Canucks Game Day: Resurgent Oilers hitched to goaltending puzzle
Connor McDavid and the Oilers come to Vancouver to face the Canucks for the first time this season.
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7 p.m. PT, TV: Sportsnet Radio: Sportsnet 650
THE BIG MATCHUP
Connor McDavid vs. Alex Edler
The game’s greatest player loves rushing the puck down the right wing. Defenceman Alex Edler and partner Chris Tanev, when they’ve been healthy, have been getting the toughest matchups. Edler will be defending the side of the ice that McDavid loves. There’s no bigger matchup on Sunday than this one.
FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Tired teams
The Canucks are playing back-to-back nights, having faced the Flyers at Rogers Arena on Saturday. The Oilers are playing their third in four nights, having beaten the Flyers at home on Friday night but losing to the Jets in Winnipeg on Thursday. Survival of the fittest?
2. Good goaltending
The Canucks have been getting reasonable goaltending in most games this season; it’s been defensive breakdowns in front of their goalies that most often have let them down. At the other end, much of the Oilers’ resurgence since Ken Hitchcock came aboard as head coach has been about strong goaltending, especially from Mikko Koskinen.
3. Side-kicking it
Leon Draisaitl is on a tear playing on McDavid’s wing. He has a total of 12 points over the last five games. Where he and McDavid go, so will the Oilers.
4. The other dynamic duo
Going into Saturday’s game against Philadelphia, Brock Boeser had seven points in seven games. Elias Pettersson had 14 points in nine games. It’s safe to say the Canucks have found a top-end first line to replace the Sedins.
5. Special Teams
Neither team is all that great at killing penalties. And while both teams feature top-end talent, neither team has truly dominant power play. So, that means goals galore, right?
CANUCKS LINES
Forwards
Nikolay Goldobin — Bo Horvat — Jake Virtanen
Josh Leivo — Elias Pettersson — Brock Boeser
Antoine Roussel — Adam Gaudette — Loui Eriksson
Markus Granlund — Jay Beagle — Tyler Motte
Defence
Alex Edler — Chris Tanev
Ben Hutton — Erik Gudbranson
Michael Del Zotto — Troy Stecher
Goalies: Jacob Markstrom, Anders Nilsson
OILERS LINES
Alex Chiasson — Connor McDavid — Leon Draisaitl
Jujhar Khaira — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Jesse Puljujarvi
Milan Lucic — Kyle Brodziak — Zack Kassian
Drake Caggiula — Ryan Spooner — Tobias Rieder
Defence
Darnell Nurse — Adam Larsson
Kevin Gravel — Caleb Jones
Jason Garrison — Matt Benning
Goalies: Cam Talbot, Mikko Koskinen
SICK BAY
Canucks
Sven Baertschi (concussion)
Brandon Sutter (shoulder)
Oilers
Andrey Sekera (achilles)
Oscar Klefbom (hand)
Kris Russell (undisclosed)
SPECIAL TEAMS
Power play
Canucks: 17.6% (21st)
Oilers: 20.4% (16th)
Penalty kill
Canucks: 76.3% (24th)
Oilers: 78.1% (20th)
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