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The Vancouver Canucks (18-21-6) and Edmonton Oilers (20-23-3) meet at Rogers Place tonight as part of Hockey Day In Canada. Both teams are returning to action after their league-mandated breaks. Separated by just a single point in the standings (Edmonton 43 & Vancouver 42), these teams sit T-26th and 28th in the overall standings, however both teams come into action on their first two-game win streaks of 2018.

The Canucks followed up a 5-2 victory in Columbus on January 12th with a 3-2 overtime victory in Minnesota last Sunday. It was the first time the team had won back to back games since a three-game win streak from November 30th to December 5th.  In his return to the line-up after missing 21-games with a groin injury, Brandon Sutter scored the O/T winner. Loui Eriksson – after 18 without – and Thomas Vanek had the other Canucks goals. Jacob Markstrom made 21 saves in goal.

Markstrom will make his fourth straight start and fifth in the past six outings. Daniel Sedin returns after missing the Minnesota game with back spasms. Bo Horvat is with the team and skated again this morning, but will not play tonight marking his 18th game out of the line-up. This is the sixth of seven straight on the road for the Canucks who are 2-2-1 through the first five games.

Henrik Sedin has 0+6=6 on a five-game point streak while Alex Edler, playing some of his best hockey of the season, set up a pair of the Canucks goals including the game-winner in Minnesota and has 1+4=5 in his past four outings.

The Canucks next power play will be the team’s 150th opportunity of the season. They are 32/149 (21.5%) on the season which puts them eighth in the NHL. They have the second-best road power play in the league going 18 for 72 (25%). Brock Boeser and Sven Baertschi share the team lead with six PPG apiece.

Boeser continues to lead the Canucks in scoring, however he has gone four games without a goal and has just 1+1=2 in his past seven games. He did, however, lead the Canucks with six shots and eight attempts in the win in Minnesota.

​ Like the Canucks, the Oilers enter action tonight after back to back wins. They beat Arizona 4-2 in Glendale and followed that with a 3-2 overtime victory over Vegas at T-Mobile Arena last Saturday in their final game before a full week off. Darnell Nurse scored the overtime winner and the blueliner has scored the winner in back to back games and has notched four goals in his last four outings.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins left the game in Vegas after a heavy hit from Brayden McNabb. It was revealed yesterday the Nuge suffered a cracked rib and will be out of the Edmonton line-up for five to six weeks. He leads the team in goals (16) and power play goals (4) on the season. Leon Draisaitl who has been shifting between wing and centre this season will fill RNH’s void down the middle.

Connor McDavid celebrated his 21st birthday last Saturday in Vegas. He is 10th in NHL scoring with 15+37=52. He had two assists in the win over the Knights and logged 25:23. His second point of the night was the 200th point of his young NHL career (61+139=200). In 10 career games against the Canucks, McDavid has registered 4+7=11.

The Oilers power play is 1/19 (5.3%) in its past eight games. Leon Draisaitl is the lone Edmonton player to cash in with the man-advantage. That came in a 5-1 loss in Dallas on January 6th. The Oil has gone four games without converting with the power play. As a team, their power play is 27th in the league (15.4%). And at 72.8%, their penalty kill is 31st and dead last in the NHL.

Cam Talbot gets the start in goal.

The Canucks and Oilers have not met since October 7th (the Canucks season-opener and the Oilers second game). Vancouver chased Cam Talbot with three goals on seven shots in a 3-2 victory at Rogers Arena. Connor McDavid was held off the scoresheet. That was Travis Green’s NHL coaching debut and his first career NHL coaching victory.

 

Probable Canucks lines for tonight:

Sedin-Sedin-Eriksson

Vanek-Gagner-Boeser

Baertschi-Sutter-Granlund

Gaunce-Dowd-Virtanen

 

Oilers lines:

Maroon-McDavid-Caggiula

Lucic-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi

Khaira-Strome-Cammalleri

Slepyshev-Letestu-Kassian