On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal previewed the Canucks’ upcoming six-game road trip, which kicks off against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. The duo broke down each opponent, highlighting the challenges and opportunities for the Canucks to come away with a successful record.

“The Ottawa Senators are a team in disarray, and that’s a bit of a theme for every team the Canucks are going to face on this road trip,” Quads said. “The Bruins are in shambles as well.”

Harm expanded on Ottawa’s struggles: “They’re also not getting saves, and they’ve been defensively inconsistent, which has been their M.O. for a while. The biggest issue I see is Ullmark’s .887 save percentage. This is a guy who was acquired to solve their goaltending issues, and they signed him to an extension where he’ll make $8.25 million starting next year. He hasn’t come close to looking like that calibre of goaltender.”

Ottawa has some bright spots but remains flawed. “They’re red-hot on the power play—sixth-best in the NHL,” Harm noted. “Nick Jensen has been a revelation on the right side of their top-four. But their third pair with Travis Hamonic lacks depth. Up front, Josh Norris hasn’t been the same two-way force, and his underlying numbers are pretty ugly.”

“The Bruins are not getting saves,” said Harm. “Between Pastrnak, Swayman, and McAvoy, they’re heavily underperforming. Pastrnak is usually a 50-goal, 100-point guy, but he’s well under a point per game. McAvoy has been fine defensively, but his point production—just seven points in 21 games—is way off his usual 50-55 point pace.

“They’ve got weak depth on the wings and aren’t scoring goals. Swayman has been off the mark most of the season, and they’re not as stingy defensively as they once were. They still have a chance to catch fire and contend for a wildcard spot in the weak Atlantic Division, but they’ve got a lot to fix.”

“Everyone recognizes at this point, they’re one of the worst teams in the league,” Harm said. “The back end has taken a step back with Karlsson and Letang really struggling. They give up too much off the rush, their forwards are too slow, and there’s no secondary offence outside of Crosby, Malkin, Rakell, and Rust. They also haven’t had consistent goaltending and are so vulnerable defensively.”

“The big question mark for Buffalo is whether Tage Thompson is going to be back in time for that game,” Harm said. “He was having an unreal bounce-back year, leading the league in five-on-five points for a time. When he initially broke out with 94 points, he had his defensive flaws. The key this year was his elite defensive metrics before the injury. Without him, they’ve been struggling. Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn have been disappointing, and Sam Lafferty on the second line says everything you need to know about their scoring issues.”

“Detroit has no secondary offence,” Harm explained. “Outside of DeBrincat, Raymond, and Larkin, guys like Kane, Tarasenko, and Compher aren’t producing enough. These teams are all in disarray, but one thing to keep in mind is the Canucks will have to adjust to some weird start times. Friday is a noon Pacific start, and Sunday is 9:30 a.m. Pacific. Historically, those early games have thrown the Canucks off rhythm.”

“The Wild are undoubtedly the best team on this road trip,” Quads said. “A common theme with the other teams is the lack of goaltending. The Wild are getting solid goaltending, and they’re scoring as well, with Kaprizov putting up really strong numbers to start the season.”

Harm highlighted other factors contributing to Minnesota’s success. “Boldy is breaking out, and their goaltending has bounced back. Their blue line has also been much better with Jared Spurgeon returning. Spurgeon’s presence has stabilized Jake Middleton, so it’s as if they’ve added two new top-four defencemen… Their penalty kill was horrifically bad last year. While it’s not perfect now, it’s no longer a tire fire. They’re in the wildcard/playoff conversation, but I don’t see them as a legitimate playoff threat yet. I’m not sure they’ll even win a round this year, but they’re undoubtedly a strong team.”

“This is a road trip the Canucks should be able to finish with a .500 record or better,” Quads said. “Even with the injuries and players they’re missing, they should keep their record above .500.”

You can watch the full replay of the show below!