In their penultimate game before the NHL holiday break, the Vancouver Canucks (16-10-6) return home to host the Ottawa Senators at Rogers Arena at 7 p.m. on Saturday night. This will be the last of the two meetings between these teams this season; the Canucks previously won 4-3 in Ottawa on Nov. 23.
The Canucks are running out of time to end the first half of their 2024-25 season on a positive note. Recent losses to Vegas and Utah have caused the Canucks to cede a crucial amount of ground they built up on a playoff spot, and now they are hanging onto a wildcard spot by just a single point.
Canucks Game Lineup
Jake DeBrusk - Elias Pettersson - Conor Garland
Phil Di Giuseppe - J.T. Miller - Brock Boeser
Danton Heinen - Pius Suter - Linus Karlsson
Dakota Joshua - Teddy Blueger - Kiefer Sherwood
Quinn Hughes - Tyler Myers
Carson Soucy - Noah Juulsen
Derek Forbort - Vincent Desharnais
Having returned to the ice after the flu, Kevin Lankinen will spell Thatcher Demko and make his second consecutive start against the Senators on Saturday night.
Senators Game Lineup
Brady Tkachuk - Tim Stutzle - Claude Giroux
Ridly Greig - Josh Norris - Drake Batherson
Nick Cousins - Shane Pinto - Michael Amadio
Noah Gregor - Zack Ostapchuk - Adam Gaudette
Jake Sanderson - Travis Hamonic
Thomas Chabot - Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven - Jacob Bernard-Docker
Leevi Merilainen will start against the Canucks on Saturday night. Merilainen has played two career NHL games, both with the Senators, and has a 0-1-1 record as a starter. The 22-year-old Finn has not played a game for the Senators this season; Merilainen's last appearance was two seasons ago on April 6, 2023.
How to watch the Canucks game
Saturday night's Canucks game will be streamed on Sportsnet, CBC, CITY, and TVAS2. For fans unable to watch the Canucks game, Sportsnet 650 will be the radio broadcast available for your listening.