The Vancouver Canucks take a quick trip to Calgary to face the Flames in their second consecutive all-Canadian matchup in as many days.
Wednesday’s game is the second-last back-to-back for the Canucks this season, and they will play their final set of back-to-backs this weekend with the Chicago Blackhawks in town on Saturday, followed by the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday.
Calgary is one point up on Vancouver in the standings and holds onto the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. They also have a game in hand on the Canucks, making this a big game for the playoff push with 18 games remaining on the Canucks’ schedule.
The Flames are well rested. They come into Wednesday’s game, having not played since Saturday when they shutout the Montreal Canadiens on Hockey Night in Canada. They are 4-2-2 since the break and are in a battle with the Canucks, Utah, and the St. Louis Blues for the final wild card spot.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Flames are 18-10-4 at the Saddledome this season.
- They are 14-4-3 when scoring first on home ice.
- Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau are tied for the team lead with 22 goals apiece.
- Rasmus Andersson (24:04) and Mackenzie Weegar (23:49) are the two biggest minute-munchers on the Flames’ defence corps.
- Dustin Wolf leads in the crease. He has started 38 of their 63 games this season. Wolf holds a 22-12-4 record with a .915% save percentage, 2.52 goals-against average, and has three shutouts this season.
- The Flames are 2-0-1 when playing on three days between games. In those three games, they have averaged 1.33 goals for and against.
- Martin Pospisil leads his team and is sixth in the NHL with 226 hits.
- They rank last in the league for goals, averaging 2.56 goals scored per game.
- The Flames’ power play ranks 18th in the league and is clicking at 21.2% this season.
- On the penalty kill, they rank 26th with a 74.9% kill rate.
The Story: Pettersson’s Possession
Canucks forward Elias Pettersson is coming off a powerful performance against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
Pettersson scored on the power play and had impressive possession numbers.
In 15:00 of five-on-five ice time, Pettersson was on the ice for 11 scoring chances for and just two against. The Canucks outshot the Canadiens 12-1 when Pettersson was on the ice at five-on-five.
Pettersson spoke about trying to play his game and be the best player he can be at this time of the year. Though he was pleased with the steps he has taken in his game, he noted that getting his team wins makes his game feel even better.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Filip Hronek: 1g-5a-6p
Elias Pettersson: 2g-0a-2p
Teddy Blueger: 2g-0a-2p
Pius Suter: 1g-1a-2p
Kiefer Sherwood: 1g-1a-2p
When and Where to Watch
Wednesday’s game is a 6:00 p.m. PT start, and you can watch it on Sportsnet or listen along to the radio call with Brendan Batchelor on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
