Vancouver Canucks vs Philadelphia Flyers
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 12, 2017
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), CSN Philadelphia
PREDICTION: Canucks 3, Flyers 2

Oddsmakers currently have the Flyers listed as 160-moneyline favorites versus the Canucks, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.

PHILADELPHIA — In the history of the NHL no team has ever won 10 games in a row and missed the playoffs in the same season. The Flyers are hoping they’re not the first.

After winning 10 games in a row from Nov. 27 through Dec. 14, the Flyers (21-16-6, 48 points) have gone 2-5-3 and are flirting with the possibility of making some pretty dubious history.

Heading into Thursday night’s game against the road-weary Vancouver Canucks (20-19-4, 44 points), Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said he’s not looking to make a trade to send a message to his players.

“I’m (only) going to make a trade to make us better,” he said Wednesday. “…We’re staying on course. I don’t care if we win every game for the rest of the year or lose every game. We’re staying on course. We set out a course two-and-a-half years ago and we’re not deviating from what we planned.”

With 19-year-old rookie Ivan Provorov and second-year blue liner Shayne Gostisbehere (20 games without a goal), the Flyers’ inexperience on defense is starting to show. Defensive zone coverage has been a problem for the Flyers in recent weeks, as evidenced in Tuesday night’s 4-1 loss in Buffalo, where the Sabres scored three second-period goals, including one within the final 10 seconds.

Goaltender Steve Mason, who went 8-0 during the 10-game win streak, has lost seven straight games, allowing 20 goals in that span. He has not won a game since Dec. 21, not a good sign for a goalie who will become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

The Flyers have also managed just 18 goals in their last 11 games and coach Dave Hakstol tried changing line combinations at Wednesday’s practice, promoting rookie Travis Konecny to top-line right wing with center Claude Giroux and left winger Michael Raffl.

“We’re not going to start mixing and matching all over the place,” Hakstol said, “but at the same time we haven’t had a whole lot of success, wins and losses wise, over the last 10 games.”

The Canucks, meanwhile, are looking to end a two-game losing streak. After winning a season-high six straight games from Dec. 28 through Jan. 6, the Canucks have lost back-to-back games to the Flames and Predators, including a 2-1 overtime defeat in Nashville on Tuesday night.

That game ended with the Canucks surrendered a 2-on-none shorthanded goal in overtime after a shot by Canucks defenseman Troy Stecher was blocked.

“The way it ended is disappointing,” Henrik Sedin told the Vancouver Province. “When you get a four-on-three in overtime, we should score. They were blocking everything. We need a little bit more poise.

“It’s obviously disappointing, a chance to get two points and we couldn’t do it,” Stecher said. “We executed what we wanted to do (on the power play) but I just couldn’t get my shot through to the net.”

Despite having Daniel and Henrik Sedin, the Canucks’ power play ranks 27th in the NHL. It failed to score in nearly 5 minutes of power-play time against the Predators.

The Canucks are also struggling away from Rogers Arena with an NHL-worst 5-13-2 road record. They have scored the fewest first-period goals in the league and have scored first in just 14 of 42 games.

“We’re still sitting back a little bit too much (early in the game),” Henrik Sedin said. “We’re not getting five guys in on the forecheck, so it’s tough to keep pucks in when you’re not getting everyone involved. We need to put more pressure on the other team. But it’s easy to talk about, tough to do. If you’re a little hesitant, the other team is going to come the other way, and that’s been a problem for us.”

The Canucks are hoping the return of defenseman Chris Tanev will help propel them in the second half of the season. They are 12-5-2 this season when Tanev is healthy and 8-14-1 when he is out of the lineup.

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Vancouver Canucks vs. Washington Capitals
When: 5:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 11, 2016
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, District Of Columbia

TV: 5 p.m. ET, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington)
PREDICTION: Capitals 5, Canucks 2

The road has not been kind to the Vancouver Canucks, and amid a five-game swing along the East Coast, they are hoping that an early start to the second game of a back-to-back against the Washington Capitals won’t leave them a step behind.

Coming off a 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday night, Vancouver will hustle to Washington for a rare start at 5 p.m. EST, further compressing the Canucks’ third game in four nights. Vancouver has only won four contests away from home this season.

“You can’t get down three goals to a team like that and expect to come back. We weren’t good enough tonight, especially early on,” Canucks winger Daniel Sedin said.

