Slumping Canucks out to extend dominance of skidding Sens
Two teams mired in lengthy winless streaks meet Tuesday when the Ottawa Senators host the Vancouver Canucks.
Both clubs are 0-4-0 in their last four games, while Vancouver's winless drought stretches to seven (0-5-2). The Senators have been outscored 19-8 since their latest win, while the Canucks have been outscored 34-15.
The Canucks have yet to pick up a point in the first four stops of their six-game road trip. In a 6-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, Vancouver held 1-0 and 2-1 leads, and the score was 3-3 at the second intermission before the Habs took control in the third period.
Vancouver was outshot by a 41-23 margin and allowed four goals on a pair of rapid-fire defensive breakdowns. Montreal's Alexandre Carrier scored twice within a 20-second span in the second period, and Mike Matheson and Juraj Slafkovsky each scored within the opening 67 seconds of the third frame.
"We can't start a third period like that," Vancouver forward Evander Kane said. "Getting scored on our first two shifts and getting behind the 8-ball when we've done a good job of hanging around ... after a third period like that, it's nice to be able to get right back at it (Tuesday) night."
The Tuesday game represents a chance for the Canucks to bounce back against a team they have dominated in recent years. The Canucks are 16-4-2 in their last 22 games against the Senators, including an 8-3-0 mark in their last 11 games in Ottawa.
With Linus Ullmark still absent on personal leave, the Senators signed James Reimer to an NHL contract on Monday to bring veteran stability to the goaltending situation. Reimer played in only one AHL game as part of his initial tryout contract with Ottawa, and it isn't clear when he will be ready for his Senators debut.
"I've been staying in shape, so condition-wise, I feel pretty good," Reimer said. "... I think it's one of those things where we're kind of just playing it day by day, and when I'm confident that I can step in and help the team, we'll jump right in."
The Senators play in New York against the Rangers on Wednesday, so Leevi Merilainen and Hunter Shepard will split the back-to-back games if Reimer isn't ready.
The Canucks are dealing with their own set of goaltending issues, as Thatcher Demko (lower-body injury) was placed on injured reserve on Sunday. Nikita Tolopilo started in Montreal, so Kevin Lankinen likely will get the start in Ottawa. Lankinen is 6-11-4 with a .883 save percentage and a 3.40 goals-against average this season. In his career, he is 1-0-1 in two starts with a .843 save percentage and 4.05 GAA against the Senators.
Elias Pettersson (12 goals, 15 assists) and Filip Hronek (three goals, 24 assists) share the Canucks' team lead in points. Hronek leads the club in assists, while Kiefer Sherwood tops Vancouver with 17 goals.
Tim Stutzle leads Ottawa in goals (19), assists (26) and points (45). After amassing a 13-game point streak, Stutzle hasn't recorded a point in his past three games, his longest drought of the season.
The Senators and Canucks each have a 72.7% penalty-kill rate, tied for second worst in the league. Ottawa's power-play unit is 0-for-11 in the past three games and 3-for-31 in the past eight games.