Blue Jackets at Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks sit in a three-way tie for a Western Conference wild card spot and look to earn a crucial two points Sunday when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Canucks will also be seeking retribution as they were handed a 5-3 defeat last Sunday in Columbus - the final game of Vancouver's 1-3-0 road trip.
The line of Antoine Roussel, Adam Gaudette and Zack MacEwen helped the Canucks end a four-game losing skid as they combined for six points during a 6-3 triumph over Colorado on Friday. “It was a really big two points,” MacEwen told reporters after potting a pair of goals for the first time in his career. “We were creating offense off our forecheck. The chances were there and we ended up burying them.” Columbus is hanging onto an Eastern Conference wild-card spot as its win against Vancouver a week ago was the team’s only one in regulation in its last 14 contests (2-6-6). The struggling Blue Jackets will look to salvage a three-game road trip through western Canada Sunday after a 3-2 overtime defeat against the Flames on Wednesday was followed by a 4-1 setback Saturday in Edmonton.
TIME: 10 p.m. ET. TV: FS Ohio, Sportsnet Pacific
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (32-22-15): Left wing Gustav Nyquist spoiled Edmonton’s shutout Saturday by scoring his 15th of the season with less than a minute remaining in the third period - his third game in a row with a goal after ending a 13-game goal drought. Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo is 1-2-1 in four starts since missing nearly two months with a knee injury after stopping 20-of-23 shots Saturday and could hand the crease over Sunday to rookie Matiss Kivlenieks, who is 1-1-2 with a 2.95 goals against average and .898 save percentage in six appearances. Zach Werenski leads all NHL defenseman with a career-best 20 goals this season and has two goals and two assists in seven career games against Vancouver.
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (35-26-6): With a goal and an assist Friday, forward J.T. Miller became the first Canucks player since Alexander Mogilny in 1995-96 to hit the 70-point mark in his first season with the team. Alexander Edler dished out a milestone helper on Troy Stecher’s opening goal Friday as the 33-year-old defenseman is the seventh player in Canucks history to record 300 career assists. Center Elias Pettersson tallied a goal and two assists against Columbus Sunday but Vancouver fell to 14-2-1 when the 22-year-old registers a multi-point effort.
OVERTIME
1. Blue Jackets C Pierre Luc-Dubois leads the team with 30 assists and 48 points.
2. Vancouver is seventh in the league with 21 victories at home while Columbus is tied for 26th with 12..
3. Canucks D Quinn Hughes leads all NHL rookies with 44 assists and 52 points but hasn’t scored since netting a pair Feb. 1 - a span of 15 games.