The Vancouver Canucks (18-31-6) are hitting the road for a quick two-game trip before the Olympic break, starting tonight in Salt Lake City against the Utah Mammoth (28-23-4). Puck drops at 6:30 p.m.
PT at the Delta Center, and yes-this one has a little extra meaning. The Canucks brought their moms along for the ride, continuing a tradition that always adds a special vibe to these midseason road swings.
The trip wraps up in Vegas on Wednesday.
Morning Skate Notes: Lineup Shuffles and a Familiar Face in Net
After a travel day Sunday, the Canucks hit the ice for a full morning skate with their mothers watching from the stands. Conor Garland was the only player absent, sitting out due to illness, though he’s still expected to be in the lineup tonight.
His exact spot remains a bit of a mystery. Garland had recently been skating with Elias Pettersson and Evander Kane, but Jake DeBrusk filled that role in the morning session.
It could be a simple placeholder situation, with Garland slotting in where Aatu Räty skated alongside Teddy Blueger and Liam Öhgren.
On the back end, it looks like Vancouver will go with the same six defensemen they’ve used in the past two games. That means Victor Mancini will be a healthy scratch for the third straight contest.
In goal, Kevin Lankinen gets the start. Lankinen will be looking to bounce back after a rough outing last Tuesday against San Jose, where he was pulled after allowing three goals on just six shots. He made a brief relief appearance Thursday against Anaheim, but tonight marks his first start since that tough night.
A Tough Homestand and a January to Forget
The Canucks are coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, a game that featured some standout moments despite the result. Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Tom Willander found the back of the net, and Nikita Tolopilo was stellar in goal, making a career-high 39 saves-including a clutch stop on Auston Matthews in overtime on a penalty shot.
Still, the bigger picture isn’t pretty. Vancouver wrapped up its eight-game homestand with a 2-5-1 record and finished January at 2-11-3. That’s a brutal stretch by any standard.
Jake DeBrusk led the way offensively during the homestand with one goal and five assists, while Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek each chipped in five points. Teddy Blueger and Drew O’Connor led the team in goals with three apiece over the two-week run.
Road games haven’t offered much relief either. The Canucks are 1-7 in their last eight away from home, with their lone win coming back on December 29 in Seattle. Since then, they dropped all six games on a mid-January Eastern road trip.
One milestone worth noting: Tyler Myers turned 36 yesterday. That makes him the oldest player to suit up for Vancouver since Brad Richardson was claimed off waivers late in the 2021-22 season.
Scouting the Mammoth: Home-Ice Advantage and a Scoring Duo
Utah enters tonight’s game looking to bounce back from a 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday. Kailer Yamamoto scored both Mammoth goals, continuing a hot streak-he’s scored twice in each of the last two games. Goaltender Karel Vejmelka made 29 saves in the loss, but the team was limited to just 14 shots on goal, a season low.
That loss was a rare stumble at home. The Mammoth are 15-8-2 at the Delta Center this season and have outscored opponents 83-64 on home ice. They’ve won seven of their last nine in Salt Lake City and are just one point out of a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
Offensively, Clayton Keller leads the team with 50 points, while Nick Schmaltz isn’t far behind with 47. Dylan Guenther has been their most dangerous finisher, leading the team with 24 goals. He’s also been clutch-six of those have been game-winners, and five have come on the power play.
Speaking of the power play, that’s one area where Utah has struggled. They’re last in the league at 14.8% and tied with Toronto for the fewest power play goals this season (23).
Despite that, Vejmelka has been a rock in net. Even after Saturday’s loss, he’s tied for the NHL lead in wins (25) alongside Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy. He also leads all goalies in time on ice and shares the league lead in starts (42) with Juuse Saros of Nashville.
Looking Back and Ahead
When these two teams met back on December 5 in Vancouver, Utah came away with a 4-1 win-despite being outshot 33-18. They’ll meet once more this season, on April 4 at Rogers Arena.
Referees for tonight’s game are Peter MacDougall and Corey Syvret.
It’s a pivotal matchup for both teams-Utah’s fighting to stay in the playoff picture, while Vancouver’s looking to stop the bleeding and build some momentum heading into the break. And with the moms in the building, expect a little extra juice from the Canucks.