Our long provincial nightmare is over: J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson are back together on the first power play unit.
Whatever the reason was for splitting up the duo, the experiment simply didn't work. The Canucks went 1-for-7 on the power play with Miller and Pettersson on separate units, which played a role in their last two losses — one in overtime and the latest a one-goal game until a late empty-netter. Getting a power play goal in either game could have made a difference.
After the morning skate, the Canucks' captain and head coach both downplayed the rumoured rift between the two stars.
"Not to beat around the bush: everyone knows what the reports are out there. Everyone expects a lot from each other," said Quinn Hughes. "There's times I get upset with Millsy, there's times I get upset with Petey, there's times I get upset with Hronek — that doesn't mean that I don't love those guys and vice versa.
"I'm going to make some bad plays, they're going to make a play where I wish they saw me here or saw me there. Over the course of playing together for six years, I think that those things are normal and they're going to happen."
Rick Tocchet suggested that every team goes through moments where players don't get along.
"As long as I coach, it's all about the crest. It's not about the name on the back," said Tocchet. "You're going to have arguments; you're going to have fights. I've been fortunate to win a Stanley Cup three times — two as a coach, one as a player — and there's always been something that has galvanized the team or something like that. Whether people are bickering and complaining, it happens all the time. It's my job to make sure that guys have a voice and you move on from that sort of stuff.
"But you've also got to be mature too. You don't have to play Playstation together, you don't have to go to dinner together, but if it's your turn to go to the net, go to the net. That's really what it comes down to."
While the rumoured issues between Miller and Pettersson were downplayed by the two leaders, they didn't deny that those issues exist. They just believe those issues are normal and shouldn't get in the way of the team's success.
"I think that both of them have been going through their own struggles this year," said Hughes. "I believe in both of them. I think they're great players, great people. There's times where we all get into it but it is a family in here. We've just got to continue to push forward and play the way we want to play.
"If there's a positive to this looking forward, I think Petey and Millsy would both say that they haven't played their best hockey this year and we're still where we are in the standings. I think that's a positive thing that we can look at: two of the best players out there can be better."
Vancouver Canucks projected lines
There will be a small change to the Canucks' lineup after their loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Conor Garland is expected to skate with Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk, bumping Linus Karlsson down to the third line with Dakota Joshua and Pius Suter.
Here are the Canucks' projected lines:
Erik Brännström, who played parts of six seasons with the Ottawa Senators, is not expected to be in the lineup against his former team. He played significant minutes in the Canucks' last game against the Senators after Quinn Hughes was tossed from the game for a crosscheck.
Max Sasson and Nils Höglander will also be healthy scratches again after missing the game against Vegas. Karlsson didn't play particularly well in that game, so there's some pressure there on the called-up forward to prove he belongs in the lineup or he could be quickly replaced by one of Sasson or Höglander.
The Canucks' starting goaltender will be Kevin Lankinen, making his second straight start. He might have missed a start while sick with the flu, so going back to him after a loss to Vegas that wasn't his fault makes some sense.
Ottawa Senators projected lines
The Senators have been on a roll of late, winning five straight games, including a pair of shutouts against the Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken. It's been a full team effort in those five games, with 16 of 18 skaters picking up at least a point.
Five players on the Senators are in double digits in scoring compared to just three for the Canucks: Brady Tkachuk, Adam Gaudette, Drake Batherson, Josh Norris, and Tim Stützle, who also leads the team in scoring with 38 points in 32 games.
Here are the Senators' projected lines:
Brady Tkachuk - Tim Stützle - 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
Linus Ullmark
The Senators' starting goaltender is expected to be Leevi Merilainen, which could be a bit of a break for the Canucks.
Linus Ullmark has been very good for the Senators of late and was in net for all five of their wins on their current streak, including both shutouts, bringing his save percentage up to .916 for the season.
The 22-year-old Merilainen, meanwhile, has played just two games in the NHL, both a couple of years ago. This will be his first NHL game of the season, though he's been solid for the Belleville Senators in the AHL.
Of course, knowing the Canucks luck, they'll make Merilainen look like Patrick Roy.
