Dallas is coming off a big deadline day that saw them pick up Mikko Rantanen in a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Hurricanes. The Stars traded Logan Stankoven, two first-round picks and two third-round picks for the Finnish star forward, who has 27 goals and 43 assists for 70 points through 62 games with the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes.
Rantanen is projected to skate alongside Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz on Dallas’ top line. The Stars’ lineup bolsters 10 players with double-digit goals this season, including five players with at least 23 goals.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Stars are on a four-game winning streak and have won seven of their last eight outings.
- They are in action Saturday night in Edmonton, kicking off a four-game road trip.
- Jake Oettinger gets the start on Saturday night against Edmonton, and that means we are likely to see former Canuck Casey DeSmith in the net on Sunday.
- DeSmith has an 11-6-0 record with a 2.50 goals-against average and a .912% save percentage.
- Rantanen has nine power play goals this season, Robertson has eight, and Matt Duchene and Wyatt Johnson have seven apiece.
- The Stars’ power play ranks 15th in the league with a 22.6% conversion percentage, but the addition of Rantanen should boost them up in the rankings over the coming weeks.
- On the penalty kill, the Stars rank number one in the league with an 84.3% kill rate.
- Johnson has three shorthanded goals this season, while Mikael Granlund, Colin Blackwell, Sam Steel, and Hintz each have shorthanded markers this year.
The Story: All Hands on Deck
Canucks’ Head Coach Rick Tocchet spoke to the media on Saturday morning following practice and is excited about the challenge that the 41-19-2 Stars present to his team.
“You have to play 60 minutes against these teams,” said Tocchet. “The success we had last month, when we beat Toronto, I think it was a three-to-nothing. We played a fairly good 60-minute game against Anaheim, give or take a couple of moments. In today’s game, you cannot let your foot off the gas; even when you’re up, you got to bear down on your chances.”
A big game against a playoff team like Dallas provides the Canucks an opportunity to build some momentum as they begin to play meaningful games in March ahead of the playoffs.
“We’re into March now; you got to be up for every game. It doesn’t matter who you play. Now, Dallas is a really good hockey team. They’re very well-coached, [and] obviously, getting Rantanen is going to give them another star player. This is where you need 21 guys playing. We can’t come in here and have 12 guys playing. We need everybody all hands on deck.”
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Filip Hronek: 0g-4a-4p
Conor Garland: 2g-1a-3p
Pius Suter: 2g-1a-3p
Filip Chytil: 1g-2a-3p
Tyler Myers: 1g-2a-3p
When and Where to Watch
Sunday’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.
