Canucks' Linus Karlsson: Tickles twine Thursday

Karlsson scored a goal on two shots, added two PIM and doled out two hits in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Stars.

Karlsson has three goals and two assists over his last nine games. Given his fourth-line role and relatively limited ice time (10:00 per game in that span), Karlsson is exceeding expectations and helping to secure his place in the lineup. For the season, he's at seven points, 28 shots on net, 23 hits, 14 PIM and a minus-1 rating over 19 appearances. He's also on the second power-play unit, which bodes well for him to stick in the lineup while Mackenzie MacEachern, Arshdeep Bains and Lukas Reichel battle for depth roles.