Canucks host Red Wings and red-hot Larkin

The Detroit Red Wings' rebuild still faces many questions, but there is no doubt who is at the center of it.

Dylan Larkin.

While the Wings have struggled most of the season, Larkin is soaring as Detroit prepares to visit the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday. The 22-year-old center is coming off a two-goal performance in Calgary on Friday and now has 22 goals and 47 points in 49 games.

"I play a lot of minutes and I appreciate that," Larkin said. "I don't take that for granted, so every time I'm out there, I try to do the right things for the team and battle my hardest. That's what it comes down to for me, is getting in the game and effort. I can control those two things."

The Red Wings squandered three leads in Calgary, but Flames coach Bill Peters' comment on Larkin was telling.

"He's going to be a superstar," Peters told reporters. "We didn't have an answer for him."

Larkin's teammates are impressed with what he has done thus far in his fourth NHL season.

"I think he's the No. 1 leader right now in the room," forward Anthony Mantha said. "He showed it when the team wasn't doing good, he was on fire."

Larkin's two-goal night in Calgary followed a three-assist night in Minnesota and a one-assist showing against Anaheim as the Red Wings posted rare back-to-back wins.

"He's stepped up a lot and, hopefully, guys can follow him in the next couple games here," Mantha said.

Meanwhile, the Canucks hope to build momentum from Friday's 4-3 home-ice win over Buffalo.

Coach Travis Green faces some interesting lineup decisions as rookie sensation Elias Pettersson is close to returning from a knee injury that has kept him out since early January. Green might also want to give rookie goaltender Thatcher Demko a second straight start.

Demko's 36-save effort backstopped the win over the Sabres, who controlled most of the play. The rookie is the only Canucks goaltender to begin his career with two straight wins.

The 23-year-old San Diego native was promoted from Utica of the AHL for good after the Canucks traded former backup Anders Nilsson to Ottawa earlier this month. But Demko had to wait for his first NHL start of this season.

"(Friday) opened up an opportunity for me," he told reporters. "I'm just really excited and wanted to make the most of it."

Sunday's 1 p.m. local start time is unusual for the Canucks. By giving another start to Demko, Green could avoid disrupting starter Jacob Markstrom, who tends to come back strong from rest.

Although the Canucks are in playoff contention, they only have two wins in their past six games. Pettersson's return could boost an attack that has been hot and cold lately. Center Bo Horvat's production could be on the rise, if Friday's two-assist showing is any indication.

"Me shooting the puck hasn't been working so I thought I'd give it to somebody who's going to put it in the net," Horvat said.

Horvat has not scored since Dec. 20, but did tally his 200th career point Friday.

"Never when you're playing in the NHL do you think you'll be able to hit these kinds of milestones," he said.

--Field Level Media

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