The Vancouver Canucks (16-10-6) host the hottest team in hockey when the Ottawa Senators (17-13-2) make their lone visit of the season to Rogers Arena.
The Canucks are coming off a disappointing road trip to Utah and Vegas that yielded just a single point in the standings, while the Sens are here on a five-game win streak and with a 9-2-1 record in their last 12 outings.

What we saw

After a team day off Friday, the Canucks were all on the ice for morning skate. The Canucks will go with the same 18 skaters they used in a 3-1 loss in Vegas on Thursday night. Kevin Lankinen stopped 18 of the 20 shots he faced in that game. He will make his second consecutive start in goal.
The biggest change for the Canucks tonight will come on the power play where JT Miller and Elias Pettersson will skate together along with Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser and Conor Garland. The team’s leading goal scorer Jake DeBrusk will move to the second unit.
Teddy Blueger snapped a 12-game drought with the Canucks lone goal in Vegas. The team has opened the scoring in three straight and five of their last six games. The team has now scored first in half of its 32 games this season.
The Canucks have just one win in their last four games (1-2-1) and only two in their past seven (2-3-2). They have managed three goals in the past two games, scored seven goals over the past four outings and 16 goals in their last seven contests.
Conor Garland has gone 10 without a goal. Elias Pettersson has one goal in his last 11. Brock Boeser has two goals in his last 13 games while JT Miller has not scored since his return from a personal leave and has just two goals in his past 15 games.
Phil Di Giuseppe and Linus Karlsson both made their NHL season debuts on Thursday. They became the ninth and 10th players to appear for both the Abbotsford and Vancouver Canucks this season. They will both play again tonight. Nils Höglander, who turned 24 yesterday, will be a healthy scratch for a second straight game.

The opponent

The Senators are here following a 3-2 overtime victory in Calgary on Thursday night. Brady Tkachuk’s team-leading 16th goal of the season was the winner 55 seconds into OT. Ridly Greig and Nick Cousins had their other goals while Linus Ullmark made 30 saves. 
On Monday, Ullmark was named one of the NHL’s 3 Stars of the Week. He is on an incredible roll going 7-0 in his last seven starts and giving up just seven goals over that stretch. His numbers over that span are incredible: a 0.99 GAA and a 96.2% save percentage with a pair of shutouts. The Canucks were the last team to score more than three goals against him in a game on November 23rd.
On top of all that, Ullmark scored a goal in his last start at Rogers Arena as a member of the Boston Bruins. He picked up an assist on the overtime winner on Thursday.
However, none of that matters as the Canucks are catching a break by facing Leevi Merilainen in the Ottawa net tonight. This will be his season debut after being recalled from AHL Belleville last week. Merilainen has played two NHL games in his career and is still looking for his first big league victory.
As a group, the Senators have five double-digit goal scorers: Tkachuk (16), Drake Batherson and Adam Gaudette (13), Josh Norris (12) and Tim Stutzle has 11 goals and leads the team with 38 points.
The Senators are in the midst of nine straight games on the road with the Canadian Tire Centre set to play host to the World Juniors. They will play their final game before the holiday break tomorrow in Edmonton. Then after a few days off, they’ll start up with five straight away from home beginning in Winnipeg on December 28th. The Sens next home game is scheduled for January 9th.
The Canucks defeated Ottawa 4-3 in the nation’s capital on November 23rd. Quinn Hughes was ejected early in that game. Jake DeBrusk scored twice and had an assist to lead the way.
Tonight’s referees: Jordan Samuels-Thomas & Chris Schlenker
Tonight’s broadcasters: John Shorthouse & Ray Ferraro

What we heard

Rick Tocchet on Canucks looking to get back on track after back to back losses on road: “I think this team is about energy. I thought we had a good effort against Vegas. There were some moments we wish we had back. But beating Florida and beating Colorado gives guys some good confidence. But obviously the consistency of our game is something we don’t like. We recognize it and we’re working through that right now.”
Canucks captain Quinn Hughes on facing red-hot Senators: “Feeling good. Should be exciting to play on a Saturday night. Two games left until the break and I think everyone is looking forward to that. But for right now, an important game tonight so we’re looking forward to it. I have a lot of faith and trust in the group we have in here. We just have to keep going and find the game we want to play and I think we can get there.” 
Hear both Tocchet and the captain address reports surrounding Elias Pettersson and JT Miller in the video below:
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