Canucks look to get power play on track against stingy Isles
THE BIG MATCHUP
Mathew Barzal vs. Brock Boeser
If Brock Boeser didn’t get hurt last year, he might have had a chance to pry the Calder Memorial Trophy away from Mathew Barzal in the late going. One season later, Boeser has 41 points in 48 games while Barzal has been productive, too, with 50 points in 60 games.
FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME 1. Those shots
The Canucks have been looking to shoot from prime scoring areas this season. That’s a good plan, but keep in mind they don’t get a lot of shots from anywhere on the ice. The Isles, on the other hand, do get a lot of shots off — most of them from prime scoring areas.
2. The big D
No team has given up fewer goals this season than the Islanders. With all the talk about how the Islanders are succeeding despite the loss of John Tavares, the real story has nothing to do with offence — the Isles have scored only two more goals than the Canucks — and everything to do with defence.
New York has given up just 106 goals against at even strength. The Canucks have yielded 141.
3. Goaltending
The performance of Jacob Markstrom has given the Canucks a chance to win every night. That’s a big part of why they remain firmly in the Western Conference playoff chase.
But in Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss, the Islanders have far and away the league’s best goaltending — a .924 save percentage — which isn’t a surprise, given how few goals they have conceded and how good they are at keeping shooters out of the prime scoring areas.
4. Sputtering power play
The Canucks’ power play isn’t working. Even Elias Pettersson lacked for shooting opportunities on Thursday night as the visiting Arizona Coyotes kept the Canucks’ top power play unit under pressure all night.
Penalty killing is one chink in the Isles’ armour, so the home team has a shot to get back on track.
5. Home cooking
Hometown boy Barzal is having a nice sophomore season — he has 50 points in 60 games. And he’ll surely be looking forward to performing in front of friends and family. When the Canucks visited Brooklyn in November, he posted two assists, matching his tally from last season’s game in Vancouver.
SICK BAY
Canucks: Sven Baertschi (postconcussion syndrome), Thatcher Demko (knee), Alex Edler (concussion), Brandon Sutter (groin), Chris Tanev (ankle), Jake Virtanen (ribs). Islanders: None.