NEXT GAME
Thursday
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Vancouver Canucks
7 p.m., Rogers Arena , TV: Sportsnet Pacific; Radio: Sportsnet 650 AM
THE BIG MATCHUP
Sebastian Aho vs. Jacob Markstrom
The Hurricanes’ Finnish sensation has 18 goals in 31 games, meaning Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom will be looking to bounce back from a 4-1 loss to Toronto and not give Aho, one of the NHL’s most under-discussed snipers, any hope of adding to his total.
FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Find the twine
The Canucks fired 39 shots at Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen on Tuesday but only scored once. They had five breakaways along the way. It was a power failure that we’re not used to seeing, partly driven by a dominant goaltending performance. The Hurricanes are as solid a defensive group as you’ll find in the NHL. The Canucks will have to work extra hard to find open shooting lanes.
2. Petey Power
Elias Pettersson has just one goal in five games, which counts as a slump for him. The fact he didn’t score against the Maple Leafs will have vexed him. He’ll be looking to get back on a scoring run starting tonight.
LISTEN: In this week’s White Towel podcast, beat writer Ben Kuzma and columnist Ed Willes join Paul Chapman to discuss the Canucks “microcore” and the challenges they face going into the rest of the season. The group also looks at the job Jim Benning has done, the increased social media presence of owner Francesco Aquilini and whether that places any extra burden on Benning, as well as the dilemma of what to do with the goaltending situation looking ahead to the off-season. The podcast finishes off with a look back at the 1982 Canucks team that caught fire and rode it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.
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3. Wind warning
You may have heard, the Hurricanes are quite good. They’re fourth in the competitive Metropolitan Division. Their offence is just as potent as the Canucks’ but the main difference is their defence — they’ve allowed 10 fewer goals. They consistently outshoot their opponents and their shots are usually good ones.
4. Sutter’s return
With Micheal Ferland now sidelined, a door has opened up for Brandon Sutter’s return. The smooth-skating Canucks centre had found some success earlier this season as the pivot on what amounted to a third scoring line for Vancouver, but with Adam Gaudette’s emergence, Sutter will likely play on Jay Beagle’s wing.
5. Penalties
The Canucks have had just 13 power plays in their last six games. That’s not many opportunities for a team that’s been finding success because of its power-play prowess. Vancouver will be hoping for a few more opportunities against the Canes, even if Carolina boasts the league’s second-best PK unit.
CANUCKS’ LINEUP
J.T. Miller — Elias Pettersson — Brock Boeser
Tanner Pearson — Bo Horvat — Josh Leivo
Antoine Roussel — Adam Gaudette — Jake Virtanen
Tim Schaller — Jay Beagle — Brandon Sutter
Defence pairings
Quinn Hughes — Tyler Myers
Jordie Benn — Chris Tanev
Oscar Fantenberg — Troy Stecher
Goalies : Jacob Markstrom, Thatcher Demko
HURRICANES’ LINEUP
Andrei Svechnikov — Jordan Staal — Warren Foegele
Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen
Ryan Dzingel — Lucas Wallmark — Martin Necas
Brock McGinn — Jordan Martinook — Julien Gauthier
Defence pairings
Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton
Joel Edmundson — Brett Pesce
Jake Gardiner — Trevor Van Riemsdyk
Goalies : Petr Mrazek, James Reimer
SICK BAY
Canucks: Brandon Sutter (groin), Tyler Motte (foot), Micheal Ferland (upper-body), Tyler Graovac (foot), Alex Edler (upper-body).
Hurricanes: Erik Haula (knee).
SPECIAL TEAMS
POWER PLAY
Canucks: 26.7 per cent (fourth)
Hurricanes: 23.7 per cent (fifth)
PENALTY KILL
Canucks: 81.7 per cent (14th)
Hurricanes: 85.3 per cent (second)
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