Vancouver is battling injuries between the pipes, as goaltender Ryan Miller is sidelined with a lower-body ailment suffered in Thursday’s victory at Tampa Bay. Backup Jacob Markstrom started against the Panthers, but prospect Thatcher Demko, who was called up from Utica of the American Hockey League on Saturday, could get the nod against the Capitals.

“It’s been something I’ve really been looking forward to; you’re just not sure when it’s going to happen,” Demko said. “I’m just excited to be here.”

The Canucks will get one member of their lineup back on the ice as right winger Jannik Hansen will return to the lineup after missing more than a month with a rib injury. Hansen practiced with the team Saturday and is preparing to play for the first time since Nov. 5.

“It (stinks) sitting out,” Hansen said. “It’s boring. You don’t feel like you’re a part of the team. It’s definitely not fun.”

Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen got to experience Hansen’s pain for the first time since joining Washington before the 2014 season. Niskanen missed Friday’s win against Buffalo with an upper-body injury after being on the receiving end of a boarding penalty from Boston’s Patrice Bergeron on Wednesday.

“I don’t think it was that bad of a hit,” Niskanen said after practice Saturday. “I didn’t think it was live, and even after watching it, I can see where that can happen. It was one of those where I lost my balance the wrong distance from boards. If I’m two feet closer to the boards, nothing happens. If I’m two feet further away, nothing happens.”

Niskanen hopes to return to the lineup against Vancouver, but is in the NHL’s concussion protocol.

“He practiced well and said he felt pretty good, so we’ll what his status is (Sunday) morning,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz said after practice Saturday. “There’s a protocol the NHL has for injuries and we’ll follow that protocol to a T. And that’s why we can’t give you an answer right now.”

The Capitals beat Vancouver 5-2 on Oct. 29 with Philipp Grubauer picking up the road victory.

No. 1 netminder Braden Holtby figures to get the start Sunday, with each game critical for Washington thanks to its position in the red-hot Metropolitan Division. Even with 35 points, the Capitals sit in fifth place.

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Vancouver Canucks vs Tampa Bay Lighning
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, December 8, 2016
Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida

TAMPA, Fla. — On the heels of a four-game losing streak, the Tampa Bay Lightning reverted back to a defense-first mentality.

That could spell bad news for the Vancouver Canucks, the third-lowest scoring team in the NHL, averaging 2.19 goals per game.

During Tampa Bay’s four-game losing streak, the longest since the end of the 2013 lockout season, the Lightning allowed four or more goals in each game, the first time that has happened since head coach Jon Cooper took over at the end of the 2013 season.

Since then, the Lightning have been among the stingiest teams in the league, finishing fifth in goals against last season. So in the two games since that losing streak, the defensive mentality has returned and the Lightning allowed a total of two goals while picking up three points in back-to-backs against Washington and at Carolina.

“We scored one goal in two games and remarkably we come out of it with three out of four points,” Cooper said. “So it just goes to show you that defense helps you win games and helps you get points.”

Though the defensive mindset is being reemphasized, facing one of the lowest scoring teams in the league is no reason to take anything for granted. Though Vancouver has been shutout four times this season and held to two-or-fewer goals 16 times in 26 games, any lapse on Tampa Bay’s part could help the Canucks erupt.

“In the NHL, teams that may struggle to score goals can put up six or seven,” Lightning alternate captain Ryan Callahan said. “So you can’t look at numbers or say that they are struggling offensively. The big thing for us is the way we play defensively and we can hopefully continue that trend for them. But it’s always about our game and what we are doing, not so much the other team so we don’t really look at those stats too much.”

Callahan, who has missed four games with a lower-body injury is expected to return to the Lightning lineup against Vancouver, along with defenseman Jason Garrison, who missed three games with a lower-body injury. Jonathan Drouin, a scratch on Sunday in Carolina with an undisclosed injury, participated in practice but is less certain of a return to the lineup.

The Canucks, meanwhile, will be without defenseman Philip Larsen for an unknown amount of time after he was knocked unconscious on Tuesday in New Jersey following a hard hit from Taylor Hall. Larsen was cleared by doctors on Wednesday to return to Vancouver for further evaluation.

With Larsen out of the lineup, Kevin Biega will have an opportunity to get in the lineup after he has been a scratch in all but one game this season.

“At the end of the day it’s an opportunity that presented itself and I have to go out and just play,” Biega said. “Good things happen when you just go out and play and not think too much about it.”

No matter who is in the lineup for Vancouver, Daniel Sedin knows the Canucks have to be ready for a Lightning team hungry to get back to their winning ways.

