Canucks Search for Answers as Leafs Visit Rogers Arena
Vancouver still hunts its first win over an Eastern club, while Toronto tries to end a losing skid with Tanev's status up in the air.
Written before the game
Vancouver keeps giving up too many good looks, and the scoreboard has followed. The Canucks sit at 3-11-1 with 7 points, a minus 23 goal difference and a 1-8-1 mark over their last ten. They are last in the Western Conference but still technically in the race. They have yet to beat an Eastern Conference opponent this season.
The problem shows up in the quality of chances at both ends. Over their last ten games, Vancouver has allowed 4.13 expected goals a night, meaning the chances against them were worth more than four goals per game. Its own attack has produced chances worth just 2.42 expected goals, well behind what Toronto has been creating.
The Maple Leafs arrive at 7-6-2 with 16 points, holding the fourth wild-card spot in the East with a plus 5 goal difference, but they are carrying a two-game losing streak. Chris Tanev is day-to-day.
For Vancouver, the fix starts in front of its own net: fewer clean looks against before anything else changes.
