Canucks at Capitals
A date with Nashville on Thursday was exactly what a struggling Canucks power play unit needed as Vancouver tallied five goals on the man advantage and won for just the second time in its last nine games. The Canucks continue their six-game road trip Saturday against the Washington Capitals, who sit atop the NHL standings with 36 points.
Both of Vancouver’s wins during the past nine games were against Nashville and it has capitalized on 8-of-9 power play opportunities in the two matchups, compared to just 4-of-27 in the other seven contests. "(The power play) won us the hockey game," Canucks captain Bo Horvat told reporters after he scored his team-leading sixth power play goal during the second period Thursday. "In other games where we lost, it could've won us some games. It just shows how important power plays are and special teams.” For the first time this season, the Capitals surrendered multiple power play goals in a single game and it was the difference as they were defeated 4-1 by the host New York Rangers on Wednesday - their second regulation road loss of the season (10-2-1). “We need to stop the opposition's momentum, especially on the road,” Washington coach Todd Reirden told the media regarding a pair of goals scored by the Rangers within 23 seconds. “We've done a phenomenal job of that, and that's why we've been able to have the record we do on the road. But tonight, that was an area we've got to improve on."
TV: 12:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), NBCS Washington (Washington)
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (11-8-4): Brock Boeser scored his team-best 10th goal Thursday while Elias Pettersson added a goal and two helpers to raise his team-high point total to 28 (nine goals, 19 assists). Goaltender Jacob Markstrom allowed six goals in a loss to Dallas on Tuesday, but bounced back by making 45 saves against Nashville - 21 in the third period. “It wasn’t pretty today but it’s a win and we needed one,” Markstrom told reporters after his first victory since Oct. 30. “We haven’t been playing the way we wanted to so that’s all that matters, get the win and move forward right now and keep working hard.”
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (16-4-4): John Carlson recorded his 36th point of the year Wednesday with a third period assist and is on pace for 123 points, which would be the fifth-most ever by a defenseman behind a pair of seasons from both Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey. Carlson has a goal and 12 assists during an eight-game point streak - his second-longest of the season behind his nine-game run (five goals, 13 assists) from Oct. 8-24. Alexander Ovechkin currently sits 12th in NHL history with 673 goals and his team-leading 15 this season has him on pace to finish with 51, which would move him to seventh on the all-time list with 709.
OVERTIME
1. Vancouver’s five power play goals Thursday were the most by the club in a single game since they scored five against Chicago on Nov. 6, 2011.
2. The three-game suspension of Washington RW Garnet Hathaway for spitting on Anaheim D Erik Gudbranson paved the way for the NHL debut of 21-year-old Beck Malenstyn, who had three shots in 10:02 of ice time against the Rangers.
3. Canucks D Quinn Hughes ranks second among NHL rookies with 15 assists and 17 points - trailing only Colorado D Cale Makar who leads with 18 assists and 25 points.