The Vancouver Canucks (19-15-10) face the red-hot Edmonton Oilers (29-13-3) in a Hockey Day In Canada match-up at Rogers Arena. 
The Canucks have been on the wrong side of blowout losses against Winnipeg and Los Angeles this week, while the Oilers have won four straight and eight of their last nine.

What we saw

It was a quiet morning around the rink, with more coaches than players on the ice for the Canucks optional skate. Goaltenders Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen were on the ice, and rookie Jonathan Lekkerimäki was the only skater to suit up.
Demko will get his second straight start in goal and Rick Tocchet said he had a couple of line-up decisions to make for tonight. Noah Juulsen will miss his second straight game with what the club is calling a minor injury. And with Lekkerimäki skating on his own this morning, it’s quite possible he comes out to make room for Max Sasson, who hasn’t played since a 2-0 loss in Carolina on January 10th. Tocchet said he couldn’t confirm his line-up, saying that he had a couple of game-time decisions.
The Canucks find themselves in bounce-back mode again after a 5-1 setback against Los Angeles on Thursday. That followed on the heels of a 6-1 loss in Winnipeg on Tuesday. Quinn Hughes had the team’s lone goal against the Kings and now has 10 goals on the season. The captain has scored in two of the team’s last three games.
Nils Höglander scored in Winnipeg, and his next point will be his 100th in the NHL.
Against both the Jets and the Kings, the Canucks have dug themselves 3-0 holes in the opening period. The Canucks have opened the scoring in just one of their last nine games – their 3-0 win in Toronto last Saturday.
That victory over the Maple Leafs is their lone win in their last seven games and the team has just a pair of victories in 10 outings since Christmas (2-5-3). The Canucks have only seven wins on home ice all season. Their last victory at home was on December 23rd against San Jose. 
Since the holiday break, JT Miller leads the Canucks with 10 points, while Brock Boeser has the team lead with four goals. However, Miller has gone five games without a point and Boeser has just one goal in his last eight games. As a team, the Canucks have scored just six goals in their last five game,s and three of those came last Saturday night in Toronto.
In eight games since the start of January, the Canucks sit last in the NHL with 13 goals and an average of 22.1 shots per game.

The opponent

The Oilers are rolling as they arrive in Vancouver. They erased a 3-0 first-period deficit and beat Colorado 4-3 in Denver on Thursday. That was 24 hours after they defeated the Wild 5-3 in Minnesota. 
Leon Draisaitl leads the league with 31 goals and is second in scoring with 67 points. Connor McDavid has four goals in his past three games and is fourth in league scoring with 64 points. His goal against the Avalanche was his 20th of the season. Draisaitl and McDavid share the Oilers team lead with seven power play goals apiece.
In 41 career games against the Canucks, McDavid has 24 goals and 67 points, while Draisaitl has 23 goals and 54 points in 46 games.
Per the Oilers game notes, Connor McDavid has recorded at least a point in 18 of his last 19 regular season games (16G, 24A) against the Canucks and 29 of his last 31 regular season games (21G, 36A). His 67 career points against Vancouver are his most against any single opponent. He has recorded at least a point in 18 of his 21 career games played at Rogers Arena (10G, 18A).
With wins in eight of nine, the Oilers have caught Vegas for top spot in the Pacific Division with 61 points on the season. They’re just four points behind Winnipeg and Washington in the race for top spot in the overall standings.
Edmonton is sixth in the NHL in offence (3.31 goals/game) and eighth in the league in team defence (2.73 goals/game). The Oilers also average the most shots per game (32.2).
Stuart Skinner made 22 saves for the win in Colorado on Thursday. He’s expected to get the start in goal tonight.
The Oilers defeated the Canucks 7-3 in Vancouver on November 9th. The teams will wrap up their three-game regular season series with their lone meeting in Edmonton on Thursday.
Tonight’s referees: Wes McCauley & Chris Lee
Tonight’s broadcasters: John Shorthouse & Ray Ferraro

What we heard

Rick Tocchet on focus he needs from his team early in tonight’s game: “Early in games we’re making key mistakes. I don’t want us to back up, but we have to be more calculated on our reads. A lot of energy, but also good energy not getting unstructured. Sometimes you have too much energy and you get three guys diving in, so we have to be careful of that. Especially against this team.”
Carson Soucy on knowing when and where Connor McDavid is at all times: “It’s pretty much your first look when you’re hopping out whether it’s a draw or if it’s mid-play, especially you’re scanning that ice to see what’s coming. A lot of times they’re winding up, they’re finding really good spots to get their speed going. They’re obviously really good at it. So that’s the first look when you’re hopping on the ice.”
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