By Andrew Phillip Chernoff CanucksBanter

March 11, 2023

The Canucks (27-32-5), 6th Pacific Division, play the 5th game of a 6-game home stand tonight against the Ottawa Senators (33-27-5), 5th Atlantic Division, tonight at Rogers Arena.

Vancouver puts its 3-game undefeated streak on the line tonight against Ottawa finishing the home stand against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, March 14. Canucks are 3-1 on the home stand.

Canucks are 4-1-0 in their last 5 games; 6-3-1 in their last 10, entering tonight’s game. The Senators are 4-1-0 in their last 5 games; 7-3-0 in their last 10.

Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko is the projected starter for tonight for the Canucks. Since returning from injury, he is 3-1-0 with a .932 SV% (Save Percentage), 2.26 GAA (Goals Against Average).

CANUCKS BITS

• Elias Pettersson has 25 points (11-14-25) in his last 16 games.

• Quinn Hughes has 16 points (0-16-16) in his last 14 games.

• Andrei Kuzmenko has 13 points (8-5-13) in his last 11 games.

• Anthony Beauvillier has 13 points (6-7-13) in his last 13 games.

• J.T. Miller has 10 points (5-5-10) in his last nine games.

Canucks playing like they’re trying to get into post-season picture

The Vancouver Canucks have been decently good on the offensive side of the ice as they are 12th in the league with 3.31 goals per game thus far. They are coming off a 3-2 overtime home win against the Anaheim Ducks and Canucks coach Rick Tocchet spoke after the game about the team’s performance:

“I thought we had a lot of possession time, I like most of the game. I think the guys worked hard.”

Their defense has been brutal thus far as they are 31st in the league with 3.84 goals per game allowed. Thatcher Demko will be starting inside of the net here and needs to show improvement as he has a 6-11-1 record with a save percentage of .894 save percentage and 3.57 goals given up per game heading into this matchup. 

Source: statsalt.com

Senators Fighting For Playoff Spot

The Ottawa Senators have been doing well this season and need to figure out how to continue racking up points. They are average right now offensively as they are 16th in the NHL with 3.16 goals per game. They are coming off a 5-4 road win against the Seattle Kraken and Alex DeBrincat spoke after scoring the game-winning goal with less than three minutes left in the game. 

“A lot of guys are stepping up. When maybe some guys don’t have it, other guys are putting it on the net. That’s good to have and that’s what good teams have. If we can keep that rolling, we’ll be good.”

The team has also been decent on the defensive side of the ice as they are 17th in the league allowing 3.16 goals per game so far. Mads Sogaard will be getting the start in the net and he is 5-1-1 so far with 2.94 goals allowed per game and a .905 save percentage up to this point.

Source:statsalt.com

Canucks or Senators To Win?

It is possible Vancouver goes with Thatcher Demko in net instead of Delia, who has made four starts over the past five games since returning from injury. However, I think it is more logical to give Demko the needed break, especially following an overtime victory over the Anaheim Ducks .

With that said, even if the Canucks go with Demko, who is obviously better than Delia, I still like the Senators to take care of business on the road. While Demko has been solid since returning, he still possesses a .895 SV% and a 3.56 GAA on the season.

Both of those marks are lower than Sogaard’s. Over Demko’s past three starts against Ottawa, he is 1-1-1 with a .857 SV% and a 3.66 GAA.

With the superior offense and defense, back the Sens to grab another massive two points on the road.

Source: actionnetwork.com