There was a time when we thought this edition of the Vancouver Canucks were close to being a real, serious Stanley Cup contender. Those thoughts feel like they’re in another dimension, another reality at this point.

Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala each had a goal and an assist ... Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper stopped 20 shots. Thatcher Demko made 16 saves for the Canucks. Vancouver has lost six of seven and fallen out of the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot.

Alex Turcotte scored twice and notched an assist as the Los Angeles Kings thumped the struggling Vancouver Canucks 5-1 on Thursday.