Canucks at Maple Leafs
THE STORY: The Vancouver Canucks know a loss Saturday night would leave them with a below .500 mark on their five-game East Coast road swing. Fortunately for them, Saturday's opponent has been an easy mark over the past six years. The Canucks look to extend their winning streak over Toronto to eight games as they visit the Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. Vancouver's trek began with wins over Montreal and Ottawa but went south following losses to Columbus and Carolina, two of the worst teams in the league. Up next is a Toronto club that has dropped eight straight decisions in the head-to-head series, and is coming off a 5-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night. The Maple Leafs have dropped five of their last seven games and are perilously close to slipping into the basement in the crowded Northeast Division.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBC, NHL Network U.S.
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (18-11-2): Vancouver went into games against the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes with more wins than the two teams combined. The Canucks came out with just a single point thanks to some special teams struggles that saw them give up a pair of power-play goals while going 0-for-5 themselves. The defensive containment was also lacking as Vancouver allowed 71 shots between the two games, including 41 to Carolina.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (16-12-3): Things were supposed to be better when goaltender James Reimer returned from a concussion. Instead, the 23-year-old has registered just one win in five games with a goals-against average above 3.00 in that span. Reimer was responsible for all five goals Friday night and will likely take a backseat to Jonas Gustavsson against the Canucks. Gustavsson has won five of his last six starts.
OVERTIME:
1. Toronto's last victory in the series came Nov. 24, 2003, when Mats Sundin's unassisted goal 2:08 into the third period lifted the Maple Leafs to a 2-1 triumph.
2. Maple Leafs F Nikolai Kulemin's goal Friday night was his first since Oct. 22, a span of 24 games. Kulemin, a 30-goal scorer a season ago, has just three in 2011-12.
3. Vancouver is hoping to have Daniel Sedin back in the lineup after the talented Swede missed Thursday's game with a stiff back.