VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 18 (UPI) -- Vancouver looks to avoid elimination Friday night when it hosts St. Louis in Game Five of their Western Conference quarterfinal series.
The only other game Friday is in Tampa, where the Lightning entertain Washington. The teams split the first four games of their Eastern Conference series, with each winning twice on the road.
The Canucks would like to win anywhere at this point.
In contention most of the season for the top seed in the West, they slipped to No. 4, and now are one loss away from an early summer.
The biggest problem for the Canucks has been their offense, which has totaled only four goals in the first four games of the series, despite the presence of Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi, and Brendan Morrison, who make up one of the NHL's best lines.
Vancouver's top unit combined for 119 goals and 153 assists during the regular season, but has been shut down by Doug Weight, Dallas Drake, Martin Rucinsky, Chris Pronger, and Barret Jackman.
It got so bad for Naslund, Bertuzzi, and Morrison, they were split up at times during a 4-1 loss in Game Four on Wednesday. If they get it together in time, they could help Vancouver to its first series win since 1995.
As far as lightning striking twice, the Canucks have lost each of their last three first-round series since 1995, but the win was in a seven-game set with the Blues in the only other postseason series between the two.
The Blues are seeking their third straight first-round victory. Although they have the longest active playoff streak in professional sports at 24 years in a row, they have made it past the first round just once since 1986.
While he has helped shut down Vancouver's top scoring line, Weight also leads the team in scoring with three goals and four assists.
Martin St. Louis paces the Lightning with three goals and three assists. He scored twice in Wednesday's 3-1 win in Washington, which evened the series at two games apiece.
It also kept the teams winless on home ice in the series.
The Lightning will look to break the trend as they try to reach the second round of the playoffs for the first time in two postseason trips.
The Capitals, back in the playoffs for the first time since they reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998, are trying to buck history. They opened a 1996 first-round series with two wins in Pittsburgh, then dropped the next four.
The only other remaining Eastern Conference series resumes Saturday, when Philadelphia hosts Toronto in Game Five. The Flyers evened the series Wednesday with a triple-overtime victory.
Ottawa and New Jersey, the top-two seeds in the East, both advanced Thursday.
Two Western Conference series can be locked up Saturday.
A win away from moving on, the top-seeded Dallas Stars host Edmonton in Game Six, and third-seeded Colorado entertains the Minnesota Wild in Game Five.
