The Vancouver Canucks will try to pick up where they left off when they host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.
The Canucks went into the holiday break riding a nine-game point streak (7-0-2) and leading the NHL with 49 points.
Vancouver beat the San Jose Sharks 7-4 in their final game before the break, preventing the Canucks from losing two in a row for the first time since Nov. 16-18.
It also provided a warm sendoff for the holidays.
“It’s nice,” Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet said. “You get to go home for three days and … guys can enjoy their families. We definitely need a break. The guys need to get away from the rink for three days, be with their families and enjoy it, and they should. We’ll worry about it when we get back, the task at hand. Obviously the second half is coming here.”
A year ago, Vancouver had 33 points at the break.
“We like the direction that we’re heading and it’s going to be nice to get a few days off here to reset,” Canucks forward Dakota Joshua said. “We know that once it gets going again on Thursday that we have to stay on this roll and keep it going the rest of the year.”
The third line of Joshua, Teddy Blueger and Conor Garland has helped carry Vancouver lately, combining for 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in the team’s past 10 games.
Blueger comes out of the break riding a six-game point streak (two goals, six assists).
Other Vancouver highlights from the first half include defenseman Quinn Hughes, who had a goal and an assist in the win against San Jose, giving him 68 multi-point games in the NHL, tied with Alexander Edler for most by a Canucks defenseman in team history.
Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko is 17-7-1 so far, putting him in a tie for the NHL lead in wins coming out of the break with Alexandar Georgiev of the Colorado Avalanche.
The Flyers dropped their final two games before the break and will try to avoid matching their season-high of three consecutive losses from Oct. 28-Nov. 1.
Philadelphia headed into the break off a 7-6 shootout loss at the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. The Flyers rallied from a 5-1 deficit in the first period and briefly moved ahead 6-5 before falling after earning a point.
“It’s huge for our group,” Flyers forward Scott Laughton said. “It tells you a lot about us and what guys are willing to do for each other. The guys battled, blocked shots.”
The Flyers’ 13-game streak of holding a road opponent to three goals or fewer came to an end, but Philadelphia forward Garnet Hathaway also believes the team is heading in the right direction.
“It’s a big learning step for us,” Hathaway said of the comeback against the Red Wings. “We’re happy that we got one point instead of zero, but I think when you talk about how we’re continuing to grow, and how you’re going to see us in the second half of the season after the break, that (rally against the Red Wings) was huge for our mentality.”
The Flyers recalled forward Rhett Gardner from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
