At least Alex Ovechkin didn't break Wayne Gretzky's goalscoring record against the Vancouver Canucks.
Early on Sunday, Ovechkin scored goal number 895 against the New York Islanders, surpassing Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history and doing it in 1,487 games, the exact same number as Gretzky. It was his 42nd goal of the season in 61 games, a stunning accomplishment for the 39-year-old winger.
What's even more impressive is that Ovechkin broke the record in a season where he fractured his left fibula. Incredibly, he missed just 16 games while recovering from the broken leg and picked up right where he left off when he returned, scoring in each of his first two games back from injury.
But if he hadn't missed those games, Ovechkin might have broken the record against the Canucks instead.
The Canucks have been host to all sorts of milestone goals throughout their history, including Gretzky's 802nd career goal to pass Gordie Howe for the most all-time. Just like with Ovechkin's goal, the NHL halted the game for a ceremony on the ice where he was lauded with praise. Also, just like Ovechkin, Gretzky lost that game. The Islanders beat Ovechkin's Capitals 4-1, with Ovechkin's record-breaker the only goal, while the Canucks beat the Kings 6-3.
More players have scored their 500th career goal against the Canucks than against any other team. There's just something about the Canucks that attracts milestone moments.
When Ovechkin broke his leg this season, he had an astounding 15 goals in 18 games. Even though he quickly got back on the scoreboard when he returned from injury, his scoring pace did slow down, which makes sense. He had broken his leg, after all
But if Ovechkin hadn't gotten injured and continued scoring at the same pace, he would have broken Gretzky's record in his 50th game of the season. The Capitals played the Canucks in game number 49.
Maybe there's an alternate history out there where Ovechkin doesn't get injured and keeps piling up goals, perhaps at a slightly faster pace and breaks the record against the same team as Gretzky: the Vancouver Canucks. Wouldn't that have been something.
Anyway, the Canucks are playing the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night, trying to keep their extremely faint playoff hopes alive.
Vancouver Canucks projected lines
It's possible that Nils Höglander will make his return to the Canucks' lineup on Sunday. He practiced in a regular jersey on Friday after a couple of skates in a red, non-contact jersey and took the pregame warm-up on Saturday afternoon but remained a scratch. Since the Canucks did not hold a morning skate, we won't get word from head coach Rick Tocchet until closer to game time.
UPDATE: Höglander will be in the lineup, with Jonathan Lekkerimäki coming out.
For what it's worth, Lekkerimäki has played 24 games this season; if he plays one more game, he won't be eligible for the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year next season.
Höglander will slot in on the top line with Pius Suter and Brock Boeser, with Conor Garland and Jake DeBrusk on the second line with Teddy Blueger.
Here are the Canucks' projected lines:
The Canucks' starting goaltender is expected to be Kevin Lankinen after Thatcher Demko got the start on Saturday afternoon against the Anaheim Ducks.
Vegas Golden Knights projected lines
The Golden Knights are also playing on the second half of back-to-backs, having beat the Calgary Flames in overtime on Saturday night. In theory, the Canucks will have the advantage with no travel between games and their first game coming much earlier in the day on Saturday to give them more time to rest and recover.
While the Golden Knights have clinched a playoff spot, they still have plenty to play for, as they're looking to hold off the Los Angeles Kings for first place in the Pacific Division and home ice advantage throughout the playoffs.
Here are the Golden Knights' projected lines based on how they lined up in Calgary:
Ivan Barbashev - Jack Eichel - Mark Stone
Brandon Saad - Brett Howden - Pavel Dorofeyev
Victor Olofsson - William Karlsson - Reilly Smith
Tanner Pearson - Nicolas Roy - Keegan Kolesar
Brayden McNabb - Shea Theodore
Nicolas Hague - Alex Pietrangelo
Noah Hanifin - Zach Whitecloud
Adin Hill
Akira Schmid
While the Golden Knights get scoring throughout their lineup, the biggest threat is the top line of Ivan Barbashev, Jack Eichel, and Mark Stone. Eichel leads Vegas in scoring with 93 points in 75 games, while Stone is the only other point-per-game player on the team with 66 points in 62 games.
That said, the Canucks really need to keep an eye on Brett Howden, who has four points against the Canucks this season: two points in each of their two games.
The Golden Knights' starting goaltender is expected to be Adin Hill after Akira Schmid got the start against the Flames. Hill has a .907 save percentage this season and has won both of his starts against the Canucks, allowing just one goal against in each game.
