FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
1 Tavares, Tavares, Tavares ... and Barzal
John Tavares has been a human highlight reel this season. The Islanders superstar draws all the attention — with good reason — but Coquitlam’s Mathew Barzal has spun a few super goals of his own. The point: This is one of the league’s best offences.
2 Daniel watch
Daniel Sedin is now two points shy of 1,000 for his career. The Canucks have two games left on the road trip: Tuesday against the Islanders and Thursday in Nashville. Odds are good the winger will either be honoured for his big achievement or attain the mark itself on Saturday at home against the Leafs.
3 Tre Kronor
Loui Eriksson played with the Sedins for the first time this season and the three Swedes were electric together against the Rangers, dominating just about every shift. They won’t be a dominant number one line, but you can imagine them as a high-end second line. That would be great news for the Canucks.
4 The soaring power play
The Canucks didn’t score Sunday against the rangers, but they still have six goals with the man advantage over the last five games. Since putting Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat with the Sedins, the Canucks’ top unit has looked electric.
5 Nilsson time
With Jacob Markstrom in a slump, all eyes have turned back to the Canucks’ other giant Swede. Anders Nilsson has seen mostly spot duty so far, but when he’s played, he’s been mostly outstanding. His .934 save percentage won’t last forever, but ride the wave while you can, right?