After a 6-2 win over Anaheim on Saturday afternoon, the Vancouver Canucks (35-28-13) return to action when they host the Vegas Golden Knights (46-22-8) at 7pm at Rogers Arena.
This is the Knights’ first visit to Vancouver this season. They’ll also be back for the regular season finale on April 16th.
What we know
Playing on consecutive days for the final time this season, the Canucks opted not to hold a morning skate. So it will be closer to game time before the line-up is revealed. Kevin Lankinen is expected to get the start in goal after backing up Thatcher Demko yesterday. Lankinen has not played since allowing six goals in a 7-6 shootout loss in Columbus on March 28th. Lankinen is 0-2-1 in his last three starts and is 5-6-2 in 13 starts since the 4 Nations break.
Nils Höglander is expected to return to action after missing six games with an undisclosed injury suffered in New York against the Rangers.
Six different Canucks scored and 13 skaters had points in yesterday’s win over Anaheim. Brock Boeser grabbed the team lead with his 25th goal of the season. It’s the fourth time in his eight full seasons in the NHL he’s reached the 25-goal mark.
Defenceman Elias Pettersson scored his first NHL goal in his 22nd big league game. Filip Hronek, Conor Garland, Dakota Joshua and Max Sasson had the other Canuck goals against the Ducks. It’s the second time this season six different Vancouver scorers have found the back of the net in the same game.
Quinn Hughes had a pair of primary assists giving him 72 points in 62 games. Hughes now has 405 career points and is just four back of Alex Edler for the franchise record for points by a Canucks defenceman.
The Canucks won the special teams battle on Saturday scoring on both of their power plays while the Ducks went without a goal in a pair of opportunities with the man advantage.
While the Canucks remain a longshot to pull off a playoff miracle, they are still in the hunt. They start the day six points back of Minnesota with a game in hand. The Wild is at home to Dallas on Sunday afternoon. The Canucks are 2-7 in the second game of back to backs this season.
The opponent
The Golden Knights are the 31st and final team to visit Rogers Arena this season. They’re coming off a 3-2 overtime win in Calgary last night. Reilly Smith scored twice including the winner at 4:31 of OT. Pavel Dorofeyev had the other goal while Shea Theodore assisted on all three goals. Akira Schmid made 21 saves for his first win of the season in his third appearance and first start for the Golden Knights. Adin Hill is expected to get the nod in net tonight.
The win snapped a brief two game losing streak in which the Knights dropped home games to Edmonton and Winnipeg. Prior to that, Vegas had rattled off six straight wins. Vegas is getting pressured by Los Angeles for the Pacific Division lead. The Golden Knights now have 100 points and a three point lead with a game in hand.
The Knights are sixth in the NHL in both offence and defence and have the best power play in the league at 30.1% which is even better on the road at 32.5%.
Jack Eichel is having a career year, leading Vegas with 93 points. Dorofeyev leads the team with 33 goals. The injured Tomas Hertl has 31.
Former Canuck Ben Hutton – soon to be 32-years-old – has remained on the Vegas roster all season, but has appeared in just six games and only one since mid-November.
The Knights have taken care of the Canucks in each of their first two meetings this season by scores of 3-1 on December 19th and 2-1 on February 22nd – both at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas is 16-5-1 against Pacific Division opponents this season.
Today’s referees: Peter MacDougall & Eric Furlatt
Today’s broadcasters: John Shorthouse & Dave Tomlinson
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