“We know they are going to be fast and play with a lot of skill and try to push toward the net,” he said. “We have to be ready to match their effort. That have a lot of talent on that team and can put a lot of pressure on.”

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Larsen fell on his back in the second period after taking a very hard hit from Hall’s shoulder behind the net and did not seem to move. It appeared a loose stick hit Larsen in the head as he lay on the ice.

The 27-year-old was treated by trainers before a stretcher was wheeled on the ice and Larsen was strapped in place.

No penalty was called. It appeared Hall got Larsen with his shoulder and possibly elbow.

The game had turned nasty late in the first period.

Devils center Travis Zajac left late in the opening period after falling face first into the end boards following a shove from Vancouver center Michael Chaput. Zajac was cut, and there was a patch of blood on the ice.

Chaput was not penalized. Zajac returned in the second period with a full face shield.

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Vancouver at Calgary
When: 9:00 PM ET, Saturday, April 25, 2015
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta
TV: 9 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA
PREDICTION: Flames 4, Canucks 2
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Oddsmakers currently have the Flames listed as 121-moneyline favorites versus the Canucks, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.

Calgary was a 2-1 loser in its last match on the road against the Canucks. They lost as +130 underdogs, while the total score of 3 made winners of UNDER bettors.

Miller will get the nod in net again Saturday after his strong effort helped the team stave off elimination. The 34-year-old veteran has been superb since replacing Eddie Lack after one period in Game 4, turning aside 35-of-36 shots. “A lot of times, it’s about just getting back into the fight, back into the battle of playoff games,” said Miller, who missed nearly two months with an injury. “I wanted to be there. … You just have to prepare yourself to play and be ready.”

Team record: 50-32-5
Vancouver is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Vancouver is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games when playing Calgary
Vancouver is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Calgary

Mikael Granlund made a guarantee for Game 6 without technically guaranteeing a victory, saying “There’s no way we’re going to lose,” the 22-year-old Finn said. “That’s the mindset we need to have going into the game. There’s no guarantees in life, so why would I guarantee something?” Michael Ferland continued to be a nuisance Thursday, delivering a game-best seven of Calgary’s 25 hits.

Team record: 48-32-7
Calgary is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Calgary’s last 10 games
Calgary is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Calgary’s last 9 games at home

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Miller reached the milestone as the Canucks downed the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 on Tuesday night.

“It means I have been playing a while,” said Miller. “It feels good. It’s a collection of a lot of good teams, a lot of good players over the years. I’ll take a little moment to reflect. It’s been a lot of fun. Just winning’s fun and I’ve gotten to do it quite a bit with some good guys. So I’ll try and enjoy this.”

The Canucks (6-3-0) posted their third win in four games, while the Hurricanes (0-6-2) remained winless after their first eight games of the season. Carolina also remained without a victory in seven games in Vancouver since October 1999.

“Our guys were skating and pressuring the first option,” said Miller, who recorded 29 saves as the Canucks were outshot 30-29. “I could sit back and make reads. It makes the game a lot easier.”

Brad Richardson’s first two goals of the season led Vancouver, with his second going into an empty net in the final minute of play.

“It was nice to get the zero off the board there,” said Richardson. “You get to that 10-game mark, you don’t want to be sitting there with zeros.”

Linden Vey and Jannik Hansen, with the winner, also scored for the Canucks, who led 1-0 and 3-0 after the first and second periods, respectively.

Jiri Tlusty broke Miller’s shutout bid during a scramble at the 11:05 mark of the third.

“We just didn’t play heavy and strong enough to be able to break pucks out and go the other way,” said Carolina captain Eric Staal, who earned an assist after missing five games with an upper-body injury. “We just weren’t good enough.”

Vancouver went 1-for-3 on the power play while the ‘Canes were blanked on the same number of man-advantage opportunities as they spent a lot of time defending Canucks penalty-killers.

Richardson opened the scoring only 1:32 into an otherwise uneventful first period as he broke down the right wing, cut towards the goal and lifted a quick wrist shot over Carolina goalie Cam Ward’s glove.

The third-line center stood out after coach Willie Desjardins told his unit, which included Zack Kassian and Shawn Matthias, to get more physical. But Richardson was not impressed with his club’s overall effort.

“It wasn’t our best game, to be honest,” said Richardson. “It was a little bit sleepy a lot of the times, but we scored timely goals and we won the game, so that’s the big thing.”

However, Richardson was impressed with Miller.

“He kept us in the game,” said Richardson. “They had some good chances. It’s too bad we couldn’t get him the shutout.”

