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Edler, Burrows, and Kassian expected back for Canucks, who ‘better be’ ready for Coyotes

AlexEdler

The Vancouver Canucks, fresh off a 6-2 home loss to San Jose, are expected to get some reinforcements tonight when they take on the struggling Coyotes in Arizona.

Alex Edler, Alex Burrows, and Zack Kassian all took the game-day skate and appear likely to suit up.

Edler, the team’s top defenseman, hasn’t played since suffering an upper-body injury on Feb. 14; Burrows has missed the last six games with a groin injury; and Kassian sat out the Sharks game with stomach flu.

The Canucks, with a mere three-point playoff cushion, know they need to take advantage of a Coyotes team that’s lost 10 straight in regulation.

“We only have 19 games left and we have to be winning and getting points,” said forward Radim Vrbata, per the Vancouver Sun. “From my experience in the Western Conference with Phoenix the last couple of years -- we missed the playoffs by two points last year, we missed by four points the year before that – every point is important. If it’s a shootout loss, or a shootout win, it makes a difference. It doesn’t matter who it’s against.

“We have to be ready for the Coyotes. We better be. Those are points that we need.”

The last time the Canucks played on the road, they lost 6-3 to the worst team in the league, the Buffalo Sabres.