The Vancouver Canucks (32-25-11) open a six-game road trip tonight with a pivotal match-up in the NHL’s Western Conference Wild Card race when they visit the St. Louis Blues (34-28-7) at Enterprise Center.
The teams are tied at 75 points, with the Canucks holding a game in hand. Both teams are two ahead of the Calgary Flames and four up on the Utah Hockey Club. All four teams are in action tonight.

What we saw

After missing Tuesday’s 6-2 win over Winnipeg with an undisclosed injury, Conor Garland appears set to rejoin the Canucks for this critical game in St. Louis. Per Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy, the veteran winger was a full participant in the team’s morning skate. Based on line rushes, it appears Garland will replace Jonathan Lekkerimäki in the Canucks lineup. Otherwise, the team will go with the same lineup it used to beat the Jets. That means Linus Karlsson remains in the mix-up front, and rookie Elias Pettersson stays in on defence.
Brock Boeser snapped a 12-game goal drought with a pair in the win over Winnipeg. The winger’s next goal will be his 200th in the NHL. With an assist, Elias Pettersson extended his point streak to five games and has three goals and four helpers during the run. Pius Suter has scored in back-to-back games and four goals in his last four outings. Nils Höglander has multi-point efforts in two of his last three games and has 1G+5A=6P in his last six contests.
Kevin Lankinen made 20 saves to pick up the win on Tuesday. He is looking for his 25th win of the season tonight. Lankinen is 3-0 in his career against the Blues. The Finnish puck-stopper is 15-5-3 on the road this season.
After going 16 straight without cresting three goals in a single game, the Canucks have scored six goals in two of their last three outings. With every point of utmost significance right now, the Canucks enter the night having won three of their last four games.

The opponent

The Blues are the top team in the NHL since the 4 Nations Face-Off, posting a 9-2-2 record since the break and going 10-2-2 in their last 14 games. 
They were 4-1 winners in Nashville on Tuesday, have won three straight and have outscored their opponents 16-4 in the process. Jordan Kyrou scored twice against the Preds and Joel Hofer made 22 saves for the win.
For the season, Kyrou leads the Blues with 29 goals and 58 points. On the 14-game heater, Robert Thomas leads the way with 17 points, followed by Dylan Holloway with 15, and Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich each have 14. Jake Neighbours has scored in three straight games.
Since backstopping Canada to a championship at the 4 Nations, Jordan Binnington is 6-2 with a 2.42 GAA and a .903% save percentage. Binnington gets the nod in net tonight.
Over their past 14 games, the Blues power play is 10 for 34 (29.4%).
The Blues are enjoying this run of remarkable success without top defenceman Colton Parayko, who has been out since March 5th with a knee injury. Veteran Cam Fowler has proven to be a terrific addition for the Blues. He has seven goals and 25 points in 38 games since being acquired from Anaheim in December.
Tonight, 40-year-old Ryan Suter will match Steve Yzerman for 21st in all-time games played with 1,514. In short order, he’ll move past Matt Cullen into solo 20th spot when he appears in his 1,517th game. Meanwhile, two other veteran blueliners are celebrating birthdays today. Nick Leddy turns 34 today, while Justin Faulk is 33.
These teams have split their two games so far this season, with the Blues beating the Canucks 4-3 in overtime spoiling Thatcher Demko’s season debut on December 10th at Rogers Arena. The Canucks returned the favour with a 5-2 win in St. Louis on January 27th.
Tonight’s referees: Pierre Lambert & Corey Syvret
Tonight’s broadcasters: John Shorthouse & Dave Tomlinson

What we heard

Rick Tocchet on slowing down the red-hot Blues: “They’re a hot team so we have to make sure we take care of the puck. We know they’re a really good rush team and they’ve got a lot of swagger and confidence right now. When you play teams like this, when there is a lot of swagger, you have to make sure you don’t give any freebies. That’s something we have to really dial in tonight. No freebie goals. We have to play smart, but aggressive.”
Tocchet on hoping to build off win over Winnipeg: “I think every play contributed in some way. The bench was really good. When you play teams like Winnipeg, you need everybody. I thought we checked the puck really well. We had some really nice goals. We held on to pucks. We got pucks to the middle. We got a couple of rush goals. Boes in front of the net on a rebound, those are the kinds of goals that win you games at this time of year. So hopefully we can do it tonight.”
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