By Andrew Phillip Chernoff | CanucksBanter

March 24, 2026

The Vancouver Canucks (21-40-8) look to play the role of spoiler tonight as they host the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks (39-27-4) at Rogers Arena. While Vancouver has been officially eliminated from playoff contention, they’ve had the Ducks’ number this season, winning both previous meetings.

Top Players to Watch

Anaheim Ducks

• Cutter Gauthier (LW): The Ducks’ breakout star leads the team with 36 goals and 62 points. He is currently tied with Connor McDavid for second in the league in shots on net (257), averaging nearly 4 per game.+1
• Leo Carlsson (C): A cornerstone of the Ducks’ offense, Carlsson has 57 points this season and has been lethal in clutch moments, including several late-game heroics.
• Lukas Dostal (G): With Petr Mrazek out, Dostal has shouldered the load, posting a 28-15-3 record. He ranks 6th in the league for starts this season.+1

Vancouver Canucks

• Marco Rossi (C): The hottest hand in Vancouver right now, Rossi has exploded for 10 points (3G, 7A) over his last five games.
• Elias Pettersson (C): Despite a down year for the team, “Petey” leads the Canucks with 41 points and is closing in on the 200-career-goal milestone. He has historically dominated the Ducks with 21 points in 22 career games.+1
• Filip Hronek (D): The defensive anchor has been a bright spot on the blue line, tallying 39 points and leading the team in ice time.

Head-to-Head & Season Stats

The Canucks have surprisingly dominated the season series 2-0-0, including a 2-0 shutout in their last meeting where Nikita Tolopilo was spectacular.

Stat	Anaheim Ducks	Vancouver Canucks
Record	39-27-4 (1st in Pacific)	21-40-8 (8th in Pacific)
Goals For/GP	3.24 (11th)	2.52 (31st)
Goals Against/GP	3.46 (29th)	3.70 (32nd)
Power Play %	17.9% (24th)	18.7% (21st)
Penalty Kill %	78.6% (20th)	71.5% (32nd)

Injury Report

• Anaheim: Petr Mrazek (G) is out for the season following hip surgery. Ross Johnston (LW) is out for approximately 3 more weeks with a lower-body injury.
• Vancouver: Thatcher Demko (G) remains out for the season with a hip injury. Filip Chytil (C) is sidelined with a facial injury, and Derek Forbort (D) remains on LTIR.

Coach & Player Comments

Adam Foote (Canucks Head Coach): “The Ducks are a high-speed rush team. They create a lot of offense moving north. Our focus tonight is the forecheck—if we can stay aggressive and use our ‘quick-ups’ to beat their pinching defensemen, we can create our own odd-man rushes.”

Joel Quenneville (Ducks Head Coach): “We’re not looking at their place in the standings. We’ve struggled against this group this year, and we need to find a way to dictate the pace early. It’s about building momentum as we head toward the postseason.”

Elias Pettersson (Canucks Forward): “It’s been a tough year, but we still have pride in this room. We want to finish this homestand strong and show that we can compete with the top teams in our division.”

Key Matchup to Watch

The “Rossi Line” vs. Carlsson’s Top Unit: Marco Rossi and Brock Boeser have combined for 13 points in their last five games. They will likely see heavy minutes against Leo Carlsson and veteran Chris Kreider. If Vancouver’s second line can continue its scoring streak, they may force the Ducks into a high-event game that favors the home team’s recent “spoiler” mentality.

Projected Starting Goalies

Team	Projected Starter	Status	Season Stats
Anaheim Ducks	Lukas Dostal	Probable	28-15-3, 3.01 GAA, .893 SV%
Vancouver Canucks	Kevin Lankinen	Projected	8-23-5, 3.62 GAA, .876 SV%

Anaheim Ducks: Lukas Dostal is the expected starter. Dostal has been a workhorse for the Ducks, ranking 6th in the league for starts this season. Ville Husso is slated to be the backup.

Vancouver Canucks: Kevin Lankinen is the projected starter, though Nikita Tolopilo remains a possibility as the two have been rotating frequently during the final stretch of the season with Thatcher Demko out for the year.

Until next time, hockey fans