Matt and Blake discuss the Canucks' three-game skid, whether the game in Seattle is must-win, the Western and Pacific standings and what could happen with another loss, where the Kraken rivalry stands, Arshdeep Bains' promotion to J.T. Miller's line, the changes to PP1, Pius Suter on the Teddy Blueger line, the roster moves with Dakota Joshua, Carson Soucy and Jett Woo, the dads' trip, and two Canucks prospects making Craig Button's list of Top 50.

Brenton Demko, father of Canucks goalie Thatcher, joins to tell us about the dads' trip. He talks about the activities they've had, how they watch the game in the suite, the two brothers who are on the trip, the support of Kuldip Bains as he watched his son make his NHL debut, and the difference this year with a healthy Thatcher, and what home playoff games at Rogers Arena will be like.

Frank Corrado says he can take your Twitter comments, just don't slide into his LinkedIn DMs and gripe. Frank talks about moral victories, tells dad trip stories, comments on Bains' NHL debut, a "must-win" game vs Seattle, the plight of the Penguins prior to the trade deadline and if he could ever see Sidney Crosby playing anywhere but Pittsburgh.

Rob Williams talks jerseys with us. Will the Canucks wear the black Skate jerseys in the playoffs? There is a precedent of changing jerseys in the playoffs. Rob takes the market's temperature after three losses, and comments on Bains' rise to the NHL from Surrey. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones is doing his best to protect his team against complacency during another losing season.

"(My) motivation is always there to try to lead the team from the back end and be that guy on the ice that is just solid every game, even when things aren't going well," he told the Chicago Sun-Times' Ben Pope. "Everyone in here needs motivation to be better. Everyone is in here trying to prove something - from top to bottom, old to young. No one should be comfortable with the way they're playing."

Jones added: "As soon as you get comfortable losing, you're effed."

The 29-year-old signed an eight-year, $76-million extension after the Columbus Blue Jackets traded him to the Blackhawks during the 2021 offseason. Chicago owns a league-worst 69-130-22 record since Jones joined the team.

Jones acknowledged that the constant losing is "not fun for anybody in here." The Blackhawks have dropped 21 consecutive road games, with all but one of those losses coming in regulation.

"That's terrible; that's embarrassing," he said. "But you have to go into the next game expecting to win, or else it's going to be 10-0 ... you'll have no chance from the drop of the puck. We do not want to get comfortable losing in here. That's the worst thing that could happen."

In late October, head coach Luke Richardson said he was "tired" of moral victories and that he wanted to see more of his club during his second season behind the bench. Even with Connor Bedard making constant headlines, Chicago is on track to finish last in the league.

"Hopefully, we can continue to build and grow this thing to where it needs to be," Jones said. "But at the moment, it sucks. ... As an athlete, it just weighs on you, right? You play this game to win."

Jones has chipped in with one goal and 16 points in 42 games this campaign while averaging almost 26 minutes per contest. He has six years remaining on his deal after this season, and his pact includes a full no-move clause.

The Blackhawks will host the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.

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Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.

We split our best bets on Wednesday night. The Blue Jackets and Ducks predictably found themselves in an offensive explosion, but unfortunately, the Oilers couldn't beat the Bruins in overtime.

Let's take a look at a couple of plays that pop off the page Thursday night as we look for a mini-sweep.

Canucks (-125) @ Kraken (+105)

The Canucks have dropped three in a row, but I don't think there's much cause for concern.

They mostly played well against a strong Jets team, generating nearly 40 shots, with Vezina favorite Connor Hellebuyck being the difference.

The Canucks followed that up by losing to a red-hot Wild team in a game Casey DeSmith conceded eight goals on just 25 shots.

Lastly, they lost 3-1 - with an empty-netter - in a hotly contested game against a contending Avalanche team.

I happen to think the Canucks are still a very good team and deserve to be favored more heavily in this spot.

The Kraken are a poor offensive team. They rank 28th in goals per game and struggle to convert on the chances they do get.

Despite getting some bodies back up front, the Kraken still sit 30th in total shooting percentage this month.

That doesn't bode well for their chances of success against the Canucks. They don't give up many shots, and Thatcher Demko is as good as it gets when it comes to stopping them.

