Canucks Preview: Three things worth watching against soaring Senators

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Travis Green has often been the talk of the town.

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In Vancouver, it was the COVID-19 shortened season in which he guided the Canucks to the second round of the 2020 playoff bubble experience in Edmonton — after dispatching the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues — before falling in seven games to the Vegas Golden Knights.

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In Ottawa, it was directing the Senators and ending their eight-year absence from the playoffs last spring in his first season there. He made it a lasting experience. The Senators pushed the Toronto Maple Leafs to six games after rallying from a 3-0 series deficit.

With the Ottawa franchise maintaining competitive stability this season and in contention for a playoff spot, the lessons learned along the way should resonate here. With the last-place Canucks committed to a roster rebuild, and hosting the Senators on Monday, it’s appointment viewing.

“Everybody says they want to win, but the desire was there to make changes to win,” Green told this reporter during the off-season. “That was the most impressive thing, to have honest conversations. There was no white knight coming in on a horse to save the day.

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“A young core group needed to make the most change and take another step. That impressed me.”

The Senators had a 19-point improvement from 2023-24. A lot of it was about action and accountability.

Managing personalities and expectations, and checking the right boxes, are imperative if Vancouver expects to reverse its 19-point plunge in a circus-like 2024-25 season gone sideways. Returning to the post-season proved more hope than reality because of too many injuries and too much drama.

The Senators, now on a 7-1-2 run, iced a top line last spring that was a constant threat and had balance with five players striking for 20 or more goals. They had strength down the middle and made three prudent trades for big centre Dylan Cozens, second-pairing defenceman Nick Jensen and starting goaltender Linus Ullmark.

The Canucks don’t have a 20-goal scorer this season. They don’t match up well down the middle. The Senators have Tim Stutzle, Dylan Cozens and Shane Pinto, who have combined for 70 goals and 149 points. The Canucks have 38 combined goals from six centres.

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What to watch for Monday:

1. Oh wow, Ohgren will be good

Canucks left winger Liam Ohgren, 22, has already teased of future potential.

He’s big, has a strong stride and a good release. He transitions zones at speed to create odd-man rushes and is adept at hounding the opposition on the forecheck to create turnovers.

Ohgren scored his second goal the last five games Saturday in Winnipeg by getting into position in the slot to take a quick pass and get a shot away quickly for his sixth strike here in 32 games.

2. Kudos to Karlsson improvement

Right-winger Linus Karlsson led the AHL in playoff scoring last season for the Calder Cup champion Abbotsford Canucks with 26 points (14-12) in 24 games. He had a nose for the net, but at the NHL level, it’s a tough grind in his first full season in The Show.

Karlsson opened scoring Saturday with his 12th goal of the season and added an assist in a 3-2 overtime loss. He’s smart and good with game details and can keep pace. That has kept him here.

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“I’ve found some chemistry and the confidence and I know where to score,” said Karlsson, who’s on a three-game points streak.

3. Fourth line call to arms

The Senators are top 10 in scoring and the power play. The onus for the Canucks’ fourth line Monday will be to help shut down top trios, forecheck aggressively, don’t take a penalty and don’t get scored upon. That’s the call to arms for Teddy Blueger between Max Sasson and Karlsson.

“Sasson’s speed on the wing really helps that line,” noted Canucks head coach Adam Foote. “Karlsson is strong on pucks and can give them room that way and they’ve been consistent.”

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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