By Andrew Phillip Chernoff | CanucksBanter

November 09, 2025

The Colorado Avalanche are set to visit the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena tonight, Sunday, November 9, 2025, at 07:00 PM PST.

This is a matchup of two teams playing on the second night of a back-to-back, which could impact the energy levels.

This contest pits an elite, high-momentum offensive engine against a structurally compromised defensive unit.

The Colorado Avalanche enter this contest holding decisive advantages in, roster depth, special teams execution, and the crucial goaltending matchup.

The Avalanche are expected to control the pace of the game, utilizing their depth and their power-play opportunities against the Canucks’ struggling penalty kill.

The Colorado Avalanche (9-1-5, 23 points) enters this matchup demonstrating systemic dominance, holding the league’s best record and the highest overall competitive ranking. Conversely, the Vancouver Canucks (8-8-0, 16 points) are grappling with pronounced defensive vulnerabilities and a critical goaltending crisis, compounded by the back-to-back (B2B) schedule for both clubs.   

Team	Record	Recent (Last Game)	Key Players	Goaltending Situation
Colorado Avalanche	9-1-5 (23 Pts, NHL Best)	W 9-1 vs. Edmonton Oilers (on Saturday)	Nathan MacKinnon (League-leading points/goals), Cale Makar	Mackenzie Blackwood is the expected starter (second straight back-to-back start).
Vancouver Canucks	8-8-0 (16 Pts)	W 4-3 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (on Saturday)	Evander Kane, Brock Boeser, Quinn Hughes	Jiri Patera is the unconfirmed but likely starter as Thatcher Demko is getting maintenance rest.

Key Storylines

• Avalanche Offensive Juggernaut: Colorado is coming off a massive 9-1 win and leads the league in points. The offense is firing on all cylinders, led by Nathan MacKinnon (on an 8-game point streak) and Cale Makar. They’re a high-scoring team (2nd in Goals For/Game) with top-tier defense (1st in Goals Against/Game) and penalty kill (4th).
• Canucks’ Tough Task: Vancouver managed a much-needed win last night against Columbus but now faces arguably the toughest team in the league. They will need to bring their “A-game” to stop the Avalanche’s powerful offense, which is a major challenge, especially with a likely backup goalie starting.
• Goaltending Edge: The Canucks are managing the workload of star goalie Thatcher Demko (who is not expected to play), likely giving the nod to either Kevin Lankinen or the recalled Jiri Patera. The Avalanche are also playing their backup, Mackenzie Blackwood, due to the back-to-back situation.
  • Thatcher Demko, who previously engineered a 3-0 shutout against the Avalanche last season , will not be available.
  • Demko is being held out of the lineup due to “preventative maintenance” or an undisclosed injury, having only participated in skating drills on Saturday morning but not dressing for the game. 
  • His absence entirely nullifies Vancouver’s single most important advantage—the capacity for a goaltender to single-handedly steal a game against superior competition.

Injury Notes

• Avalanche: Key players out include Samuel Girard (upper body, day-to-day) and Joel Kiviranta (lower body, indefinitely). Logan O’Connor (hip) is nearing a return.
• Canucks: Vancouver’s depth has been significantly compromised by multiple injuries affecting their middle-six forward core and defense.
  • Key players currently out include Nils Höglander (Long-Term Injured Reserve due to an ankle injury sustained in the preseason), Filip Chytil (Injured Reserve due to concussion protocol), Jonathan Lekkerimäki (Injured Reserve, upper body), and Teddy Blueger (Injured Reserve, lower body). 
  • The absence of these players strains the team’s ability to maintain pace against high-tempo opponents and necessitates greater reliance on the top lines.

Avalanche Strengths and Key Players

The Avalanche have only one regulation loss this season and average nearly four goals per game (3.93). Cale Makar continues his hot streak with points in nine consecutive games, and Colorado’s depth has shown with multiple players contributing offensively in recent wins. Their defense is equally impressive, ranking at the top of the league, allowing just 2.40 goals per game, and holding the best penalty kill percentage at 90.5%.

Canucks Trends and Standouts

The Canucks, meanwhile, swept the season series against Colorado last year but have struggled recently, conceding four or more goals in three of their last four matches. Their penalty kill and defensive play have been among the weakest in the NHL—ranking 29th on the penalty kill and 25th in goals allowed per game. Conor Garland leads Vancouver in scoring this season with 12 points, followed by Elias Pettersson and Kiefer Sherwood.

Some Thoughts

The back-to-back games marginally relieve the certainty of a high-scoring game but does little to change Colorado’s fundamental competitive advantage.

The special teams matchup represents the most significant tactical vulnerability for the Vancouver Canucks in this contest. Vancouver’s Penalty Kill (PK%) is struggling severely, running at a highly concerning 69.81%. Vancouver’s Power Play (PP%) of 18.00% is statistically unacceptable for an NHL team hoping to make the 2026 NHL playoffs.

Despite strong performances from the core forwards, the depth makes offensive production difficult. The projected lines for Vancouver feature notable movement, particularly in the top six, but the multiple injuries affecting their middle-six forward core have limited the Canucks ability to compete.

It is, what it is.

Vancouver played an outstanding game last night, considering the “cards they’ve been dealt”, and they hung on for an outstanding win to please the home crowd and the Canucks fan base.

With all the adversity the Canucks are facing on paper, let’s hope for a similar game against the Avalanche tonight and put our collective energies behind them to urge them on.

The game hasn’t been written yet, may the Canucks provide another glorious ending!

Until next time, hockey fans

Source: nhl.com