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‘He knows the (stretch drive) severity. He’s the type of guy that if you tell him to go in the net, he wants it. That’s why I love the guy.’ — Rick Tocchet on possibility of Kevin Lankinen playing back-to-back games.
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Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames
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When/where: Wednesday, 6 p.m., Scotiabank Arena
TV: SN Pacific. Radio: Sportsnet 650
The buzz: Where would the Canucks be without Kevin Lankinen? And where would the Flames be without Dustin Wolf?
In a Western Conference wild-card playoff positioning showdown, a classic four-pointer between bitter rivals, the best punch they can throw is who starts between the pipes.
Lankinen is a premier NHL road warrior with a 14-5-3 record, 2.43 goals-against average, .909 saves percentage and three shutouts. Only reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets has better numbers away from home.
Wolf is scripting a similar story on home ice. The stellar rookie stopper is sporting a 15-6-2 record at the Saddledome that includes a 2.17 GAA., .928 saves percentage and three shutouts.
Canucks Report
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Lankinen started this season with 10-consecutive road triumphs to break the league record shared by Glenn Hall (1965-66) and Cam Talbot (2022-23). He got the start Tuesday in a 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. He allowed three goals on 26 shots, but stopped all 10 he faced in the third period as the Canucks mounted a rally to try and force overtime.
Lankinen could see the net again Wednesday. Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said post game he would talk to his starter to see how he feels. Lankinen told reporters he felt great and is ready to go Wednesday, if he gets the nod.
Arturs Silovs will see the net at some point. There is another set of back-to-backs this week on Saturday and Sunday at Rogers Arena. However, the Flames game is that big. Almost like a playoff encounter.
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“Back-to-backs, there are a lot of factors,” Tocchet said Tuesday morning of pondering his plan. “Shot volume, stress in front of the net, and all that sort of stuff. You have to be careful. He’s a good goaltender and I don’t want to overrun Lanks.
“He knows the (stretch drive) severity and he’s the type of guy that if you tell him to go in the net, he wants it. That’s why I love the guy.”
Lankinen has shouldered a huge load in absence of the rehabbing Thatcher Demko, who continues to skate and could practise next week in return from what was labelled a “tweak” when he left a Feb. 8 meeting with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He appeared to suffer a strain in the warm-up and was then flexing his left knee before leaving midway through the first period.
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“Sometimes, injuries are tweaks but they linger on,” said Tocchet. “Maybe I didn’t take into the fact that it’s a goalie, too. Their injuries are a little longer and, yeah, I was probably hoping that it just was a tweak. And I was trying to convince myself, so obviously, I was wrong.”
The latest: Tocchet suggested post game Tuesday that “there’s a good possibility” Quinn Hughes could be in the lineup Wednesday. It’s the latest positive sign in his progress from a March 1 injury tweak — the trickle-down effect of a Jan.31 oblique-muscle strain — and putting his rehab to the test would be a big boon for the offensively-challenged Canucks.
The history: Third meeting of the season. The Canucks lost their Oct. 9 season opener 6-5 in overtime on home ice as the Flames rallied from a 4-1 deficit before Connor Zary bagged the winner. Brock Boeser scored twice for the Canucks. On Dec. 31, the Canucks lost 3-1 on home ice. Nazem Kadri snapped a 1-1 draw in the third period. Boeser had the lone Canucks goal.
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The hope: The offence awakes from its season-long slumber and big guns come to play. The slumping Elias Pettersson and Boeser need to escape their scoring funks for the Canucks, who are ranked 27th offensively with just 2.71 goals per outing.
The fear: Starting fast and then sitting back and not pushing the pace. The Canucks are 17-7-7 when they score first and 0-18-4 when trailing after two periods.
The top guns: The Canucks need Jake DeBrusk to continue his road show. The big winger leads the club in goals with 22, and 15 have come on the road, which ranks 11th overall. DeBrusk is also on pace for a career-high 28 goals.
The wounded: Canucks: Quinn Hughes (lower body, day-to-day), Thatcher Demko (lower body, week-to-week, IR), Noah Juulsen (hernia surgery, IR). Flames: Anthony Mantha (knee, IR).
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The quote: “I’m a big body-position guy. This game is all about body position, and the best players in the world are great, but it’s their position. We’ve got to get that habit.” — Rick Tocchet.
The projected lineup:
O’Connor-Pettersson-Boeser
Joshua-Blueger-Garland
DeBrusk-Chytil-Lekkerimaki
Hoglander-Suter-Sherwood
EPettersson-Hronek
MPettersson-Myers
Forbort-Mancini
(Quinn Hughes is listed as a possibility)
The prediction: The Canucks score first, and because of the magnitude of the moment, they don’t go into the great fade. They hang on for a 3-1 win with an empty-netter to seal the deal.
(FAN FORUM: Do you have a specific question for a player? Pass it along to @provincesports and we’ll get it in a future edition.)
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