FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
1 Green really knows Markstrom
Travis Green defers to goalie coach Dan Cloutier when asked about tracking pucks and positional play. However, he doesn’t need another opinion in Jacob Markstrom’s transition from backup to starter. Maybe it’s because their union goes back to the 2015 Calder Cup final. Maybe it’s because Markstrom has played a career-high 56 games and is coming off a 30-save effort Sunday. And maybe it’s just the steep learning curve and having faith. Markstrom is 10-14-3 at home with one shutout and 10-12-3 on the road with one shutout. His road stats — 2.52 GAA., 917% — are credible and his home stats — 2.97 GAA., .905% — should be better. When Markstrom wins he has a
1.79 GAA. When he loses, it’s 3.46. Noodle on that. 2 Ducks deliver mixed messages
Too inconsistent or too hard to write off? Take your pick. The Ducks string together winning and losing streaks with such regularity that it’s often hard to get a read on the division rival. But know this much. If they play as good as they look on paper — they erased two third-period deficits in Edmonton on Sunday and won 5-4 in overtime — they’re going to be a tough out. Especially if players take control. “You have to credit the players,” said coach Randy Carlyle. “They made a decision. We were allowing the opposition to dictate the pace of the game. They (vets) made a decision and that was enough.” 3 Sautner didn’t dip toe in pool
Did you see the way Ashton Sautner marked his NHL regular-season debut in Big D on Sunday? He didn’t go quietly into the night and that’s encouraging. He’s a 6-foot, 195 pound undrafted curiosity who showed up against the Stars. He had two hits and two blocks and didn’t back down. When is the last time you saw a blueliner bug the opposition to the degree he did? “I was a little nervous, but once I got my feet wet and having Alex (Biega) as a calming influence, it was pretty good,” said Sautner. “I made it my focus this year to be harder to play against.” It’s showing. 4 Who is going to score Tuesday?
In their last visit to The Pond on March 14, Reid Boucher had three good scoring looks off the wing. The Canucks had 32 shots but still lost 3-0 and went winless on a three-game trip in which they failed to score. Who is going to score tonight? Maybe somebody on the power play that’s 0-for-11 in three previous meetings with the Ducks? Maybe somebody putting a puck off a body in front of the net and past Gibson? Sven Baertschi has the lone Canucks goal against the Ducks. It came Nov. 9 in a 4-1 loss at Anaheim. 5 Archibald needs to step it up
Is it just me? I need to see more from Darren Archibald. I get he’s good on the forecheck and the penalty kill. He can hit — he had two on Sunday but none Friday — but the winger has to be more than just a physical deterrent to earn a contract next season and protect the prized Elias Pettersson.