The Vancouver Canucks return to Rogers Arena for the second game of a back-to-back as they face the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night for their final game of the calendar year.
This will be the second matchup of the season between the Canucks and Flyers; the two teams met right before the Christmas break.
The Canucks are coming into Tuesday’s game following a shootout win on Monday night in Seattle. It was the same old script with Liam Öhgren scoring the winner and Kevin Lankinen slamming the door shut.
Lankinen has stopped all 17 of the shootout attempts he has faced this season and continues to improve his NHL record save percentage in the shootout. He now has an .889% save percentage in the shootout, Marc Denis sits in second all-time with a .854% save percentage, and Thatcher Demko is second among active NHL goalies with a .811% save percentage.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Flyers sit third in the Metropolitan Division with a 19-11-7 record.
- They are 8-6-3 on the road this season.
- Scoring first on the road has been important to the Flyers this season; they are 4-1-1 when they notch the first goal away from home and 4-5-2 when the home team scores first.
- The Flyers are second in the league at suppressing shots at five-on-five. They are allowing just 23.63 shots against per 60 minutes of five-on-five play.
- Trevor Zegras leads the Flyers with 15 goals and 37 points in 37 games played. He has been the hottest Flyer over their last 10 games, putting up 11 points in their previous 10 outings.
- Owen Tippett leads his team with 103 scoring chances through 37 games.
The Story: Filure to Score Against
Filip Hronek has been a steady presence on the Canucks’ defence corps this season and has been great at five-on-five.
The 28-year-old has been on the ice for 30 goals for and 22 goals against in his 704:58 of five-on-five ice time this season. His goals against per 60 minutes played ranks him 20th in the league for defencemen who have played over 500 minutes, and Head Coach Adam Foote gave him some praise following Monday’s win.
“He’s played real well. I think Fil, coming back from his injury last year, really has stepped up his growth as far as not just what he does as a hockey player on the ice and things like that, it’s his maturity as a man and as a leader. It’s very impressive,” said Foote.
“I love the way he brings emotion to the game, but it’s under control. He plays on the edge, but he’s really doing a good job controlling it.”
Hronek has six points in his last six games and is up to 22 points on the season. He has averaged over 24 minutes of ice time per game this season.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Linus Karlsson: 4g-1a-5p
Filip Hronek: 0g-5a-5p
Kiefer Sherwood: 3g-0a-3p
Liam Öhgren: 1g-2a-3p
Conor Garland: 0g-3a-3p
Evander Kane: 0g-3a-3p
When and Where to Watch
Tuesday’s game is at 7:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch the game on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
