Two teams outside the playoff picture and desperately looking in will meet on Tuesday night when the Montreal Canadiens visit the Vancouver Canucks.
Both clubs are positioned just below the wild-card slots in their respective conferences, and the margin for error is minimal considering the number of other teams vying for these positions.
The Habs are trying to reach the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, while a Vancouver team that entered this season with Stanley Cup aspirations is now focused on simply reaching the postseason.
Vancouver is 3-5-0 over its last eight games, with just 17 goals scored and an average of 25 shots per game. Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars saw the Canucks limit Dallas to just 19 shots, but the team managed only 23 of its own.
“We’re in the thick of the race. We need some desperation,” Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet said.
The bench boss felt his team didn’t capitalize on an even matchup with an elite Stars club.
“You’ve got to feel comfortable in tight games, right?” Tocchet said. “The good teams have a comfort level, but you need a cushion, you need some goals.
“We’ve got to score some goals.”
The absence of points leader Quinn Hughes hasn’t helped the stalled Vancouver offense. The superstar defenseman has missed the Canucks’ last three games due to an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to play on Tuesday.
The Canadiens also came up short in close games on the first two stops of their four-game road trip. Montreal dropped a 3-2 overtime result to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday before going scoreless in Saturday’s 1-0 loss to the Calgary Flames.
Cole Caufield led Montreal with six shots on goal against the Flames. The forward also had some hard luck in the third period, as he hit a crossbar and later missed the net on a breakaway chance.
“We had our looks in the offensive zone, possessed a lot, just couldn’t get one past (Calgary’s Dustin Wolf) tonight,” Caufield said. “Great game by him. Again, we had our chances. It’s a tough one to swallow right now, but you know, we’ll move on and focus on the next one.”
Caufield leads the Habs with 31 goals, while Nick Suzuki leads the team in assists (46) and points (65).
Montreal forward Patrik Laine is questionable after missing Saturday’s game due to illness.
The Canadiens also play Wednesday against the Seattle Kraken, so Sam Montembeault will start on Tuesday and Jakub Dobes is expected to take over the crease for the second end of the back-to-back.
Kevin Lankinen and Arturs Silovs are also expected to alternate starts over the next two games with Vancouver visiting Calgary on Wednesday. Backup goalie Silovs might be the likelier candidate to face Montreal, as Lankinen may be saved for Wednesday’s critical game against a Pacific Division rival.
Montreal and Vancouver are two of the better penalty-killing teams in the league, and both units have been on a roll. The Canadiens are 29-for-34 on kills over their last 15 games, while the Canucks are 28-for-30 in their previous 12.
In the season’s first meeting between the teams, the Habs earned a 5-4 overtime victory over the Canucks in Montreal on Jan. 6.
–Field Level Media
