Canucks in a playoff chase?
FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Adrenalin:
There's little doubt adrenalin was a big factor driving the Canucks' surprising two wins over the Maple Leafs after weeks off due to COVID-19. Will that energy carry through the next two games at home and on into the two games in Ottawa next week? The Canucks have mostly had their way with the Sens this season, though the most recent two encounters saw Ottawa pushing matters to an overtime and a shootout.
2. Crease crashers:
Sens goalie Matt Murray has been sensational since returning from an injury that kept him out for a month. He has a .938 save percentage in the three games since his return, posting two wins, including a shutout of Montreal last Saturday. With Thatcher Demko still recuperating from his COVID bout, Braden Holtby started both games versus Toronto and was stellar, turning in the kind of performances the Canucks hoped to get from him when they signed him in the off-season.
3. Defensive dynamic:
Alex Edler will serve the second of his two-game suspension, meaning the Canucks will again lean on their top two defence pairings, with Olli Juolevi and Jalen Chatfield playing very managed minutes.
4. Snipe show:
Connor Brown's goal-scoring streak may have been broken last weekend, but he got back on the scoresheet on Monday and now has nine goals in 10 games in April. And on the Canucks' side of the ledger, Tanner Pearson, Bo Horvat and Nils Höglander each have two goals this week.
5. Power outage:
Tim Stützle's star has been on the wane of late with just one goal in 17 games. He's had chances but needs to start cashing in. There are defensive holes in his game, not a big surprise for a player just 19, but improving his two-way play will be a definite focus as he closes the season.
PROJECTED LINEUP
Senators
Forwards: Brady Tkachuk — Josh Norris — Drake Batherson; Tim Stützle — Colin White — Evgenii Dadonov; Alex Formenton — Shane Pinto — Connor Brown; Nick Paul — Chris Tierney — Ryan Dzingel Defence: Thomas Chabot — Nikita Zaitsev; Erik Brännström — Artyon Zub; Victor Mete — Josh Brown Goalies: Matt Murray, Anton Forsberg
Canucks Forwards:
Jimmy Vesey — J.T. Miller — Brock Boeser; Tanner Pearson — Bo Horvat — Nils Höglander; Marc Michaelis — Brandon Sutter — Jayce Hawryluk; Matthew Highmore — Travis Boyd — Jake Virtanen
Defence: Nate Schmidt — Tyler Myers; Quinn Hughes — Travis Hamonic; Olli Juolevi — Jalen Chatfield
Goalies: Braden Holtby, Thatcher Demko
SICK BAY Senators:
Derek Stepan (shoulder), Joey Daccord (leg), Austin Watson (hand)
Canucks: Antoine Roussel (leg), Elias Pettersson (wrist), Jay Beagle (undisclosed), Justin Bailey (shoulder), Micheal Ferland (post-concussion), Tyler Motte (COVID-19)