Vey put the Canucks ahead 2-0 on a power play 50 seconds into the second period. Playing the point, he skated in and fired in Vrbata’s pass from the side of the net. The goal came after Daniel Sedin, standing alone in the slot, missed Vrbata’s pass but the puck continued to Vey.

Hansen increased Vancouver’s lead to 3-0 at 18:39 of the second on a mid-air deflection of Yanick Weber’s point shot. Weber’s assist resulted after he kept an errant puck right on the blue-line and then flung it towards the net, denying Carolina’s Jeff Skinner of a clear breakaway.

“They had a chance, we kept it in and we ended up scoring, so that was probably the difference in the game,” said Desjardins.

The Canucks will host Montreal on Thursday while the Hurricanes return home to face Arizona on Saturday.

Game notes

Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin and Radim Vrbata extended their point streaks to five games as they assisted on Vey’s goal. Defensemen John-Michael Liles (illness) and Ryan Murphy (lower-body injury) returned to the Hurricanes lineup after missing their last game in Edmonton. But winger Nathan Gerbe (lower body) missed his fourth contest. Vancouver winger Tom Sestito was scratched for the ninth consecutive game to start the season. The game was the first of two meetings between Vancouver and Carolina this season. They will face each other again Jan. 16 in Raleigh, N.C.

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The Canucks also fired assistants Rick Bowness and Newell Brown.

Vigneault, the Canucks’ all-time leader in coaching wins, led the club to six Northwest Division titles, two Presidents’ Trophy titles and an appearance in the 2011 Stanley Cup final.

But Vancouver was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in the past two seasons, including getting swept by the San Jose Sharks this year.

It was the first time in 12 years that the Canucks were swept in the postseason.

Vigneault has a 313-170-57 record over seven seasons in Vancouver, and a 33-32 record in the playoffs.

“We’re in a results-oriented business and if you look at the last two playoffs we’ve been in, we were the higher-seeded team but lost the first two games at home,” Canucks president and general manager Mike Gillis said at a news conference Wednesday.

“We lost consecutive games in the last two playoff years, and there comes a point in time where the message has to change and we have to be better. And we simply didn’t get the result we expected.”

Gillis wouldn’t reveal the names of any coaches in the running to replace Vigneault, but said the team would have no problem attracting suitable candidates.

“We’re in a competitive business, but I think this is a stable, profitable organization that is in a hockey market,” he said. “I think it would be a very attractive place for a coach to come and coach.”

The move had been expected since the Canucks were eliminated from the playoffs, but Gillis said he wanted to take time and ensure he was free of any emotion before making the decision.

It’s a tough end to a largely positive tenure in Vancouver for Vigneault, who guided his team through the demands of a lockout-shortened season in 2012-13.

“I am proud of many of the things we accomplished as a group these past seven seasons in Vancouver and only wish we were able to win the Canucks’ first Stanley Cup,” Vigneault said in a statement.

“I am a career coach, and it is what I love to do. I hope to coach again in this league and will always have good memories of my time and the fans in Vancouver.”

Vigneault kept a difficult goaltending situation from becoming a major distraction and secured home-ice advantage in the playoffs for the fifth straight season.

But the Canucks struggled this season with getting goals from secondary players.

Vigneault leaves after transforming the Canucks from a struggling club into a perennial contender. He was also recognized for his role in turning the Canucks around when he was awarded the 2007 Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year.

Vigneault thanked Gillis, the Aquilini family, other Canucks executives and players as well as former GM Dave Nonis, who hired him, and former Canucks executive Steve Tambellini.

“The past seven years have been an honor for me to coach and work for a great franchise in a wonderful Canadian city,” Vigneault said. “To work in a city with such passionate and loyal fans is a privilege — I enjoyed every moment of it.”

When he arrived in 2006-07 after a season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, the Canucks were looking to regroup after missing the playoffs. He was also looking to prove himself after being fired from his first NHL head coaching job with the Montreal Canadiens in 2000-01.

In his first season, he guided the Canucks to a division title and a spot in the second round of the playoffs before they were eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks in five games — with four decided by one goal.

Although the Canucks missed the playoffs the following season due to a collapse down the stretch, they rebounded in 2009-10, again reaching the second round before losing a tough six-game series to Chicago.

The next season, he guided the Canucks to their third Stanley Cup final berth in franchise history. They took a 2-0 series lead at home but eventually lost in seven games to the Boston Bruins. The Game 7 loss at home sparked a riot in city streets.

