Rise and shine, Vancouver Canucks fans — today’s game against the Washington Capitals is an early one. The Canucks are coming off back-to-back comeback wins against the Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks, bringing their record up to 3–2–0 on the season. Washington, on the other hand, is coming off a 5–1 win that elevates them to a 4–1–0 record.
This is Vancouver’s third game in the past four days, with the team facing a total of five opponents within the span of a week. Today officially marks the halfway point of the roadtrip, with the Canucks only having two more games to go before making a quick stop at home. While they managed to keep the pace going throughout overtime on Friday, the Canucks may not be able to maintain the same high-energy play throughout the rest of the roadtrip.
An area the Canucks will want to focus on today is on the power play. While they found success early on during Friday’s game with a netfront goal from Jake DeBrusk, Vancouver was unable to convert on two golden chances late in the third period. This will be even more important to focus on today in particular, as Washington currently sits at 30th in the NHL in penalty killing with 63.6%. The Canucks will want to use the Capitals’ weakness against them to help escape Washington with a win.
Players To Watch:
Max Sasson
With every game he plays this season, Sasson’s stock keeps on soaring. The forward has a goal in every NHL and AHL game he has played in this season and has been instrumental in breathing life into Vancouver’s familiar fourth-line of himself, Arshdeep Bains, and Linus Karlsson. This line has stood out for the Canucks since being iced on Thursday, bringing speed and heavy forecheck to the team when needed most. The center has been a great addition to Vancouver’s roster since being called-up at the start of the week, showcasing good shooting instincts and brilliant bursts of speed. Will he extend his goal streak today against the Capitals?
Tom Wilson
A name who always sticks out on the Capitals’ roster is Wilson, though currently, it’s for different reasons. The tough forward leads his team in points to start the season with seven in five games played, nabbing a goal and an assist in Washington’s offensive effort against the Wild on Friday. Wilson has been paired up with Connor McMichael and the Capitals’ leading goal-scorer Aliaksei Protas throughout the start of the season, and it’s expected that this line will continue their dominance today as well. Expect to see him on both sides of the ice, as he has logged minutes on both the Capitals’ power play and penalty kill so far this year.
Vancouver Canucks (3–2–0):
Points:
Conor Garland: 1–3–4
Quinn Hughes: 1–3–4
Brock Boeser: 3–0–3
Filip Chytil: 3–0–3
Kiefer Sherwood: 3–0–3
Goaltenders:
Thatcher Demko: 2–1–0
Kevin Lankinen: 1–1–0
Washington Capitals (4–1–0):
Points:
Tom Wilson: 3–4–7
Aliaksei Protas: 4–2–6
Dylan Strome: 2–4–6
Alex Ovechkin: 1–3–4
Jakub Chychrun: 1–3–4
Goaltenders:
Logan Thompson: 3–1–0
Charlie Lindgren: 1–0–0
Game Information:
Start time: 9:30 am PT
Venue: Capital One Arena
Television: Sportsnet Radio: Sportsnet 650
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