Canucks vs. Hurricanes Game Day: Thatcher Demko and Elias Pettersson expected to play

Vancouver Canucks vs. Carolina Hurricanes

When: Friday, 4 p.m., Lenovo Center

TV: Sportsnet. Radio:?Sportsnet 650

The buzz: The Canucks play their third road game of the week, hoping to finally find a win after two straight overtime losses. We knew this road trip was going to be tough. It’s proving to be. But a win in Carolina would go a long way to say that this team is indeed the team we thought they’d be — not a Stanley Cup contender, but a hard-working group with just enough skill to get it done more often than not. One of the keys to getting back to this type of play will be to have Elias Pettersson back in the lineup. He has been cleared to play, so now it’s on him to declare himself ready.

? Another helpful item: Thatcher Demko has recovered from his back spasms and is expected to play Friday night in Carolina. That means Kevin Lankinen will start Saturday in Toronto.

? Additionally, sources say Elias Pettersson will return to the lineup as well, after being out since before Christmas. He suffered an undisclosed injury during the Dec. 23 game vs. San Jose, a game where he scored a goal. It’s believed he suffered the injury sometime in the second period, before he scored his goal. Who he’ll play with isn’t known, but a decent bet is he’ll centre the second line between Conor Garland and Jake DeBrusk.

The history: The Hurricanes beat the Canucks 4-3 in overtime on Oct. 28, a game where the Canucks scored twice in the final 10 minutes of the third period to tie it up. Carolina outskated the Canucks on the night, but were their own undoing in the game’s final frame.

The hope: Vancouver played hard Wednesday in Washington and got a point. They could easily have won, but lacked finishing. Can they do better against the Hurricanes, who are a much better squad that the Capitals, even if Washington has a strong record on the season.

The fear:?The Canucks have struggled with consistency this season. Against a fast team like Carolina, they may struggle to be as persistent in their checking as they were in D.C.

The top guns:?His overall play remains uneven, but at least J.T. Miller has been scoring. After a spell of games where he was indifferent at best, he’s been far more involved recently and head coach Rick Tocchet is throwing all kinds of ice time at him. He had two goals and two assists on Monday in Montreal. Quinn Hughes continues to be a machine and picked points in Montreal and D.C., his first games back since sitting out a week with a hand injury.

The wounded: Canucks: Filip Hronek (shoulder, three weeks), Pettersson (undisclosed, day to day). Predators: Adam Wilsby (upper body, day to day). Hurricanes: Tyson Jost (lower-body, indefinite), Shayne Gostisbehere (upper-body, week-to-week), William Carrier (lower-body, day-to-day), Fredrik Andersen (knee, week-to-week).

The quote:?“It’s frustrating, but we can’t sulk about it.” — Quinn Hughes on the team’s lack of success in overtime this season.

The latest: Filip Hronek is getting close to a return. He was sent out on a conditioning loan on Wednesday so he can practise with the AHL Canucks in Abbotsford.

The lineup:?

Boeser-Miller-Lekkerim?ki

DeBrusk-Pettersson-Garland

Heinen-Suter-Sherwood

H?glander-Blueger-DiGiuseppe

Hughes-Myers

Soucy-Juulsen

Forbort-Desharnais

Demko

The prediction: Carolina just plays so fast. The Canucks do not. This is going to be a tough game and a 4-2 win for the Hurricanes.

pjohnston@postmedia.com