Vancouver Canucks gameday: Clash with Montreal Canadiens

After losing five of their last six games, the Vancouver Canucks will try to get back on the winning track at Rogers Arena vs. the Montreal Canadiens. Here’s what you need to know for gameday.

The bad news for the Vancouver Canucks is that they picked up just one victory in their six-game road trip, but the good news is that it’s now done with.

Thanks to the struggles of their Pacific Division foes, the Canucks still sit second in the Pacific Division (22 points), despite a miserable road trip that saw them pick up just four of an available 12 points.

The Canucks just need to put that road trip behind them and focus on the future. Elias Pettersson and company will welcome the Montreal Canadiens in an early 4 p.m. start, hoping to send the Habs home with a loss as they finish up their western Canadian road trip.

Like Vancouver, Montreal was a popular pick by prognosticators to finish at the bottom of the NHL standings this season. But like the Canucks, the Habs have gotten off to a surprisingly good start this season. They sit at 10-6-3 — led by Max Domi (10 goals, 23 points), and Tomas Tatar (16 points).

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Montreal can take advantage of Vancouver’s leaky and banged-up group of defencemen with their slick speed, skill and impressive puck movement.

The likes of Domi, Tatar and Brendan Gallagher take games over with their jets, and the Canuck defencemen will have a heckuva time containing them.

Carey Price‘s slow start to the season (2.99 goals against average and .899 save percentage), have been well-documented. But he tuned in a fine performance against the Calgary Flames on Thursday night, leading Montreal to a 3-2 victory.

Will we get the struggling , or the regular Carey Price? That could determine the outcome of this game.

Montreal has won their last four games against Vancouver, including the last two visits at Rogers Arena. When the Habs came here last season, they barely escaped with a 7-5 victory in a high-scoring, back-and-forth contest.

The Canucks will be missing Brock Boeser for this game, so the pressure once again falls on Pettersson, Bo Horvat and Jake Virtanen to lead the offence. A bounce-back effort from goalie Jacob Markstrom is key, after losing his last three starts.

Vancouver is now entering an important stretch of the season, as they try to bust out of an early-season slump and get back into the win column. A few victories here at Rogers Arena — considering the vast amount of injuries they’re dealing with — would go a long way as they try to maintain a playoff spot.

The losing streak has to end eventually. Obviously, the sooner the better. If the Canucks can pull it off against one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, it just might provide the spark they need to get back on a roll.