The Vancouver Canucks need a win, badly.

After losing nine of their last 11 outings, the beleaguered NHL team has slipped out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Canucks left-winger Daniel Sedin leads Vancouver with 56 points (24 goals and 32 assists).
(Mark Humphrey/Associated Press)

The Canucks have a good chance to get back in the win column, facing off at General Motors Place on Sunday (10 p.m. ET) against the 28th-place Chicago Blackhawks, losers of five of their last six.

But the Canucks will have to overcome some obstacles, including being cursed at GM Place, where they've lost five of six games, including 6-2 Saturday to the Colorado Avalanche.

Then there's the injury-ridden Canucks blue-line.

Willie Mitchell has missed nine games with a fractured vertebra, and Kevin Bieksa is out with a lacerated calf. Also sidelined are Aaron Miller (foot) and Lukas Krajicek (shoulder), leaving about half of the original defensive lineup.

Vancouver has yielded four or more goals in six of its last nine contests.

The team will also need to get Henrik Sedin, second in team scoring with 54 points (11 goals, 43 assists), back on the scoresheet against Chicago.

The Swedish centre has not registered a point against the Blackhawks in their last five meetings.

Before falling to Colorado on Saturday, the Canucks beat the Atlanta Thrashers 2-1 for their first regulation win since Jan. 4.

Vancouver (27-22-7) has performed well against Chicago (24-25-5), winning both meetings this season (2-0 and 3-2) and posting a 9-1-0 record in their last 10 home games.

Rookie returns

The Blackhawks gets back centre Jonathan Toews on Saturday after the star rookie missed 16 games with a sprained left knee.

Toews, second in NHL rookie goal scoring (15), suffered the sprain in a Jan. 1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. He has 32 points in 36 games.

"It's been long enough at this point," he said after practising with a brace on his knee Saturday. "It's taken pretty good care of itself, and I don't think anything is at risk by going out and playing at this point."

Toews will look to ramp up a stagnant Chicago offence, which has netted three or fewer goals in all but one of its last 18 games.

The Blackhawks are on a seven-game road trip that began with three losses and, on Thursday, a 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames.

Veteran goalie Nikolai Khabibulin made 26 saves, ending a 10-game losing streak dating back to Dec. 26.

With files from the Associated Press