The Vancouver Canucks (31-25-11) host the top team in the National Hockey League tonight when the Winnipeg Jets (47-17-4) make their lone visit to Vancouver.
The Canucks will be trying to prevent the Jets from becoming the first team to reach the 100-point mark this season.

What we saw

Neither Filip Chytil nor Conor Garland was on the ice for the Canucks morning skate. Chytil will miss a second straight game while in concussion protocol, while Garland is a game-time decision. Linus Karlsson was recalled from Abbotsford on an emergency basis this morning. He will draw into the lineup if Garland is unable to play.
The Canucks will make a swap of rookie defencemen for tonight’s game. Elias Pettersson returns to the lineup after missing weekend games against Chicago and Utah. Victor Mancini will be a healthy scratch.
Kevin Lankinen gets the start in goal. It was worth noting that the Canucks had three goalies on the ice at morning skate. Thatcher Demko was a full participant and, in fact, had one of the nets to himself during drills as he continues to recover from a lower-body injury suffered on February 8th. Demko will travel with the team on its upcoming road trip, but there is still no target date for a return to game action.
The Canucks are looking to bounce back from a 3-1 loss to Utah on Sunday. Captain Quinn Hughes had the team’s lone goal on a second period power play. Hughes has scored in back to back games and has four goals in his last three home games.
Elias Pettersson had the primary assist on the Canucks goal on Sunday to extend his point streak to four games during which he has two goals and six points.
After tonight, the Canucks embark on a six-game road trip that starts in St. Louis on Thursday. The Canucks are tied with the Blues at 73 points. That is two ahead of Calgary and Utah.

The opponent

The Jets are rolling as they have all season. After a 3-2 overtime victory in Seattle on Sunday, Winnipeg has won three straight and five of six. In their last 20 games, they are 16-3-1.
Dylan Samberg scored the OT winner against the Kraken after Kyle Connor and Cole Perfetti had scored earlier in the game. Connor Hellebuyck was supposed to get the night off in Seattle, but was forced to play 10 minutes of the first period after starter Eric Comrie was shaken up. Comrie returned later in the game and picked up the victory.
Hellebuyck gets the start tonight. His numbers are off the charts good. He is 39-9-3 with a 1.99 GAA and a .927% save percentage. He also has a league-high six shutouts.
Up front, the Jets are led by Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele. Connor, who is playing his 600th NHL game tonight, has 36 goals and sits fifth in league scoring with 85 points. Scheifele has 35 goals and 75 points. Gabe Vilardi has 27 goals and leads the Jets with 12 on the power play.
As a team, Winnipeg is third in the league in offence and first overall in defence. They also have the best power play in the NHL (31.0%). When you’re one of the top teams in the league, there are a number of statistics that jump off the page. Winnipeg is 29-3-3 when opening the scoring, 26-0-3 when leading after one period and 36-0-1 when leading after two.
Winnipeg beat Vancouver 6-1 at Canada Life Place on January 14th. These teams will meet again in Winnipeg on Sunday, March 30th.
Tonight’s referees: Beau Halkidis & Dan O’Rourke
Tonight’s broadcasters: John Shorthouse & Dave Tomlinson

What we heard

Rick Tocchet updates Filip Chytil and Conor Garland’s status: “He (Chytil) felt a little better yesterday, but I haven’t talked to him today because I was on the ice and in a bunch of meetings, but we’ll find out (more) today. And Gars is banged up. He’ll be a game timer. He’s been playing with a lot of stuff and he’s a game time decision.”
Tocchet on needing Brock Boeser to get more involved in an effort to snap his 12-game goal drought: “Brock’s a reactor and he’s kind of waiting around. If he even makes the wrong read, I’ll take it right now. He’s in a state of mind where he’s just waiting and I think he has to attack. Whatever he does, if he’s the second man in on the forecheck or whether you’re slot guy, just attack. And that will help. His pace has to get a little higher. That will help him in all aspects of his game.”
Make sure to join the Rink Wide Vancouver postgame live stream immediately following tonight’s game. Rink Wide will provide a full breakdown and comprehensive coverage of the Canucks game. When the final buzzer sounds, be sure to log onto Rink Wide and join the YouTube live chat to discuss the game with other Canucks fans. Subscribe to the Rink Wide YouTube channel and never miss an episode.
Sponsored by bet365