canucks game day preview – Page 2

By Andrew Phillip Chernoff |CanucksBanter

December 03, 2024

The Vancouver Canucks faceoff against the Minnesota Wild tonight at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The match is the final game of the Canucks 6-game road trip, which stands at 4-1-0 entering this evening’s contest.

Last Games

Vancouver
- The Canucks are coming off a thrilling 5-4 overtime victory against the Detroit Red Wings on December 1st. Jake DeBrusk was the hero, scoring a hat trick, including the game-winner in overtime.
- The Canucks showed resilience, battling back from a 4-3 deficit to tie the game on a Erik Brannstrom goal to bring on overtime and a chance to secure the win.
- Canucks starter Kevin Lankinen set NHL record for consecutive road wins from start of a season at 10, with Quinn Hughes becoming Canucks all-time assists leader for a defenseman on a goal by Jake DeBrusk.
Minnesota
- The Wild last played on November 30th, defeating the Nashville Predators at home 3-2. It was a strong defensive performance by the Wild, limiting the Coyotes to just two goals. Spurgeon had a standout game, including scoring the OT winner.

Game Notes:

Minnesota
- They have a strong home record (6-3-1) and overall record (16-4-4). They are particularly difficult when scoring at least 2-goals (15-1-2).
Vancouver
- They have been excellent on the road (10-2-0) and have a solid overall record (13-7-3). Their power play has been effective, with a 7-3-0 record when scoring with the man advantage.

Key Players:

Vancouver
- Conor Garland (8 goals, 13 assists) and Jake DeBrusk (10 goals, 9 assists), Quinn Hughes (5 goals, 23 assists) are key contributors.
- Others of note: Kiefer Sherwood with 6 goals and 12 points and 144 hits; Pius Suter, 9 goals, and 14 points; Elias Pettersson with 7 goals and 14 points. Dakota Joshua with 38 hits in 9 games since his return from medical leave.
Minnesota
- Marco Rossi (7 goals, 12 assists) and Kirill Kaprizov (6 goals, 5 assists in the last 10 games) are players to watch.

Team Stats

Prediction

This game on paper promises to be a matchup between two teams with strong records.

The Wild’s offense, goaltending, and strong home record give them a slight edge. However, the Canucks’ penalty kill, power play and road performance work in their favor.

GAME ON!

By Andrew Phillip Chernoff | CanucksBanter

December 1st, 2024

The Vancouver Canucks (12-7-3, 5th Pacific Division) continue the 6-game road trip with an early afternoon game in the Motor City as they take on the Detroit Red Wings (10-11-2, 6th Atlantic Division) at Little Caesars Arena.

Last Games

Canucks
- Conor Garland scored twice, including the game-winner in overtime, in Buffalo for a 4-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Friday.
Red Wings
- The New Jersey Devils scored three power-play goals in a 5-4 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Friday.

Vancouver 411

The Canucks are currently sitting with a respectable points percentage, hovering around .614 after 22 games for 12th best in NHL
They have been a streaky team, showing flashes of brilliance mixed with frustrating inconsistency.
Offensively, they rely heavily on Elias Pettersson, Conor Garland, Quinn Hughes to generate scoring chances, but all four lines are contributing offensively.
Goaltending has been a question mark, with Kevin Lankinen and Arturs Silovs splitting time, with Lankinen having the better of the two while Thatcher Demko continues his return to the lineup

Detroit 411

The Red Wings are hovering around a points percentage of .478 after 23 games, showing improvement from last season but are 25th in the NHL.
Dylan Larkin is leading the team offensively, with Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat providing significant firepower.
Their defense is anchored by Moritz Seider, who is developing into a true number one defenseman.
Goaltending has been solid with Cam Talbot and Ville Husso.

Team Stats

Key Matchups To Watch

Elias Pettersson vs. Moritz Seider:
- A battle of two young stars. Pettersson’s offensive creativity against Seider’s defensive prowess will be a key factor in the game.
Quinn Hughes vs. Dylan Larkin:
- Hughes’s speed and puck-moving ability will be tested against Larkin’s speed and scoring touch.
Canucks’ Power Play vs. Red Wings:
- The Canucks’ power play has been inconsistent at 21.2%, while the Red Wings’ penalty kill has struggled at 66.2%.
- Detroit power play is at 27.9%, while Canucks penalty kill is at 80.9%.
- Special teams could be a deciding factor.

Key Players

Red Wings: Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, Moritz Seider
Canucks: Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, JakeDeBrusk, Brock Boeser, Conor Garland

Weaknesses

Canucks: Inconsistent secondary scoring, defensive breakdowns, goaltending depth.
Red Wings: Penalty kill, depth scoring beyond the top line.

Strengths

Canucks: Offensive firepower from top players, strong transition game, Quinn Hughes’s dynamic puck-moving ability.
Red Wings: Offensive talent, strong top line, Moritz Seider’s defensive presence.

Prediction

Both teams have their strengths and weaknesses, and the outcome will depend on who can capitalize on their opportunities and limit their mistakes playing an early afternoon game.

The Canucks are 9-2-0 on the road, and Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen is undefeated on the road in 9-games.

Red Wings 5-6-1 at home with alternating wins and losses. If that means anything, Detroit is expected to continue their trend this season and defeat Vancouver.

Detroit hasn’t lost back-to-back games at home since October 27th and 30th, one in OT.

Pay attention to the special teams’ battle, as it could be a deciding factor in the outcome.

The Canucks need to find a way to contain the Red Wings’ top line, while the Red Wings need to limit the damage from Pettersson, DeBrusk, Hughes and Garland.

GAME ON!

Source: nhl.com, statmuse.com