The Vancouver Canucks (19-13-10) wrap up a five-game road trip when they visit the Winnipeg Jets (29-12-3) at Canada Life Place tonight. The Canucks are looking to post consecutive victories for the first time since the start of December and back-to-back regulation wins for the first time since November 23rd and 26th.

What we saw

After missing 21 games with both upper and lower body injuries, Filip Hronek returns to the Canucks line-up. It’s a big boost for the hockey club that has missed his versatility on the back end. With Hronek suiting up, Guillaume Brisebois comes out of the line-up.
The Canucks snapped a four game winless skid with a 3-0 win in Toronto on Saturday. Quinn Hughes had a goal and an assist while Brock Boeser and Kiefer Sherwood also scored and Kevin Lankinen made 20 saves for his fourth shutout of the season. Lankinen gets the nod in goal again tonight and will start for the fifth time in six games. His four shutouts have all come against Eastern opponents (at Philadelphia, at Boston, vs Florida and at Toronto). 
Hughes has a goal and four assists in his four games since returning from a hand injury. The captain has factored in five of the eight goals the team has scored with him back in the line-up.
The Canucks are 1-1-2 through the first four games of this road trip and have surrendered just four goals in the past three games in Washington, Carolina and Toronto. More than that, they have surrendered more than 20 shots on goal just once in their past five outings (24 at Montreal last Monday). They held Toronto and Carolina to 20 shots apiece while giving up 18 shots in Washington last Wednesday and holding Nashville to 19 shots on January 3rd.
Saturday marked the first time this season the Canucks did not have a power play opportunity in a game. They were short handed three times and did not allow a goal and have successfully killed off all eight penalties they’ve taken in the past three games. Against the Leafs, Derek Forbort led the Canucks logging 3:58 of PK ice time. The team permitted just two Toronto shots on goal during six minutes of power play time. In their last 15 games, the Canucks are killing penalties at 85.7%.
With Calgary’s win in Chicago last night, the Canucks have once again dropped below the playoff bar in the West. They are a point behind the Flames with equal games played.

The opponent

Like the Canucks, the Jets are coming off a 3-0 victory on Saturday night. Behind a 22-save shutout from Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg blanked Colorado. Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice, including the game-winner, while Mark Scheifele notched his team-leading 25th. 
The Jets are tied with Washington and Vegas for top spot in the National Hockey League standings. They are third in the league in offence and second in defence while boasting the best power play in the NHL (32.3%) and the league’s best goal differential (+48). They are also 16-4-3 on home ice this season. 
Scheifele is tied for third in the league with his 25 goals and leads the NHL with 16 goals on home ice. Kyle Connor has 23 goals and leads the Jets with 55 points. Gabe Vilardi has 19 goals and is tied for second in the league with 10 on the power play.
So much of the Jets success is built on the back of Hellebuyck who has recorded 26 of the team’s 29 wins this season. The reigning Vezina winner is the front-runner to win the award for a third time this season and is working his way into the Hart Trophy discussion. He leads the NHL in almost every conceivable statistical category for goalies. Not only is he the busiest netminder in the league having started 34 games, he has registered a stellar 2.02 GAA, .928 save percentage and a league-high six shutouts. On Monday, he was named NHL First Star of the Week.
Tonight will be the sixth game of an eight game homestand for Winnpieg. The Jets are in the midst of a stretch of their schedule that will see them play 10 of 11 since Christmas on home ice. They are 4-2-2 through the first eight games of that run.
These teams will meet two more times this season: March 18th in Vancouver and March 30th in Winnipeg. Last season, the Jets took two of three meetings between the teams with the home team winning on each occasion. 
Tonight’s referees: Kyle Rehman & Justin Kea
Tonight’s broadcasters: John Shorthouse & Dave Tomlinson
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