The Vancouver Canucks are having a rough go of things lately aren’t they? First they fail to capture the Stanley Cup last year after winning the President’s Cup, extending the miserable streak of past winners this decade. Then they drop Game One of this year’s NHL Playoffs to the Los Angeles Kings by surrendering two goals in the third period.

What’s worse, the Kings, understandably giddy over their win, took to twitter, writing on the team’s official website: “To everyone in Canada outside of BC, you’re welcome.”

That ruffled enough feathers to cause the team to apologize on Friday, just hours before the team returns to the arena for Game Two.
“We encourage our digital team to be creative, interactive and to apply a sense of humor whenever possible,” Kings spokesman Mike Altieri said in a statement. “To anyone who found it offensive we sincerely apologize.”

Vancouver, the best team in the NHL during the regular season, was a heavy favoring in NHL Betting Futures to win the Western Conference playoffs, couldn’t break Kings’ goaltender Jonathan Quick. It was all part of a peculiar opening night in which the Pittsburgh Penguins, favored to win the east, also crumbled in the final period.

The Canucks will have an even bigger task to turn things around without Byron Bitz on Friday with the forward serving a two-game suspension for boarding.

“I had no intention of hurting anybody,” Bitz told the Associated Press. “That’s not the way I play. It was an unfortunate play. The referees made the call, and it cost my team a goal — so it’s my fault.”

Still oddsmakers are backing Vancouver. Goaltender Roberto Luongo was actually pretty good on Wednesday, saving 34 shots. One of the Kings’ four goals came on an empty net late in the third.

As with the Penguins, the higher-seeded Canucks are favored to rebound. Bovada lists them as a 1 1/2-goal favorite with a -165 moneyline.