FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Keep it tight

It goes without saying: the Canucks need to be far better than they were last week in the Sunshine State. The Panthers dominated the shot count on the Canucks and got better quality shots, too.

2. Leaky Panthers

The Panthers are giving up a shot attempt per minute. That’s actually only one attempt worse than the Canucks, but it suggests this game could be much more of a barn burner than last week’s snoozer.

3. Back to Goldy?

The Russian with silky hands is back up after the Canucks ran into their latest injury crisis. (That’s a topic for another day.) But will he play? Reid Boucher found the net twice Sunday.

4. Jacob Markstrom

Markstrom picked up his second shutout Sunday. Markstrom has played pretty well in 2018. His evenstrength save percentage is a solid .917. That’s just behind Tampa Bay’s Andrey Vasilevsky’s .921. He’s doing what he can to give his team a chance.

5. Looking for Lu

The guy the Canucks traded for Markstrom has been out for almost two months. He’s been a full participant in practice since the weekend, but didn’t dress in Tuesday’s 7-5 win over the Oilers. It would be something if he returned to action in his old barn. He was cagey Tuesday about whether he’d play tonight. “I’m just happy to be skating with the guys,” he said. “Inching toward a return.”