The Kraken will need to be efficient with their chances, something they struggle with at the best of times. I don't see that changing against a netminder who's saved more than 25 goals above expectation this season.

Bet: Canucks (-125)

Predators (+130) @ Kings (-150)

Are the Kings back? It sure seems that way. They've won five of six games this month and posted sparkling numbers across the board.

They've controlled 56% of the expected goals share at five-on-five, which is one of the best marks in the league.

Excluding an absolute clunker against the Sabres, they've conceded only seven goals over five wins. They blanked the Oilers 4-0, held a healthier Devils squad to just one goal, beat the Bruins, and conceded just two total goals over the past two games.

The Kings are starting to get contributions throughout the lineup. Rookie blue-liner Brandt Clarke is starting to make game-breaking plays that show why he was drafted so highly. Quinton Byfield is emerging as a star in the league, while Pierre-Luc Dubois is finally starting to produce at the level expected.

So long as the Kings get good goaltending - and David Rittich is giving them that right now - they're a handful to deal with.

I think they're going to cause a world of problems for the Predators in this spot. The Preds rank 28th in expected goals share at five-on-five in February. They'll likely get heavily outshot by the Kings in this matchup.

That's problematic, given the level of goaltending we're seeing in Nashville. The Predators have conceded at least four goals in six of the past eight games. They simply can't keep the puck out.

Look for Los Angeles to extend its winning streak to five games - and do so inside 60 minutes.

Bet: Kings in regulation (+100)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.

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We had a bounce-back night with our player props, falling one Auston Matthews shot shy of a sweep.

We'll look to keep the ball rolling with three more shot totals for a monster Thursday slate.

Dylan Larkin: Over 2.5 shots

Larkin has been a steady shot-generator all season long. He's averaged 3.1 shots on goal per game and gone over his total a whopping 65% of the time.

While we've seen a bit of a dip in his outputs of late, that appears to be matchup-related. Larkin failed to go over the number in four of the past five, but the opponents he faced in that span (Canucks, Flames, Kraken, and Oilers) are all low-event teams, excellent at suppressing shots, or a combination of the two.

Larkin finds himself in a much better shooting environment tonight against the Avalanche. They've given up 33.3 shots per game over their last 10 road dates, which is tied for seventh-most in the NHL. They're a much different team on the road.

The Avs also give up a lot of volume to opposing centers. They've allowed more than 17 shot attempts per game to the position over the last 10 games overall. Only the Canadiens, Coyotes, and Sharks - three rebuilding teams - have allowed more in that time.

With the Red Wings heavily reliant on their captain in the thick of a heated playoff race, Larkin should be able to get a few shots on net in this one.

Odds: -140 (playable to -150)

Brayden Point: Over 2.5 shots

Death, taxes, and Point at home. The Lightning star continues to chug along when playing in Tampa Bay. He's gone over his total in 21 of 28 games at home (75% success rate), including eight in a row and nine of the last 10.

The matchup doesn't seem to matter for Point, who's hit against top-of-the-league teams like the Panthers and Avalanche during this hot streak. He's consistently hitting while posting strong underlying volume.

Point has averaged a hair under six attempts per game over his last 10 at home. For perspective of how efficient Point is with his shots, he's registered at least three in 20 of the 25 games he recorded five attempts or more. That's an 80% success rate across all venues.

As a bonus, the Lightning recently moved Anthony Cirelli to the top line instead of Point. This adds more balance to their lineup and makes Point the primary target on his unit, with him no longer needing to defer to Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos to shoot the puck - at least not at five-on-five.

The Capitals are bottom-10 in shots against per game over the last 10 and are laboring at five-on-five. Expect Point to take advantage.

Odds: -134 (playable to -160)

William Nylander: Over 3.5 shots

We targeted the Golden Knights with a star winger last time out. Although Filip Forsberg didn't go over his number, it certainly wasn't for a lack of opportunity. He generated 10 shot attempts but managed to hit the net on just two of them. The process was there, but the result wasn't.

I'm going to target the Golden Knights once again with Nylander. The Golden Knights have allowed more shot attempts per game versus wingers than any other team over the last 10 games. They're giving up absurd volume, and there's no reason to expect any different moving forward.

