The Canucks take on the division-leading Anaheim Ducks tonight in California.
The Vancouver Canucks (9–12–2) are stuck between a rock and a hard place. After their disappointing 5–2 loss to the Calgary Flames on Sunday, they’re set to face the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks (14–7–1) while missing both of their starting goalies in Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen. The Ducks, on the other hand, are coming off a close 4–3 overtime win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.
As mentioned, the Canucks’ goaltending situation is currently a big question mark. Yesterday, the team announced that Lankinen would not be travelling with the team on their road trip due to personal reasons, leaving Vancouver’s crease in the hands of Nikita Tolopilo and Jiří Patera. Demko is expected to travel with the team, but whether he plays or not is unknown. The chances of both Tolopilo and Patera playing during this road trip are high, given that Vancouver will play three games in the span of four days while in California.
While Anaheim has put forth a very impressive effort to start the season, there are still some vulnerable areas that Vancouver can exploit to help themselves win. One part of the ice that Vancouver’s effort has been sporadic in throughout the season is in front of their opponents’ net — somewhere that the Ducks have struggled to defend in front of at times. If the Canucks can put up enough chances in this area, they may be able to outlast Anaheim.
Players To Watch:
Filip Hronek
Despite Vancouver’s three-game losing skid, Hronek has had a couple of good games even while being sick over parts of the weekend. He currently has two goals and two assists in four games played, including a sick goal scored on Sunday against the Flames. While there’s likely very little correlation in terms of the team he’s facing, Hronek did score a goal in Vancouver’s last game against the Ducks last year.
Pavel Mintyukov
Mintyukov has had an interesting season for the Ducks. Prior to their Saturday game, he had been healthy-scratched for three straight games. When he did manage to come back into their lineup, he put up a good defensive effort and played over 20 minutes of his team’s game. Canucks fans will want to keep their eyes on Mintyukov for more than just this reason, however, as reports have indicated that Vancouver was interested in the young defenceman during his draft year. With rumours of the Canucks being open for trades, Mintyukov may be one of the players that Vancouver checks in on.
Vancouver Canucks (9–12–2):
Points:
Quinn Hughes: 2–19–21
Elias Pettersson: 7–13–20
Kiefer Sherwood: 12–4–16
Brock Boeser: 8–6–14
Conor Garland: 5–8–13
Goaltenders:
Kevin Lankinen: 4–7–2
Thatcher Demko: 5–4–0
Jiří Patera: 0–1–0
Anaheim Ducks (14–7–1):
Points:
Leo Carlsson: 11–18–29
Cutter Gauthier: 13–13–26
Troy Terry: 7–18–25
Beckett Sennecke: 7–9–16
Chris Krieder: 10–5–15
Goaltenders:
Lukáš Dostál: 11–5–1
Petr Mrázek: 3–2–0
Game Information:
Start time: 7:00 pm PT
Venue: Honda Center
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: Sportsnet 650
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