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LAS VEGAS -- The Vancouver Canucks (27-29-9) are looking to salvage a three-game road trip when they face the Vegas Golden Knights (35-26-5) at T-Mobile Arena Sunday afternoon. After a 3-2 shootout loss in Colorado on Wednesday and a 5-2 setback in Arizona on Thursday, the Canucks will be searching for a win in Sin City.

With 17 games remaining on their schedule, the Canucks are still mathematically alive in the chase for a Stanley Cup playoff berth, however, the reality of the situation appeared to hit home with many of the players after the loss to the Coyotes. With just one win in their last six games (1-3-2) and three in their last 13 (3-7-3), the Canucks appear to be too far back, with too many teams to pass and too few games left to make it happen. They begin action today seven points behind Minnesota in the chase for the second wild-card spot in the West with four other teams sandwiched between them and the playoff bar.

On Thursday, former Canuck Brad Richardson scored four of Arizona’s goals while Tanner Pearson scored his first in a Canuck uniform and Antoine Roussel found the back of the net for a second straight game. Roussel’s goal was his ninth of the season and gives him 29 points, which matches his career-best for points set twice during his time in Dallas.

In his first start in six weeks, Thatcher Demko gave up five goals on 24 shots and tasted defeat for the first time in his young NHL career. Jacob Markstrom is expected to get the call in goal Sunday. It will be Markstrom’s 50th start of the season. The Canucks have picked up at least a point in 20 of his last 29 starts (15-9-5) and Markstrom has held 18 of those 29 opponents to two goals or fewer.

The Canucks' offensive difference makers are having a tough time these days. Leading scorer Elias Pettersson has gone six games without a goal and has one in his last 10 games. Brock Boeser has gone five without a scoring and has two in his last nine games. Bo Horvat has three goals in his last eight contests with two of them coming in last Monday’s 4-0 win over Anaheim.

Ryan Spooner set up Tanner Pearson’s goal on Thursday and now has assists in three straight games. Alex Biega picked up a helper on Antoine Roussel’s goal giving him 1+3=4 on a three-game point streak.

The Canucks spent a good portion of Saturday’s practice at the Golden Knights' facility in suburban Las Vegas working on their power play which is 5 for its last 67 (7.5%). They will roll with two new units this afternoon with Alex Edler, Elias Pettersson, Nikolay Goldobin, Josh Leivo and Tanner Pearson on one and Ben Hutton, Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, Ryan Spooner and Adam Gaudette on the other.

Veteran centre Jay Beagle missed the Canucks' first trip to Las Vegas earlier this season due to a broken forearm, so this is his first time stepping on to the ice where he and the Washington Capitals hoisted the Stanley Cup last spring.

The Golden Knights are coming off a 3-0 win in Anaheim on Friday. Marc-Andre Fleury made 34 saves for his seventh shutout of the season. William Karlsson, Alex Tuch and Cody Eakin scored the Vegas goals. The Knights have won three in a row and are 4-2-1 in their past seven games.

As he was last season, Fleury is the backbone of the Golden Knights. He leads the NHL in games played and games started (55), is tied for the league-lead in wins (31) and is the league-leader in shutouts (7). On the season, The Flower is 31-19-5 with a 2.56 GAA and .910 save percentage. The veteran netminder has given up one goal in his past two starts stopping 57 of 58 shots in the process. At 435, Fleury is two victories shy of tying Jacques Plante for eighth on the NHL all-time wins list. He is third among active NHL goalies in career victories.

Newcomer Mark Stone has an assist and 12 shots on goal in his first three games with Vegas after being acquired from Ottawa at last Monday’s trade deadline. He set up Karlsson’s first period goal on Friday night, but is still looking for his first goal in a Vegas uniform. Stone parachuted in as the Knights' leading scorer on the season with 28+35=63. Among players who have been with the club all season, Jonathan Marchessault is the top point producer with 45 while he and Max Pacioretty each have 20 goals.

The Golden Knights' defensive corps led the NHL with 13 goals in the month of February. Shea Theodore leads the way on the blue line with 10+20=30 this season while Nate Schmidt has 8+17=25 and Colin Miller has 3+21=24.

The Canucks and Golden Knights have split their first two meetings of the season with each winning a one-goal game in the other’s rink. The Canucks were 3-2 shootout winners in Vegas on October 24, while the Knights returned the favour with a 4-3 win at Rogers Arena on November 29.

The teams will meet again next Saturday in Vancouver to complete their season series.

POSSIBLE CANUCKS LINEUP

Spooner-Horvat-Leivo
Pearson-Pettersson-Goldobin
Roussel-Gaudette-Boeser
Eriksson-Beagle-Motte

Hutton-Stecher
Edler-Biega
Pouliot-Schenn

Markstrom

 

POSSIBLE GOLDEN KNIGHTS LINEUP

Marchessault-Smith-Karlsson
Pacioretty-Stastny-Stone
Carpenter-Tuch-Eakin
Nosek-Bellemare-Reaves

Schmidt-Engelland
McNabb-Theodore
Merrill-Miller

Fleury