Canucks Game Day: Look out for the Utes

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When/where: Sunday, 5 p.m., Rogers Arena

TV: Sportsnet Radio: Sportsnet 650

The buzz: The Utes are a very interesting team.

By the numbers, they control play very well, routinely outshooting their opponents and also taking, on average, better quality shots than the opposition. And yet they’re stumbling along in the playoff chase, two points back of the Canucks and they have played one more game than Vancouver.

For all the quality they’re generating, they’re struggling to finish.

The Canucks, on the other hand, seem to be slowly finding their way on offence.

• After Saturday’s game, an emphatic 6-2 win for the Canucks over the Blackhawks, concern was high for the health of Filip Chytil, who took a bad hit from Chicago’s Jason Dickinson. Chytil looked woozy after being knocked from behind into the boards. If he’s not able to play, presumably Nils Åman would move back to centre and Jonathan Lekkerimäki would come back into the lineup.

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• Junior Pettersson was a scratch on Saturday, might he draw back into the lineup for Victor Mancini?

The history: This is the third and final meeting between these two teams this season, the first visit to Vancouver by Utah. Utah won 2-1 and 3-2 in the previous two meetings. The Canucks played on Saturday night against Chicago, while Utah lost to the Kraken in Seattle on Friday.

The hope: The Canucks will be tired but they’ve been playing well at home and this matchup has huge playoff implications for both teams. A win for Vancouver would keep the pressure on the Flames and create some separation between Vancouver and Utah.

The fear: The Canucks might just be too tired. This is the second back-to-back of the week for Vancouver.

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The top guns: Elias Pettersson has four goals in five games. He’s looked more like the player he’s been in seasons past. Filip Hronek has seven points in five games. For Utah, the outstanding Clayton Keller has 74 point.

The wounded: Canucks: Thatcher Demko (lower body, week to week), Filip Chytil (head, day to day). Utah: Liam O’Brien (undisclosed, day to day), Robert Bortuzzo (lower-body, week to week), Connor Ingram (personal, one month)

The quote: “I try to roll four as it is.” — Rick Tocchet on how he’s managing his roster this weekend.

The latest: With Arturs Silovs tapped to start on Saturday, Kevin Lankinen will surely start Sunday versus Utah.

Prediction: 3-2 Utah. A close game but visitors will have a leg up on the tired Canucks.

The projected lineup: 

Höglander-Pettersson-DeBrusk

O’Connor-Chytil-Boeser

Joshua-Suter-Garland

Åman-Blueger-Sherwood

Hughes-Hronek

M. Pettersson-Myers

E. Pettersson-Forbort

Šilovs

pjohnston@postmedia.com

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