The Vancouver Canucks are back in action as the Boston Bruins come to town for a Hockey Night in Canada game at Rogers Arena on Saturday night.
Following a shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken on Friday night, the Canucks will look to bounce back on Saturday night on the second night of a back-to-back.
Kiefer Sherwood scored his 17th goal of the season on Friday, putting him into a tie for 33rd in the league.
Jake DeBrusk had a three-point night, picking up his ninth power play goal of the year.
Linus Karlsson scored his 10th goal of the season as he skated alongside Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk. That trio was dominant in terms of possession and scoring chances for on Friday night.
The DeBrusk-Pettersson-Karlsson played 11:31 of ice time at five-on-five and were on the ice for nine scoring chances for and zero against.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Bruins come into Saturday night with their last game being played on December 31st. They are 4-3-0 on two days’ rest this season and broke a six-game losing streak with their New Year’s Eve win over the Edmonton Oilers.
- David Pastrnak leads the Bruins with 44 points this season.
- Morgan Geekie leads with 25 goals. His 25 goals put him second in the league behind Nathan MacKinnon (34).
- Jeremy Swayman has a 15-10-2 record between the pipes this season. He has a .903% save percentage and a 2.84 goals-against average.
- The Bruins are just a couple of points out of a wild-card spot in the jam-packed Eastern Conference. They have a 21-18-2 record this season.
- They are 9-10-1 on the road.
- Taking a lead into the third period has been crucial for the Bruins on the road this season. They are 7-0-0 when leading at the second intermission and 0-9-0 when trailing.
The Story: Linus Karlsson Growing His Game
Linus Karlsson scored a two-year contract extension on Friday afternoon and then followed that up by tucking home his fifth goal in his last six games. The 26-year-old forward has now hit double-digit goals for the first time in his career with his goal on Friday.
He had 14 goals in 24 AHL playoff games last season when the Abbotsford Canucks went on to win the Calder Cup, and his head coach spoke about the progression in his game following Friday’s game.
“He works hard. He’s coachable. He does all the little things, as far as holding on to pucks in hard areas on the wall. His wall work is good, which gives him, he’s not afraid to play dots to boards or in front of the net, as you see,” said Foote.
“I’ll be honest with you, in the summer, I wasn’t sure if his foot speed would be there in September, and he’s worked on it.”
Karlsson spoke about gaining confidence in his game during last year’s AHL playoff run and how it is fun to play up the lineup with Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Drew O’Connor: 3g-1a-4p
Linus Karlsson: 3g-0a-3p
Jake DeBrusk: 1g-2a-3p
Tom Willander: 1g-2a-3p
Conor Garland: 0g-3a-3p
Filip Hronek: 0g-3a-3p
When and Where to Watch
Saturday’s game is at 7:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch the game on Hockey Night in Canada or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
