Game Notes: Canucks @ Kings

The Canucks face off against the Los Angeles Kings tonight in their third of four match ups this season. Vancouver won the first match up 4-2 on Nov. 24 in LA and were defeated by a score of 2-1 (OT) on Nov. 27 in Vancouver. The Kings visit Rogers Arena to conclude the season series on Mar. 28. Vancouver is 2-2-1 in their last five games versus Los Angeles and 5-3-2 in their last 10 GP.

PRE-GAME UPDATE

Major injury updates from Coach Green: Chris Tanev has been placed on IR with an ankle injury suffered last night in Anaheim and has returned to Vancouver. Jake Virtanen was also hurt in Anaheim and his upper body injury will keep him out at least tonight. He had an MRI today to which the results are not known.
Brandon Sutter will be out for at least two weeks.
Jacob Markstrom starts in goal tonight against the Kings. Nikolay Goldobin returns to the line-up and Guillaume Brisebois will make his NHL debut.

BACK-TO-BACK

Tonight marks the conclusion of the seventh of 11 back-to-backs the Canucks will play this season. Vancouver is 6-7-0 in back-to- backs so far this season (4-3-0 in the first game and 2-4-0 in the second game).

LAST MEETING - Nov. 27/18: VAN 1 vs LAK 2 (OT)

Markus Granlund tied the game 1-1 on a deflection with 3:43 left in the third period...Alex Biega and Alex Edler registered an assist each on the play...Jacob Markstrom made 23 saves...Michael Del Zotto had a game-high five hits...Brock Boeser registered three shots in 18:36 in his return to the lineup after missing 11 games due to injury.

LAST GAME - Feb. 13/19: VAN 0 at ANA 1

Alex Biega had a game-high 5 shots...Troy Stecher logged a game-high 29:04 TOI and added 4 shots...Tyler Motte had a team-high 4 hits...Jacob Markstrom made 20 saves.

DIVISION RIVALS

Vancouver has a 7-7-3 record versus Pacific Division teams this season. Including tonight's contest, 12 of their remaining 24 games are against divisional opponents.

HIGH MARK

Since Dec. 6, Jacob Markstrom has posted a record of 13-7-3 (t-6th most wins during that span). This includes a 2.34 GAA, a .924 SV%, 701 shots against and 648 saves.
Markstrom ranks eighth in the League in wins (21) and fourth in both shots against (1,371) and total saves (1,250).

THE ROOKIE

Elias Pettersson joins an elite list of 10 players who have scored at least 25 goals in thier first 44 games played, aged 20 or younger (Ovechkin, Martin, Murdoch, Bossy, Lindros, Robitaille, Yzerman, Gretzky, Hawerchuk, Boeser).
With his 50th point of the season Feb. 9/19 vs CGY, Pettersson became the 11th Canuck to score 50 or more points in their rookie season. Pavel Bure and Ivan Hlinka share the club record of 60 points in a rookie season.
Pettersson not only leads his team but all rookies in goals (25), points (51), assists (26), power-play goals (7), power-play points (14), game-winning goals (7), and points per game (1.11).
Pettersson was named to Team Pacific Division for the 2019 NHL All-Star Game. He became the youngest Canucks player and just the third Canucks rookie (Tallon, Boeser) named to the honour. He participated in the Fastest Skater and Puck Control Relay.
With his seventh GWG Jan. 2 at OTT, Pettersson established a new Canucks single-season record for most GWG scored by a rookie.
With a hat trick on Jan. 2 at OTT, Pettersson became just the fourth active player to accumulate 40 or more career points within his first 40 NHL games. He also became the first rookie in Canucks franchise history to score a hat trick that included an OTG. He is the eighth Canucks rookie to net a hat trick.
Pettersson was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month recipient for the month of December after leading all rookies in goals (6), assists (11), points (17), game-winning goals (4) and plus/minus (tied, +8) in 14 games.
Pettersson, who led all rookies with seven goals and 10 points in eight games (7-3-10) in October, was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for October. He was named the NHL's second star of the week ending November 4th (sharing the League lead with four goals and ranked third overall with seven points in three games) and was named first star of the week ending December 9th (after leading the NHL with eight points (2-6-8) in three games).
With five points (1-4-5) on Dec. 9 at STL, Pettersson became the sixth rookie since 1967-68 to record multiple outings with at least five points in a single season. He also registered five points (2-3-5) on Nov. 2 vs COL.

FACE THE FACTS

Bo Horvat ranks first in the NHL in face-off wins (760), first in even-strength face-off wins and first in face-offs taken (1431). He also ranks 7th in PP face-off wins.
Horvat ranks second on the team in goals (20), power play goals (5), points (44), assists (24) and power play points (11) and first in face-off win percentage (53.3%; min. 10 GP), shots (163) and TOI (among forwards; 20:54).

THE ROAD TO 50

Among players to debut with the Canucks franchise, Brock Boeser required the second fewest games played to score his 50th career goal (110 GP), trailing only Pavel Bure (82 GP) (source: NHL PR).

THE GOING RATE

• Derrick Pouliot has two points (1-1-2) over the past three games
• Brock Boeser has 10 points (5-5-10) over the past 12 games
• Chris Tanev has two points (0-2-2) over the past four games
• Josh Leivo has four points (2-2-4) over the past four games
• Antoine Roussel has five points (2-3-5) over the past nine games
• Elias Pettersson has nine points (3-6-9) over the past nine games
• Troy Stecher has two points (0-2-2) over the past three games
• Bo Horvat has a goal (2-0-2) in two of the past three games