Isles pose a stern road test

The Canucks are in Brooklyn to face the Islanders for the penultimate game of their latest eastern road trip today. Here are some points to ponder:

THE BIG MATCHUP

Horvat vs. De Haan

The Bo Horvat line is seeing heavy doses of the opposition’s best defencemen and while Nick Leddy is the icetime leader for the Isles, it’s Calvin De Haan who has been playing the toughest evenstrength minutes. Partnered with Adam Pelech, he’s done a good job shutting down opposing forwards.

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: today 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 Toronto Maple 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 No. 1 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 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?