Canucks vs. Ducks game day: Less drama, more consistency key to victory

Article content

Vancouver Canucks vs. Anaheim Ducks

Where/when: Tuesday, 7 p.m., Rogers Arena
TV: Sportsnet Pacific. Radio: Kiss 104.9 FM

Article content

Article content

Article content

The Buzz: Comebacks are exciting but come at an exhausting cost.

Still, there is nothing like the thrill of victory, especially when it is captured from the depths of despair.

The Anaheim Ducks and Vancouver Canucks knew that feeling last week and hope they don’t repeat the grind to find a way to two points Tuesday at Rogers Arena.

The Ducks rallied from a 3-0 deficit on home ice Sunday for a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators as Cutter Gauthier grabbed a hat trick to help his struggling club win for just the second time in nine outings and improve to 6-7-1.

“Trying to keep it simple, shoot a lot of volume,” said Gauthier, who has 15 shots the last two games and five goals in that span. “The more pucks I get on net, if they don’t get in, they create good opportunities for my teammates and create chaos.”

The Canucks need to follow that script.

Last Tuesday, they rallied from a 5-2 hole against the Ducks with a third-period rally and two goals in 49 seconds by Jonathan Lekkerimaki to force overtime, where Filip Hronek won in overtime.

Article content

Article content

Despite struggles, the Ducks own the second-best power play at 34 percent and are ninth in scoring with an average of 3.54 goals per outing. The Canucks give up the most goals at 4.5 per game and their penalty kill is third worst at 66.7. That should set off some alarm bells for Tuesday.

Center Leo Carlsson leads the game and is seventh in league scoring, Cutter Gauthier is coming off a hat trick Sunday and Bennet Sennecke has a team-high eight goals. But it’s Carlsson who stirs the drinks.

“He’s tough and very skilled,” Canucks defenseman Tom Willander told Postmedia on Monday. “He’s deceptive and has great hands. He makes great moves with the puck and has some speed. He’s one of those players who doesn’t look fast, but the Jets can open up.”

Willander has been paired with veteran Jamie Oleksiak in practice and continues to hold himself accountable. He looks confident with decisions to defend and in transition.

He was present and persistent Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs as the Canucks doubled shot attempts when he was on the ice and also dominated scoring opportunities in Grade A looks.

Article content

“I’m just trying to play the right way,” Willander added. “As a D-man, the less you cheat the game, the more you handle. I want to build my game from the back and that will really put you on the right path.

“I’ve always been analytical of myself and the game as a whole, and I don’t think you get anything by trying to make it better than it is.”

Three to see:

1. Kevin Lankinen: The struggling starting goaltender was the first stopper off the ice at the morning skate, an indicator that he will finally find the net for the first time after playing four straight games and seven of the last nine.

In his last appearance, Lankinen allowed five goals on 31 shots in a 5-2 loss Oct. 22 at Rogers Arena, including a pair in a span of 1:46 in the first period as the Canucks were held to just 13 shots and none in the second period. His numbers are numbing with an inflated 6.17 goals-against average and a paltry .812 save percentage.

Tonight is a crucial start for Lankinen to pick up his game and return to that ‘Unflappable Finn’ moniker he earned with an NHL record 10-consecutive road win at the start of the 2024-25 season.

Article content

2. Elias Pettersson: The center of so much attention has yet to score a goal at even strength, but his three-zone awareness, pace and playmaking in an entertaining season are one of the few pieces of good news in the difficult roster rebuild. You’d like to see him have more than 24 shots through 16 games.

Pettersson keeps the puck longer to thread passes and looks for better passes into shooting positions. What has never changed is defensive diligence and willingness to block shots. He leads all forwards with 21 and is second in hits with 36.

3. Jonathan Lekkerimaki: Quick release packing speed and accuracy came more naturally than commitment. He is now harder to play against, win board battles and add a game composer. Improving confidence in his step has kept the right winger in the top-six mix.

Lekkerimaki excels among under 23 players. He ranks seventh with 13 points (6-7) in 16 games and 28 shots, two short of the club lead held by Jake DeBrusk. Lekkerimaki’s 21.4 percent shooting accuracy is second only to Max Sasson (23.5).

Article content

History: The Canucks went 3-1-0 last season and their run against the Ducks continued with that wild finish last Tuesday. Scoring twice with the goalie pulled to end the 10-game losing streak was theater of the bizarre.

Hope: Quest for elusive 60-minute effort comes with three solid periods to build consistency, confidence.

The fear: Don’t stand on your toes when trouble strikes. The Canucks are 2-8-0 when the opposition shoots first and sport the same sorry mark when trailing after two periods.

The top weapons: Canucks: Elias Pettersson has 16 points (4-12) and four power-play goals in 16 games, Jonathan Lekkerimaki leads in goals with six. Ducks: Leo Carlsson has 21 points (4-17) in 14 games, Beckett Sennecke leads in goals with eight.

The injured: Canucks: Filip Chytil, upper body, (IR); Thatcher Demko, Hip Surgery Recovery, (IR). Troy Terry, hip, (LTIR); Ian Moore, lower body, (IR); Ryan Poehling, lower body, (IR).

The quote: “Our game has been coming up lately, but it’s going to come at our start.” – Manny Malhotra

The projected lineup:

DeBrusk-EP40-Boeser
O’Connor-Rossi-Lekkerimaki
Ohgren-Quillani-Karlsson
Cotter-Sasson-Gallagher

EP25-Grape
Oleksiak-Willander
Buium-Mancini

Kevin Lankinen

bkuzma@postmedia.com

Article content