Saturday, April 30. The only date that matters this spring for fans of Canadian hockey teams.

The NHL draft lottery will be held that night, and through play as of Sunday morning, the rebuilding Toronto Maple Leafs have the best odds at landing the top overall pick:

(Courtesy: TSN)

Before Maple Leafs fans get caught up in the excitement that is being in last place, Toronto's won three of four and has picked up points in five of seven. It's that time of year.

It's going to be a race to the bottom, and to, in all likelihood, American center Auston Matthews, projected to be the first overall selection in Buffalo in June.

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Out-shot, out-scored, out-worked, out-played.

That was the scene Saturday in Vancouver as the Canucks dropped a 3-0 decision to St. Louis, and while Ryan Miller stood on his head with a 47-save performance, Daniel Sedin thought the resolution demonstrated by the rest of the team left much to be desired.

"The only thing I worry about is effort," Sedin said, according to Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun. "And I think from some guys right now, the effort is not there. It’s not good enough. I think those guys know who they are. I think it’s embarrassing if you’re not giving the effort every night. Shift in and shift out, game in and game out, it has to be there otherwise it’s going to look like this."

The lack of effort, he said, isn't a new trend, and one that's effectively killed their playoff chances.

"I think it’s been an issue most nights," he continued. "Early on, we won some games because we had enough guys battling. It’s about learning to win those one-on-one battles. We’re there right now, trying to battle. But we’re not winning them. That’s a big difference."

Sedin, the team's assistant captain and de facto leader in the absence of brother Henrik, recorded seven shots in the loss, the Canucks' second-straight game without a goal.

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After being placed on the trade market via press release, waived, and then banished to the American Hockey League, Chris Higgins is on his way back to the NHL.

The Vancouver Canucks recalled Higgins on Saturday, momentarily ending the veteran forward's two-month stint with the AHL's Utica Comets.

Higgins scored nine goals and added four assists in 22 games with Utica after laboring through 25 games with the Canucks.

Vancouver tried, unsuccessfully, to deal the 32-year-old winger at the trade deadline. There were ultimately no takers for the three-time 20-goal scorer, who tallied three points before his demotion and has another season at $2.5 million on his contract.

Higgins is expected to fill in for Radim Vrbata, who's out with a lower-body injury.

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Brian Elliott is ready to return to the St. Louis Blues' crease.

The goaltender will be activated off injured reserve to start Saturday's game against the Vancouver Canucks.

Elliott has been on the shelf since leaving a loss to the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 22 with what the team called a lower-body injury.

Jake Allen assumed the starter's role in Elliott's absence, but Allen has allowed 13 goals over his last three games.

The Blues have lost two straight, allowing 17 goals as a team over their last three.

Elliott, who is 17-7-6 with a 2.14 GAA and a .929 save percentage in 34 contests, won five consecutive games before suffering the injury last month.

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Vancouver Canucks winger Jannik Hansen will be out through the weekend - and miss at least two more games - after suffering a setback in his recovery from a rib injury, the team announced Thursday.

He's been out since the beginning of March.

With the benefit of spending a large portion of the season on a line with the Sedin twins, Hansen achieved the team's highest 5-on-5 scoring rate at 2.24 points per 60 minutes.

He's already established a career high with 19 goals and with 32 points, and was well on his way to passing the 40-point threshold for the first time in his career.

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Vancouver Canucks defenseman Luca Sbisa is considered week to week with an upper-body injury, head coach Willie Desjardins announced Tuesday.

The blue-liner was hurt during Monday's game against the Winnipeg Jets after being hit into the boards by forward Adam Lowry. Sbisa left the game, and was seen with a sling on his left arm following the Jets 5-2 win.

Desjardins added that forward Markus Granlund is day to day after he suffered an upper-body injury of his own Monday. The team recalled forward Brendan Gaunce and defenseman Andrey Pedan from its AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, to take their places.

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Jake Virtanen is a Belieber.

Even better, he's good friends with Justin Bieber, the mega star whose second stop on his "Purpose World Tour" was Vancouver over the weekend. Virtanen posted a couple of photos of the two hanging out:

You better believe they jammed:

Virtanen has seven goals and six assists in 43 games in his rookie season with the Vancouver Canucks. Unfortunately, his friendship with one of the biggest celebrities in music doesn't show up on his hockey card.

- With H/T to the Vancouver Courier and Yahoo Sports.

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The Nikita Tryamkin era begins Wednesday.

Vancouver Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins confirmed the defender will make his NHL debut at home against the Colorado Avalanche.

The 6-foot-7, 240-pound Russian, only 21, was a third-round pick by the Canucks in 2014, and has spent four years playing in the KHL. He's often been compared to Boston Bruins behemoth Zdeno Chara, due to his size, but Tryamkin wants to leave his own mark.

"He would like to surpass and be better than Chara," Tryamkin's interpreter said last week, according to the Vancouver Sun's Brad Ziemer. "And he would like to not be Zdeno Chara, but would like to be Nikita Tryamkin."

The decision to insert the rookie into the lineup was a lot easier to make after Monday's loss, in which defenseman Luca Sbisa and forward Markus Granlund were lost to injury. Both won't be back "anytime soon," and an update on each player's condition is expected later Tuesday.

The Canucks are playing out the string, so if you're looking for a reason to tune in, you've got one in Tryamkin.

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