With the clock that ticks on the regular season, Vancouver Canucks and Utah Hockey Club must take advantage of any opportunity to earn a point because both run a wild card on the Western Conference.
And every team will have a huge opportunity when the clubs meet on Sunday in Vancouver.
The gap became bigger Saturday when Canucks defeated Chicago Blackhawks 6-2 at home, one night after Utah fell 4-2 on the way to Seattle Kraken.
Utah and Vancouver enter their Sunday exhibition separated with four points in the scaffolding, with Canucks (73) holding the second and last Wild Card place in the conference.
Utah (69 points) would have to skip Canucks as well as Calgary Flames and St. Louis Blues (71 each) to move on to the season.
Vancouver has won two straight matches and has switched between consecutive winnings and consecutive losses for the last eight matches.
Elias Pettersson, Conor Garland and Pius Suter each had a goal and an assist, and Nils Aman and defender Quinn Hughes and Tyler Myers also did for Vancouver against Chicago.
Nils Hoglander, Kiefer Sherwood and Teddy Blueger had two assists each, and Arturs Silovs made 17 rescues in their first start in seven matches.
Canucks produced six goals for just the second time this season.
“It’s definitely a boost for us,” Pettersson said.
Four of the goals came from Canuck’s third and fourth line.
“These guys have really done a good job for us all year, and I’m glad they were rewarded, and we will help them continue,” said Hughes, who is also the team’s captain. “We got 16 (games) left now, and it will have to be all of us.”
Goals by Aman and Suter in the middle of the third period came eight seconds apart. It binds for the second fastest two goals in franchise history. Greg Adams and Cliff Ronning made six seconds apart on February 6, 1992.
Pettersson scored for the fourth time in five matches.
Filip Chytil left 4:56 in the game after taking a hit in the boards from Blackhawks Jason Dickinson and went straight to the dressing room.
The Vancouver coach Rick Tochet had no update on Chytil’s condition after the match.
“It’s a pretty bad hit, so we’ll see how he is,” Tocchet said.
Myers played after missing the previous game with an unclear injury. Fellow defender Marcus Pettersson was in the lineup after leaving Wednesday night’s game against Calgary because of an elbow to the head.
On the other side of the ice, Utah has dropped four of his last six matches (2-2-2).
Against Seattle on Friday, Utah 2-1 after Kevin Stenlund’s goal 7:35 led into the second period, but the team could not hold the lead.
“Our execution was not there. I don’t think we had our usual transition game, our usual crime, our usual inner presence,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “It’s one of those nights where you put the tape right in the trash and move on.”
Stenlund also had an assist, and Nick Schmaltz also scored. Karel Vejmelka made 18 rescues for Utah.
“I thought we fought hard. It stinks to get out at the wrong end of it,” Schmaltz said. “We have to turn the page quickly. I mean, obviously, every game feels like doing or dying at this time. We have to control our own destiny, play how we want to play and take care of business.”
Utah forward Liam O’Brien left the game with an unclear injury during the third period. There was no update after the match.
Utah beat Vancouver 2-1 on 23 and 3-2 on overtime on December 18, with both games in Salt Lake City.
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