Jack Eichel remains out, and now Mark Stone, one of the best two-way wingers in the sport, is injured and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

The Golden Knights will use the William Karlsson line - their best defensive unit - against Matthews, which frees up the Nylander line to go up against weaker lines that give up a lot on the defensive side of the ice.

Nylander registered seven shots on 10 attempts Wednesday night against a Coyotes team bleeding shots. I don't know that he'll reach those heights again in this game, but he should have little problem getting to four.

Odds: -118 (playable to -130)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.

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Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews added to his superhuman season Wednesday night, burying his 50th goal in only his 54th appearance.

There is a bevy of mind-blowing stats and facts that illustrate how impressive Matthews has been leading up to his milestone marker. Here are some of the best:

1: Matthews is the quickest American-born NHLer to hit 50 goals in a campaign, besting the previous record (62 games) shared by him in 2021-22 and Kevin Stevens in 1992-93.

8: There have been eight instances of a player scoring 50 goals in 54 contests or fewer since 1989-90: Cam Neely, Brett Hull (three times), Mario Lemieux (twice), Alexander Mogilny, and Matthews. The all-time record holder in this department is still, and likely always will be, Wayne Gretzky's 50 in 39 in 1981-82.

4: Matthews is one of four active players to have multiple 50-goal campaigns, joining Alex Ovechkin, Leon Draisaitl, and Steven Stamkos.

2: Matthews joins Rick Vaive as the only Maple Leafs in franchise history to have multiple 50-goal seasons.

0: No other player has hit the 40-goal mark yet in 2023-24.

3rd: Matthews' 36 tallies since Dec. 2 - the night he ended a dry spell of one goal in nine games - would be tied for third in this season's "Rocket" Richard race.

76: The 26-year-old is currently on pace for 76 goals this season, which would tie the fifth-highest total in league history. The 70-goal barrier hasn't been breached since 1992-93.

535: Games played to hit 350 career goals, the sixth-fastest mark in league history.

7th: Matthews entered Wednesday averaging 0.65 goals per contest for his career - the seventh most in NHL history among players to play at least 100 games.

25.5: He has scored a quarter of Toronto's goals this season.

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Dan and Sat are joined by InGoal Magazine and NHL.com's Kevin Woodley to discuss the Canucks' struggles on the PK, Elias Pettersson, and more. Also, hear from Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times on the Kraken and their season.

This podcast was produced by Josh Elliott-Wolfe.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone is set to miss time after sustaining an upper-body injury in Tuesday's loss to the Nashville Predators, general manager Kelly McCrimmon revealed on "The Sick Podcast - The Eye Test."

"He's going to be out of our lineup for a while is what I can tell you right now," McCrimmon said.

The ailment is unrelated to Stone's previous back issues, sources told Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Stone missed the third period of his club's latest game after he was involved in a collision with Yakov Trenin.

Stone was limited to 37 games in 2021-22 and 43 last season due to a pair of back operations. He returned to the Golden Knights' lineup for the start of the 2023 playoffs and helped guide his club to the Stanley Cup.

The 31-year-old has played in all 56 of Vegas' games this season, leading the team with 53 points.

It's unclear if Stone will end up on long-term injured reserve, which would clear his $9.5-million cap hit for the upcoming trade deadline.

The Golden Knights are currently second in the Pacific Division with a 32-18-6 record.

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Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone is set to miss time after sustaining an upper-body injury in Tuesday's loss to the Nashville Predators, general manager Kelly McCrimmon revealed on "The Sick Podcast - The Eye Test."

"He's going to be out of our lineup for a while is what I can tell you right now," McCrimmon said.

The ailment is unrelated to Stone's previous back issues, sources told Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Stone missed the third period of his club's latest game after he was involved in a collision with Yakov Trenin.

Stone was limited to 37 games in 2021-22 and 43 last season due to a pair of back operations. He returned to the Golden Knights' lineup for the start of the 2023 playoffs and helped guide his club to the Stanley Cup.

The 31-year-old has played in all 56 of Vegas' games this season, leading the team with 53 points.

It's unclear if Stone will end up on long-term injured reserve, which would clear his $9.5-million cap hit for the upcoming trade deadline.

The Golden Knights are currently second in the Pacific Division with a 32-18-6 record.

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