Canucks Game Night: So a playoff chase? Sure, makes ‘Sens’
NEXT GAME
Thursday
Ottawa Senators (16-26-4) vs. Vancouver Canucks (18-18-3)
7 p.m.
, Rogers Arena.
TV:
Sportsnet.
Radio:
Sportsnet 650 AM
FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Adrenaline:
There’s little doubt that adrenaline was a big factor driving the Canucks’ surprising two wins over the Maple Leafs after weeks off due to COVID-19. Will that energy carry through the next two games in Vancouver, and on into the two games in Ottawa next week? That said, the Canucks have mostly had their way with the Senators this season, though the most recent two encounters saw Ottawa pushing matters to an overtime and a shootout.
2. Crease crashers:
Senators goalie Matt Murray has been sensational since returning from an undisclosed injury that kept him out for a month. He has a .938 save percentage in the three games since his return, posting two wins, including a shutout of Montreal last Saturday in his return from injury. With Thatcher Demko still recuperating from his COVID-19 bout, Braden Holtby started both games vs. Toronto and was stellar, turning in the kind of performances the Canucks hoped to get from him when they signed him in the off-season.
3. Defensive dynamic:
Alex Edler will serve the second of his two-game suspension on Thursday, meaning the Canucks will again lean on their top two defensive pairings, with Olli Juolevi and Jalen Chatfield playing very managed minutes.
4. Snipe show:
Connor Brown’s goal-scoring streak may have been broken last weekend, but he got back on the scoresheet on Monday and now has nine goals in 10 games in April. And on the Canucks’ side of the ledger, the trio of Tanner Pearson, Bo Horvat and Nils Höglander have each picked up two goals in their return to action this week.
5. Power outage:
Tim Stützle’s star has been on the wane of late with just one goal in 17 games. He’s had plenty of chances but needs to start cashing in on more of them. There are defensive holes in his game, not a big surprise for a player who is still just 19, but improving his two-way play will be a definite focus as he closes his season.
PROJECTED SENATORS LINEUP
Forwards
Brady Tkachuk — Josh Norris — Drake Batherson
Tim Stützle — Colin White — Evgenii Dadonov
Alex Formenton — Shane Pinto — Connor Brown
Nick Paul — Chris Tierney — Ryan Dzingel
Defence
Thomas Chabot — Nikita Zaitsev
Erik Brännström — Artyon Zub
Victor Mete — Josh Brown
Goalies:
Matt Murray, Anton Forsberg
PROJECTED CANUCKS LINEUP
Forwards
Jimmy Vesey — J.T. Miller — Brock Boeser
Tanner Pearson — Bo Horvat — Nils Höglander
Marc Michaelis — Brandon Sutter — Jayce Hawryluk
Matthew Highmore — Travis Boyd — Jake Virtanen
Defence
Nate Schmidt — Tyler Myers
Quinn Hughes — Travis Hamonic
Olli Juolevi — Jalen Chatfield
Goalies:
Braden Holtby, Thatcher Demko
SPECIAL TEAMS
Senators:
PP 16.7% (26th) PK 77.5% (23rd)
Canucks:
PP 20.2% (16th) PK 78.0% (21st)
SICK BAY
Senators:
Derek Stepan (shoulder), Joey Daccord (leg), Austin Watson (hand)
Canucks:
Antoine Roussel (leg),
Elias Pettersson (wrist),
Jay Beagle (undisclosed), Justin Bailey (shoulder), Micheal Ferland (post-concussion), Tyler Motte (COVID-19)
STATS PACKAGE
Season series
Senators (0-3-2) GF 7
Canucks (5-0-0) GF 22
Previous scores
(home team in caps)
Jan. 25: VANCOUVER 7, Ottawa 1
Jan. 27: VANCOUVER 5, Ottawa 1
Jan. 29: VANCOUVER 4, Ottawa 1
Mar. 15: Vancouver 3, OTTAWA 2 (OT)
Mar. 17: Vancouver 3, OTTAWA 2 (SO)
TEAM SCORING LEADERS
Senators vs. Canucks
Josh Norris 3 0 0 even
Thomas Chabot 1 1 2 -1
Brady Tkachuk 0 2 2 -2
Canucks vs. Senators
Quinn Hughes 1 5 6 +3
J.T. Miller 2 3 5 +2
Bo Horvat 1 4 5 +4
CLICK HERE to report a typo.
Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com. ...
Want the trending hockey news in your inbox daily?.
Just add your email, and we'll start sending you the most important hockey news of the day.
