GLENDALE, ARIZ. – One of the most surprising things about a surprising team is the Vancouver Canucks were able to win on Wednesday without their best two defencemen and three of their top four forwards.
This was a team that, even fully healthy, wasn’t expected to hang for long in the National Hockey League playoff race. Instead, the Canucks face the Arizona Coyotes Thursday as the first-place team in the Pacific Division.
But they’ll be doing it without vital defencemen Chris Tanev and Alex Edler, and key forwards Sven Baertschi, Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser.
Canucks coach Travis Green confirmed that Baertschi suffered a concussion when he was hit from behind in open ice by Tomas Hyka during Vancouver’s 3-2 shootout win Wednesday against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Edler will undergo an MRI in Vancouver to determine damage to his knee, injured on a hit by Max Pacioretty, and Tanev is out day-to-day after blocking a shot above his hip, Green said.
Pettersson (concussion) and Boeser (sore groin) are both close to playing but will miss another game tonight.
The injuries mean the Canucks will be playing without four-fifths of their first-unit power play.
Michael Del Zotto and Alex Biega, who was recalled Thursday from the Utica Comets, will replace Edler and Tanev on defence, while minor-league power forward Darren Archibald gets to play up front.
"You hope the guys who draw in, they should have a lot of jump," Green said. "But… it’s not going to be three guys who are going to lead us. It’s going to be everyone playing well and playing as a team.
"Players don’t like to see teammates get hurt, but they love opportunity. They love ice time. Any player you ask in there, the more minutes they get, the better."
The Canucks finished last game with a four-man defence of Ben Hutton, 25, Erik Gudbranson, 26, Derrick Pouliot, 25, and Troy Stecher, 24.
Anders Nilsson starts in goal for Vancouver, which has travelled before a game for the seventh time in eight contests. The Canucks open a four-game homestand on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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