There's a lot riding on what happens after the puck drops at Vancouver's GM Place tonight -- and not just for the Canucks.
Every bar owner is watching tonight's game against the Edmonton Oilers -- because if the Canucks lose, they face elimination from the NHL playoffs.
And with no playoff games, bar attendance -- not to mention money changing hands for beer and nachos -- plummets.
"Game time is 7:30, so we're usually pretty full by 5 or 5:30 and by 6 p.m. we're packed and lined up at the door," said Geralyn Gage, the manager of Malones in Kitsilano.
Dan Buckingham at The Pound Bar and Grill -- a stone's throw from GM Place -- said hockey keeps his bar full as well.
"It's not our bread and butter but it's a little extra -- during game nights you rush before the game and again after the game. It keeps people here during the game," he said.
If the Canucks miss the playoffs, Buckingham told CTV that it will cost his bar about $10,000 a night in lost revenue. And he says staff will be cut from eight people on game nights to just two in the evenings.
"It's event nights like this in our location that really keeps this business running," he said.
The players are feeling the pressure too. Today at the practice there weren't many smiles.
"We need everyone tonight and that's the bottom line," Canucks forward Daniel Sedin told CTV.
Even if the Canucks win tonight, they have to win on Saturday against the Calgary Flames. And if they want to make the playoffs, they need Nashville to lose a game.
Tonight's a big night for the fans, but it's not being broadcast. That means if they want to watch the game, they'll need tickets -- or shell out 13 bucks at home for pay-per view.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Dave Pinton
