The Vancouver Canucks wrap up their three-game homestand with a battle against their expansion cousin Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.
It was a big win on Hockey Night in Canada for the Canucks as they held off the Edmonton Oilers and secured a 3-2 victory on the back of two power play goals from Quinn Hughes.
Hughes is now up to 12 goals on the season and has 38 assists to give him 50 points through 41 games.
The Canucks’ captain is averaging 25:20 of ice time per game and leads all defencemen with 1.22 points per game. Hughes has four goals in his last five games and has 13 points over his last nine games.
As for the Sabres, they will be on the second night of a back-to-back as they face the Seattle Kraken on Monday night. Prior to the game against the Kraken, the Sabres held a 17-23-5 record and were 6-4-1 after their 13-game losing streak through December.
Tage Thompson is the leading goal-scorer and point-getter for the Sabres. The 27-year-old forward has 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points in 40 games this season. Thompson has scored 15 of his 19 goals at even-strength while adding four goals on the power play. He is averaging 18:52 of ice time per game and his most consistent linemate has been Alex Tuch.
Sabres starting netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is day-to-day and not expected to play Monday against the Kraken. The Sabres currently have youngster Devon Levi and veteran James Reimer on their active roster, and it is a situation to monitor ahead of Tuesday’s game.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Sabres begin a four-game road trip with their game on Monday against the Kraken. They will play in Vancouver on Tuesday and then follow that up with games against the Alberta teams on Thursday and Saturday.
- Connor Clifton (127) and Beck Malenstyn (103) lead the Sabres in hits this season. Clifton is a stay-at-home defenceman who is averaging 15:30 of ice time per game while Malenstyn is currently on the fourth line and averaging 10:33 per game.
- Jordan Greenway, Jiri Kulich, and Ryan McLeod are all on injury reserve and are missed in the lineup as all three are impact players in the Sabres’ top-nine.
- Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin has been playing alongside Bowen Byram on the Sabres’ top pairing. That duo has been the Sabres’ best pairing this season and has been on the ice for 19 goals scored and 10 goals against through 383 minutes of five-on-five.
- 22-year-old Owen Power is joined by Henri Jokiharju on the second pairing and that duo has played just over 200 minutes of five-on-five hockey together this season. They have been on the ice to the tune of five goals for and five goals against.
- The Sabres are 1-6-0 on the second night of back-to-backs this season.
- Special teams will be key in Tuesday’s game as the Sabres rank 27th in the league on the power play and 22nd on the penalty kill.
- Jason Zucker leads the team with eight power play goals while Dahlin leads the team with 10 assists on the man-advantage.
- Alex Tuch is tied for second in the league with three shorthanded goals. He is the only Sabres player with a shorthanded goal this season.
The Story: Rick Tocchet is focused on the here-and-now
Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin spoke to the media Monday afternoon and discussed many different topics. You can find the full breakdown of his media availability in THIS article, but head coach Rick Tocchet was asked about his future with the team and said right now he’s focusing on the day-to-day and helping his team win games.
“My 24/7 energy is, how do I get this team to play consistent,” said Tocchet. “I honestly don't think about my future. I'm not lying. I don't worry about that sort of stuff. I'm a day-to-day, especially now where we're at, I just think of every day, how do I approach the new day? Whether it's a different game plan, we're playing Buffalo tomorrow, who's going to play? Do I keep the same lines? I think that's the best approach for me, personally and mentally, is to think that way.”
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Quinn Hughes: 4g-1a-5p
Tyler Myers: 0g-3a-3p
Brock Boeser: 1g-1a-2p
J.T. Miller: 0g-2a-2p
When and Where to Watch
Tuesday’s game is a 7:00 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.
