Knights coming up aces again as they visit Rogers Arena
THE BIG MATCHUP Fleury vs. Markstrom
Jacob Markstrom has put up back-to-back solid performances, giving his team a chance to win. Some of that is about the play of the defence in front of him — and also about the struggling Los Angeles Kings — but either way, he’s a goalie feeling confident. Marc-Andre Fleury has been all over the place in his last 10 starts: he has three shutouts, but also five starts with save percentages below the NHL average of .904.
5 KEYS TO THE GAME 1. Knights on a crusade
Don’t look now, but the Knights are just two points out of first place in the Pacific Division. Of course both the Flames and Sharks have games in hand, but both of those squads have fallen to Vegas over the past four games. Last season’s Stanley Cup finalists have won four straight games and have scored 19 goals in the process. This offence is clicking.
2. Shots, shots, shots
During the Canucks’ recent eight-game losing streak, they were simply giving up too many shots. They’ve turned that story around over the past week, though they have just one win to show for their improved play.
3. Points for Pettersson
The Canucks’ rookie star has just three goals and an assist over his past 10 games. And while some of the story is his sky-high shooting percentage coming back to Earth, there was also a stretch early on the big road trip at the beginning of November where he was struggling to generate shots. Thankfully, that didn’t last long, and he’s now back to controlling the play.
4. Boeser bounce
The return of Brock Boeser to the Canucks’ lineup can only be a good thing. Skating on Pettersson’s wing Tuesday, the line dominated play at even strength. They were probably unlucky not to score, with three big chances to their credit. Surely a goal or two is coming.
5. Hutton-Stecher
Defenceman Erik Gudbranson suffered a neck problem on Monday. He was a scratch on Tuesday. Troy Stecher stepped into the breach, and was solid next to Ben Hutton. Many have said the duo would do well moving the puck out of their zone and stopping the other team’s rushes. They did just that.