Who: Pittsburgh Penguins (25-14-11, 61 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division) @ Vancouver Canucks (17-29-5, 39 points, 8th place Pacific Division)
When: 6:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: Locally broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh, SN and TVAS in Canada, streaming on ESPN+
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Pens’ Path Ahead: There’s another extended break after this one for the Pens, who don’t play again until a home game next Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks. After that there are only two home games (against the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators) and two road games (at the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres) before the Olympic break.
Opponent Track: The Canucks have been spiraling down the NHL standings pretty much ever since trading star defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 13. Vancouver won a Wednesday matchup with the Washington Capitals, but that’s the team’s only victory in their last 12 games.
Season Series: Conor Garland was the only player who scored for the Canucks in a 5-1 loss to the Pens back at PPG Paints Arena in October.
Getting to know the Canucks
Projected lines
FORWARDS
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Evander Kane – Elias Pettersson – Jake DeBrusk
Drew O’Connor – Filip Chytil – Brock Boeser
Liam Ohgren – Teddy Blueger – Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander – Max Sasson – Linus Karlsson
DEFENSEMEN
Elias Nils Pettersson / Filip Hronek
Zeev Buium / Tyler Myers
Marcus Pettersson / Tom Willander
Goalies: Kevin Lankinen, Nikita Tolopilo
Potential Scratches: Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Aatu Raty
IR: Thatcher Demko, Marco Rossi, Derek Forbor
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Thatcher Demko hasn’t played since Jan. 10, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to return for the Canucks this season, Patrick Johnston reported Saturday for The Province. General manager Patrick Allvin has said Demko is receiving opinions from medical professionals regarding his injury. The Canucks are expecting an update on his status within the next few days, per Johnston.
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The Canucks recalled AHL goaltender Nikita Tolopilo on an emergency basis Saturday while sending down backup Jiri Patera. Tolopilo has made six appearances for the Canucks this season, most recently taking a shelling in a 6-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 17, while Lankinen has made a team-high 27 appearances.
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The Canucks are a team stacked with former Penguins including Drew O’Connor, Teddy Blueger and Marcus Pettersson. (P.O. Joseph will likely be scratched from the lineup).
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O’Connor has been one of the most productive Canucks as of late. He and his linemate Brock Boeser have contributed for five total goals and seven total points over the Canucks’ last five games.
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Elias Pettersson made an impressive empty-net save during Friday’s loss to the New Jersey Devils.
Season stats
via hockeydb
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The Canucks followed up the Hughes trade by sending Kiefer Sherwood to the San Jose Sharks. Given their spot in the standings, it seems likely the team would like to sell off a few more players down the stretch. Per PuckPedia, Evander Kane, Blueger and David Kampf are all pending free agents this season.
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Getting decent return value for that trio could be difficult, for a variety of reasons. The Athletic’s Thomas Drance reported earlier this month that Kane’s trade market is “lukewarm.” Blueger has missed almost the entirety of the season amid a three-month absence with a lower-body injury, and Kampf struggled this fall. If they can pick up play heading into the Olympic break, however, the Canucks could look to move them both to get some draft capital and clear roster spaces for young players down the stretch.
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Speaking of young players getting more playing time down the stretch in Vancouver: rookie defenseman Zeev Buium played almost 24 minutes during Friday’s loss to the Devils, one of his highest ice times of the season, and he’s been bumped up to the Canucks top power play unit.
And now for the Pens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Anthony Mantha – Ben Kindel – Justin Brazeau
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Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari
DEFENSEMEN
Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson
Brett Kulak / Kris Letang (?)
Ryan Shea / Jack St. Ivany
Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner
Potential Scratches: Kevin Hayes, Ilya Solovyov, Connor Clifton
IR: Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones
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The Penguins could potentially have both Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang back for this one after Letang joined Saturday’s practice as a full participant, although coach Dan Muse stopped short Saturday of committing to Letang’s availability.
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If Letang is able to return, it looks like Connor Clifton could be headed back to the bench after a seven-game stretch in the lineup.
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This will mark Arturs Silovs’ Vancouver homecoming for the first time since his trade to the Pens last summer. He celebrated Saturday by receiving his Calder Cup Championship ring from his win with the Abbotsford Canucks last June.
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The Carolina Hurricanes refused to give up ground on their division lead with a Saturday night win over the Ottawa Senators. The Islanders were shut out 5-0 by the Buffalo Sabres, however, keeping them— at least for now— from climbing any closer to the Pens in the standings.
