It's raining. It's pouring. The Vancouver Canucks are snoring.
With only two goals in the team's last three games – all losses, first tight to Florida and Calgary, then 5-1 to the NHL-best Nashville Predators – the Canucks are sliding through January, much like they did a very long 12 months ago.
In the year, Vancouver have just two wins in three times the tries. Their only victories, a 3-2 hold-on over John Tavares and the New York Islanders and a 4-1, empty-net heavy decision over the Detroit Red Wings.
It's early, so you probably shouldn't panic. Then again, perhaps that's the problem.
The Canucks are sliding through January, much like they did a year ago, when Vancouver fell from a surprisingly strong Western Conference playoff team to Sam Reinhart's draft area. So forgive us if we're a little worried, if this is all too familiar. It's not the same team – they're deeper this year, their coach doesn't grip the stick so tight, and optimism has poked its head through after reality set in.
There are still three months to go, but boredom is a disease. The Canucks, and their fans, seem to have it.
Corey Perry, Toronto Maple Leaf?
Corey Perry, an Ontario kid who made his name playing with the OHL's London Knights, slipped an interesting admission to Lance Pugmire of the L.A. Times.
"It would've been nice to go home and play in front of family and friends every night, but on the other side of things, you have to think about your life and how you want to live it," Perry said in an article published Wednesday, admitting he thought about signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs two years ago.
(Pugmire said the idea "tugged on Corey Perry's heart".)
Perry would obviously not bite on that urge. Instead, he re-signed with Anaheim and the mighty Ducks for eight years and $69 million.
And it doesn't sound like he regrets his choice, not now. Not with the Ducks contending for Stanley Cups every April, not while he flanks two centers like the Ryans Getzlaf and Kesler.
"This is the place where I wanted to stay, to live," he continued, to Pugmire. "Everything's going in the right direction with this organization... There's a lot of depth here and it definitely weighed in on what was going on."
Toews, Foligno named All-Star captains
Jonathan Toews is an obvious choice, probably. But Nick Folingo? Hey, good for him.
The Blue Jackets underrated forward will be joining teammates Sergei Bobrovsky and Ryan Johansen on the All-Star rosters in Columbus, where all three play and the game will be hosted, for the first time ever in Ohio.
But the weekend is about more than serious, serious hockey stuff – giving the home fans something to remember, and three Blue Jackets – one of them a captain – is a nice gesture by the NHL. And besides, it's just the All-Star Game... nobody takes it seriously. Why should the NHL pretend they should?
The funny things is, Toews isn't exactly known for his public speaking or his joke-around-ness, which will make Foligno a better captain for the All-Star Draft.
Unless Toews gets to make fun of Patrick Kane in front of everybody, that is...
Penguins, Jets Entertain the Masses
Pittsburgh and Winnipeg turned their opponents into rag dolls on Tuesday night, with the Penguins winning 7-2 over the upside-down Minnesota Wild, and the Winnipeg Jets exponentially slapped the Florida Panthers, 8-2 in front of a raucous MTS Centre crowd.
But there were some neat storylines from last night:
In Pittsburgh, new acquisition David Perron picked up three points after a rather sleepy first couple games with Crosby...
Kris Letang went all Bobby Orr on a pretty little play, which was notable...
But is it just me, or do the Penguins have maybe the tidiest retro uniforms in the National Hockey League? Those tunics they wore last night – only an alternate, sadly and stupidly, are early 90's beautiful... before that decade turned all robotic and frosted tips.
VIDEO: Pittsburgh Penguins unveil retro Black & Gold third jersey(NHL.com)
In Winnipeg, you had the dancing popcorn man...
You had the continued heartwarming story that is the Winnipeg Jets' 2015 season...
And you had Mathieu Perreault, who not only scored a career-high four goals in last night's lopsided win, but also nearly won a Safeway customer $1,000,000.
You've seen the commercials for the Safeway Score and Win, right?
Well, Gail McDonald was one Perreault tally away from being eligible to win $50,000 a year for 20 years. And the crazy thing is, Perreault actually had a third-period breakaway and a chance to ruin Safeway's year, but he was stopped by backup Al Montoya.
"That's crazy, I wish I knew," he said after the game (Yahoo Puck Daddy). "In the third it was a 7-2 game and we were just closing it out... I didn't know, so I almost feel bad."