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Marc Crawford, Anders Nilsson return as Canucks open homestand vs. Senators

March 20, 2019, 2:47 PM ET [195 Comments]
Carol Schram
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Wednesday March 20 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Ottawa Senators - 7 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific, RDS, TSN5, Sportsnet 650

Vancouver Canucks: 73 GP, 31-32-10, 72 pts, fifth in Pacific Division
Ottawa Senators: 72 GP, 25-41-6, 56 pts, eighth in Atlantic Division

It's former Canucks coaches week at Rogers Arena! Our old pal Torts will be rolling in as he works to guide his Columbus Blue Jackets to a playoff spot on Sunday; on Wednesday, it's Marc Crawford behind the bench for the Ottawa Senators.





In his third season as Ottawa's Associate Coach, Crawford took over behind the bench when Guy Boucher was relieved of his duties on March 1. The Sens have gone 3-4-1 on his watch but are kicking off their 3-in-4 western road trip on a high note after a pair of home wins against playoff teams.

Another old pal, Anders Nilsson, was in net for both— a 2-0 shutout of St. Louis last Thursday and a 6-2 win over Toronto on Saturday.

It doesn't quite have the same cachet as those old Luongo-vs-Schneider matchups, but I'd be down to see Nilsson vs. Markstrom on Wednesday—the Swedish twin towers squaring off at opposite ends of the ice!




Markstrom returns for Vancouver after getting the night off in Chicago. Otherwise, everything else looks essentially the same for the Canucks at Wednesday's morning skate:




Still no sign of Ben Hutton or Quinn Hughes on the ice, so Ashton Sautner and Guillaume Brisebois will continue to take advantage of the ice time they're receiving and try to show that they can be viable NHL options.

Sautner played serious minutes on the road trip: 18:51 against Dallas and 19:57 in Chicago. He comes home with a plus-one and six shots on goal. Brisebois' insertion into the lineup has corresponded with the Canucks' current four-game point streak, and he has also seen his minutes increase. He started at 8:33 against the Rangers, then played 12:58 against the Devils, 13:03 against the Stars and 13:23 in Chicago. Just two shots on goal in those four games, but Brisebois was a plus-two.

Right now, the only left-side defensemen that the Canucks have under contract for next season are Hughes, Sautner and Brisebois. Alex Edler, of course, is set to become a UFA on July 1, while Ben Hutton and Derrick Pouliot are both RFAs with arbitration rights.

At worst, having Sautner and Brisebois showing that they can handle the NHL game will improve the Canucks' negotiating position with all three free-agent blueliners, given that they'll have some options for how to fill out their roster next year. At best, perhaps it gives the team some leverage to make a deal to improve depth—or means that reliable call-up options will be available next season.

Brisebois will remain waiver exempt next season while Sautner is already waiver eligible—he cleared before being sent down to Utica at the beginning of this season.

Without Hughes or Hutton, here's who else did hit the ice on Wednesday morning.




Word is that after spending his first week in Vancouver in a walking boot, Hughes will be re-evaluated by the team's medical staff later on Wednesday, while Hutton's still a few days away from getting back on the ice. I wonder if they've been hanging out, limping around together?




One other bit of Hughes news: he's on the list of 10 finalists for the 2019 Hobey Baker Award, announced Wednesday—one of just two sophomores, but part of a record-setting group of six defensemen.




After wins by the Stars and the Avs and a loss by the Oilers on Tuesday, the Canucks go into Wednesday night's action in the same place as yesterday: six points out of the second wild-card spot. With just four games on the schedule, they won't move out of 23rd place in the overall standings no matter what happens on Wednesday night. A win would tie them with Chicago with 74 points, but the Blackhawks hold the edge in the tiebreaker.

The Sens will be missing two of their brightest young stars on Wednesday night: Colin White is dealing with a neck issue, while Thomas Chabot is sidelined with a broken toe. This will be the first visit to Vancouver for Brady Tkachuk, the 19-year-old who currently sits fourth in the rookie scoring race with 16-20-36 in 61 games played.

Meanwhile, in Belleville, the baby Canucks will be facing off against the baby Sens tonight in a crucial North Division showdown. The Utica Comets are now 0-6-1 in their last seven games and have slipped to sixth place in their division. They're four points behind the Belleville Senators, who currently hold down the last playoff spot in the division.

With that, you're up to date. Enjoy the game!
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