a hint of hope before the 4-Nations break as the Canucks played tight defensive hockey.

There's been little evidence of that this week. The Canucks went 1-4 on this road trip, against a variety of opponents.

They've shown their mettle and it's lacking.

"The other teams are coming up with moments and we're not," Rick Tocchet admitted about his team's mentality right now. They'd gone 6-1-1 before the 4-Nations break, but now they're reeling.

You have to admire Quinn Hughes' guts in trying to make things happen this week, but the way he was slow to get up after the second Seattle goal said everything.

But he's not right. He's had minimal influence on offence and what's worse, he's having a terrible run defensively. He was on the ice for three of the first four Seattle goals on Saturday. He was on the ice for three of the four even-strength goals by Anaheim on Thursday.

"He tweaked something," Tocchet admitted after the game. The captain will be assessed further tomorrow.

And he spent the latter half of the third period parked on the bench on Saturday. He was again spotted on the bench trying to loosen up his back -- he's been dealing with an oblique muscle injury. He's clearly very stiff.

Which was the more apt description for the Elias Pettersson experience on this night?

The time he looked off a shot despite coming in towards the net on a good angle, or the time he got hammered to the ice by Brandon Tanev.

As Kevin Bieksa noted on Hockey Night in Canada, there are moments of good, he's moving his feet here and there, he's winning puck battles here and there but overall remains so unconvincing.

He's a speedy player, using his speed well and creating lots of scoring chances.

Setting up Andre Burakovsky as he did was so, so impressive.

He's really coming along.

The Canucks had a chance here to separate themselves from Calgary a little here and they didn't.

The Flames have the advantage again: they are a point back but have a game in hand.