The Stanley Cup final foreshadowed a shift in goaltending that would become a headache for Vigneault. Cory Schneider periodically replaced struggling starter Roberto Luongo in the series.

Vigneault managed to prevent any potential rifts between Luongo and Schneider and limited distractions to the team.

He answered endless questions about his goaltenders, especially after Schneider displaced Luongo in the first round of the 2011-12 playoffs as the Canucks lost in five games to the Los Angeles Kings.

The situation was supposed to be resolved after Luongo agreed to waive his no-trade clause prior to the 2012-13 season, but Gillis was not able to get the deal he wanted prior to the lockout that shortened the regular season to 48 games.

When the season started, the Canucks struggled at times with the compressed schedule and had numerous injuries. But they managed to pull away from the Minnesota Wild in the race for the Northwest crown and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Vigneault guided his club to eight wins in its last nine home games, including a 3-1 victory over first-place Chicago that secured the Canucks’ fifth straight Northwest title.

But Schneider was injured in the Chicago game and didn’t come back until after the first two games of the San Jose series.

Luongo was solid in the first two losses in Vancouver, but Vigneault went with Schneider when the series switched to San Jose.

Schneider struggled in the third period of Game 3, allowing three quick goals, and mishandled the decisive shot in Game 4 in overtime before Patrick Marleau poked home the loose puck for the series-clinching goal.

Notes
Canucks center Jordan Schroeder underwent offseason shoulder surgery and is expected to recover by the start of the 2013-14 season. Gillis said no other players should require surgery. … Goaltending coach Rollie Melanson was retained. “I think Rollie works very well with Cory Schneider,” Gillis said. “He gets results in there.” … Gillis indicated management, along with the new coach, will have input in the hiring of the next assistant coaches.

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Luongo showed his frustration with his contract and his current status as a backup goaltender Wednesday during a news conference with the Vancouver media.

“My contract sucks — that’s what’s the problem,” Luongo said. “I’d scrap it if I could now.”

“I think that he was very emotional,” Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said. “I think these days are emotional for everybody. I think he said that in a highly emotional state. I’d like to give him the opportunity to catch his breath and have a discussion with him.”

Luongo will spend the remainder of the season in Vancouver and will back up starter Cory Schneider, who has seized the starting job with a 2.27 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.

A three-time All-Star, Luongo hasn’t started a game since March 18.

“It’s a tough situation for everybody, no doubt,” Luongo said following Wednesday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline. “We’re obviously trying to make the best out of it and making sure that what’s best for both sides is done. Obviously, the time isn’t now, and we’ll have to wait.”

Luongo acknowledged that the remaining nine years on his contract made a trade especially challenging. His average salary cap hit is $5.33 million per season.

“I do feel obligated to trade Roberto and get him into a position where he’s happy,” Gillis said. “The needs of our team also play a role in this. Trying to balance them is a difficult thing. We’ve been doing that for six months.”

According to ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun, the Maple Leafs had discussions with the Canucks regarding Luongo, but the two sides couldn’t find a match. Luongo can reject any deal but claimed that it never came to that, even though he was pulled from practice early Wednesday.

“There was obviously some teams that were interested,” Luongo said. “Nothing ever materialized to a point where I had to give a decision whether I was going to waive or not. What the future holds is something you try not to think about.”

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Booth suffered a leg injury last Saturday against Detroit and missed the past three games against Minnesota, St. Louis and Phoenix.

Canucks general manager Mike Gillis told a Vancouver radio station “there’s a chance” Booth could return for the playoffs.

“Hopefully, (the surgery) will accelerate the process some measure and then he’ll have to wait and rehab like anyone else,” Gillis told Team 1040.

The team has not provided details on the exact nature of Booth’s injury. Canucks officials could not be reached for comment on Booth’s procedure Friday.

The setback continues a tough season for Booth. The 28-year-old Detroit native suffered a groin injury on the first day of training camp and missed the first 14 games of the regular season. He also sat out one more game in Detroit.

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The Canucks said Wednesday that Kesler will be out for up to six weeks because of a broken right foot. The fracture was revealed on a CT scan.

It is unclear when the injury occurred, but coach Alain Vigneault said Kesler might have been playing with it before it was diagnosed. Kesler played more than 19 minutes against Phoenix on Tuesday and earned an assist.

Kesler didn’t practice on Wednesday and was seen wearing an air cast. He returned to action two weeks ago after taking longer to recover from offseason shoulder surgery. He had a goal and four assists in seven games before being injured again.

Kesler has 154 goals and 188 assists in 568 NHL career games, all with the Canucks.

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