January 8 – The Vancouver Canucks will look to get back on track when they face the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. This game marks the second of a five-game road trip for the Canucks, with the next four matchups all against teams with winning records. The Canucks head into the contest with only one win in their last five games (1-2-2), including a 5-4 overtime defeat to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.

Vancouver squandered a 3-1 lead before ultimately losing in overtime. J.T. Miller was the standout performer for the Canucks, recording two goals and two assists in the defeat. “It’s nice to see a couple go in, but as a team, I think we just need to be more consistent,” Miller said after the tough loss. “We have these stretches where the other team gains control, and we struggle to stop their momentum and shift it back in our favor.”

It wasn’t all bad for the Canucks, as Quinn Hughes made an impact in his return, tallying two assists after missing the previous four games due to an undisclosed injury. However, Elias Pettersson (undisclosed) and Thatcher Demko (back spasms) remained unavailable for Monday’s game, despite both returning to practice. The status of the star center and top goaltender remains uncertain for Wednesday’s matchup.

A return for Demko, who has played in just seven games this season, would be a boost for a Canucks team that has been struggling defensively. Vancouver has allowed three or more goals in nine consecutive games and could face more of the same against the Capitals, who are tied for the league’s highest scoring average at 3.7 goals per game as of Tuesday. Like the Canucks, the Capitals will be seeking a bounce-back performance after losing 4-3 in a shootout to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday.

“We started to tilt the ice and play better in the third period, but we’ve got to learn to take advantage of the full 60 minutes, not just the final frame when we’re down by one,” said the Canucks.

The Capitals have no shortage of offensive firepower, with Alex Ovechkin (19 goals), Tom Wilson (18), Aliaksei Protas (18), and Connor McMichael (17) all closing in on 20 goals.

Despite their recent losses, the Canucks boast a solid 11-4-3 road record, while the Capitals have been strong at home, sitting at 13-4-3.

Washington has had the upper hand in recent matchups, winning four of the last five encounters (4-0-1) and earning at least one point in 10 of the last 11 (8-1-2).