canucks game day – CanucksBanter

2022.23

By Andrew Phillip Chernoff CanucksBanter

March 14, 2023

Dallas Stars (37-17-13), first in the Central Division) vs. Vancouver Canucks (28-32-5), sixth in the Pacific Division).

Vancouver, British Columbia; Tuesday, 7 p.m. PDT

The game is the second meeting this season between the two Western Conference teams. The Canucks won 5-4 in overtime on February 27, 2023, in Dallas, Texas.

These teams will meet at American Airlines Center in Dallas once more on Saturday, March 25.

Rolling The Dice For Five

The Canucks will be trying to make it five consecutive wins to close out their 6-game homestand.

Wins over Toronto, Nashville, Anaheim and Ottawa have put Vancouver in a good place after the March 3 trade deadline.

The Stars have dropped the past four games against the Canucks dating back to last season (0-3-1), falling twice at home and on the road:

Feb. 27/23: VAN 5 at DAL 4 (OT)
Apr. 18/22: VAN 6 vs DAL 2
Mar. 26/22: VAN 4 at DAL 1
Nov. 7/21: VAN 6 vs DAL 3

Dallas In A Groove

In their past 5 games played away from Dallas, the Stars have gone undefeated for a 5-0 record, and are 6-1 in their past 7 overall games, and with all of their top stars flying as high as possible, this is a big game for them.
Source: statsalt.com

Canucks Riding Wave Of Momentum

The Canucks come into this one riding a four-game winning streak, winning five of their last six games, but unfortunately, they’ve gone just 5-12 in their past 17 games playing against teams with a winning record, so while they’ll be able to compete in this one, they’re understandably a slight underdog at home.
Source: statsalt.com

There Can Only Be One Winner

In the past 13 clashes between these two teams, the road team has come away winners in nine of those, and for the Stars, they’ve got a 9-4 record in the past 13 head-to-head clashes in Vancouver, so while it may look one-sided on paper, this should be an intense contest.
Source: statsalt.com

Streaking Canucks

Elias Pettersson has 26 points (11+15=26) in his last 17 games.
Quinn Hughes has 16 points (0+16=16) in his last 15 games.
Andrei Kuzmenko has 15 points (10+5=15) in his last 12 games.
Anthony Beauvillier has 13 points (6+7=13) in his last 14 games.
J.T. Miller has 12 points (6+6=12) in his last 10 games.

Thatcher Demko A Rejuvenated Goalie

Five games into his return from injury, Demko has 4 wins in 5 games, a .928 SV%(save percentage), and a GAA (goals against average) of 2.21.

2022.23

By Andrew Phillip Chernoff

The Vancouver Canucks (23-30-5), 6th Pacific Division, welcome the Boston Bruins (44-8-5), 1st Atlantic Division, tonight at Rogers Arena.

Vancouver puts its three-game undefeated streak in regulation on the line tonight against Boston having taken 5 of a possible 6 points in their last three games: 6-2 at home against Philadelphia on February 18; 5-4 OT loss in Nashville on Tuesday; and a 3-2 OT win in St. Louis on Thursday.

Canucks are 2-2-1 in their last 5 games; 4-4-2 in their last 10, entering tonight’s game. The Bruins are 5-0-0 in their last 5 games; 6-3-1 in their last 10.

CANUCKS GOALIE CALL: DEMKO TIME?

Arturs Silovs got his first NHL win against Philadelphia on February 18, following it up on Thursday in St. Louis with another victory.

Collin Delia played in the OT loss in Nashville on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Thatcher Demko is itching to get back to playing action as he believes he is ready to return from the injured list. https://www.nhl.com/video/practice-thatcher-demko/t-277437438/c-15478660

Coach Rick Tocchet claims Demko is close to returning, whether that is in a backup role to begin with, or as a starter right away, is unclear.

Early speculation had Demko going to Abbotsford for a conditioning assignment but was the third goalie on the recent road trip, receiving workouts from his teammates.

BRUINS RIDING A WAVE

Boston’s offense has been excellent this season. They scored three goals or more in seven of their last nine games. The Bruins rank second in goals per game and ninth in shots per game. David Pastrnak leads the team with 79 points and 42 goals. Pastrnak is fourth in points and second in goals in the league. Brad Marchand has 51 points. David Krejci has 46 points and Patrice Bergeron has 43 points.

Defense and goaltending have both been superb for Boston this season. They rank first in goals against per game and eighth in shots against per game. Linus Ullmark has a ridiculous record of 29-4-1 with a 1.88 GAA and .937 SV%. He ranks first in GAA, first in SV%, and tied for fourth in shutouts among all goalies in the league. Jeremy Swayman has a record of 14-4-4 with a 2.34 GAA and .916 SV%. Charlie McAvoy has 41 points and Hampus Lindholm has 38 points.

Boston is first in the Atlantic division by a fairly wide margin and they are first in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins have been the best team in the league and have excellent offense, defense, and goaltending.
Source: statsalt.com

VANCOUVER WINNERS OF TWO OF LAST THREE

The offense has been efficient for the Canucks this season. Vancouver ranks 10^th in goals per game and 19^th in shots per game. They scored four or more goals in six of the last 10 games. Elias Pettersson leads the team with 75 points on the season. Pettersson is tied for seventh in the league in points. J.T. Miller has 54 points and Andrei Kuzmenko has 51 points. The Canucks recently traded Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders.

The defense has been about average and goaltending has struggled this season for the Canucks. They rank 31^st in goals against per game and 14^th in shots against per game. Thatcher Demko has a 3-10-2 record with a 3.93 GAA and .883 SV%. Demko is on IR due to a lower-body injury. Spencer Martin is 11-15-1 with a 3.99 GAA and .871 SV%. Collin Delia has a record of 7-4-2 with a 3.51 GAA and .876 SV%. Quinn Hughes has 49 assists. Hughes is second in assists among all defensemen in the league.

Vancouver is third last in the Pacific Division and 16 points away from a Wild Card spot. The Canucks will not make the postseason this year.
Source:statsalt.com

CANUCKS QUICK NUMBERS