Linus Karlsson – Page 2

Graphic featuring hockey jerseys representing the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks, along with a hockey puck and ice rink design. The background is divided with orange and blue colors.

By Andrew Phillip Chernoff | CanucksBanter

October 26, 2025

The Vancouver Canucks host the Edmonton Oilers tonight in a Pacific Division showdown at Rogers Arena, with puck drop set for 7 p.m. PDT. This is a key divisional matchup as both teams aim to build momentum after uneven starts to the season.

Vancouver Canucks (4-5-0) Outlook

Vancouver enters the contest on a 3-game losing streak, having most recently blown a 2–0 lead in a 4–3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

Conor Garland continues to pace the Canucks in scoring with 9 points and 6 assists, while Elias Pettersson added two helpers in that loss against Montreal for 7 points on the season.

However, the Canucks’ scoring depth is hampered by injuries to forwards Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Teddy Blueger, Nils Höglander, and Filip Chytil.

Vancouver’s power play has struggled at just 16.1% efficiency — 25th in the NHL — and their faceoff percentage is 31st in the league at 42%. The penalty kill is 73.5% for 22nd in the NHL.

Coach Adam Foote has emphasized to his team of staying resilient through a gruelling early-season schedule and an injury stretch at this juncture.

A scoreboard displaying the standings of the Pacific Division in the NHL, showing the rankings, games played, wins, losses, overtime losses, points, and goal differentials for each team. — nhl.com

Edmonton Oilers (4-4-1) Preview

The Oilers are coming off a 3–2 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, where defensive lapses in transition cost them key goals.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch noted his team has generated strong scoring chances but must tighten up off the rush. Edmonton’s special teams remain a bright spot: their power play has scored in three straight games, led by Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse, while Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Mattias Ekholm each carry multi-game point streaks.

Connor McDavid, despite generating over 3.6 expected goals this season, he has struggled to finish, converting only 4.5% of shots — far below his career average of nearly 15% and the league average this season of 12.7% for forwards — and is viewed as due for a breakout game against Vancouver.

Key Stats & Matchup Trends

Infographic comparing the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers team statistics for the regular season, including power play percentage, penalty kill percentage, face-off percentage, goals for per game, and goals against per game. — nhl.com

Expect Vancouver to lean on Thatcher Demko for stability in goal tonight, while Calvin Pickard likely starts for the Oilers.

Special teams and puck management will decide whether the Canucks can halt their multiple game losing streak or if Edmonton’s stars capitalize on defensive lapses and hand Vancouver their fourth consecutive loss en route to the basement of the Pacific Division.

OILERS (4-4-1) at CANUCKS (4-5-0)

07 p.m. PDT; SN1, SNP

Oilers projected lineup

Andrew Mangiapane — Connor McDavid — Jack Roslovic

Vasily Podkolzin — Leon Draisaitl — Matthew Savoie

Adam Henrique — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Isaac Howard

Trent Frederic — Noah Philp — David Tomasek

Mattias Ekholm — Evan Bouchard

Darnell Nurse — Jake Walman

Brett Kulak — Ty Emberson

Calvin Pickard

Stuart Skinner

Scratched: Curtis Lazar, Troy Stecher

Injured: Zach Hyman (wrist), Mattias Janmark (undisclosed), Kasperi Kapanen (knee), Alec Regula (undisclosed)

Canucks projected lineup

Jake DeBrusk — Elias Pettersson — Conor Garland

Evander Kane — Lukas Reichel — Brock Boeser

Drew O’Connor — Aatu Raty — Kiefer Sherwood

Arshdeep Bains — Max Sasson — Linus Karlsson

Quinn Hughes — Filip Hronek

Marcus Pettersson — Tyler Myers

Elias Nils Pettersson — Victor Mancini

Thatcher Demko

Kevin Lankinen

Scratched: Kirill Kudryavtsev, Nils Aman, P.O. Joseph

Injured: Filip Chytil (concussion protocol), Jonathan Lekkerimaki (upper body), Teddy Blueger (lower body), Nils Hoglander (lower body), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)

Status report

Neither team held a morning skate. … Pickard is expected to start after Skinner made 20 saves in a 3-2 loss at the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. … Howard started the game in Seattle on the top line but was replaced by Roslovic in the third period. … The only expected change for the Canucks is Demko starting after Lankinen made 20 saves in a 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. … Kudryavtsev, a defenseman, was recalled from Abbotsford of the American Hockey League on Sunday, but there was no indication if he would play. Forward Joseph LaBate was sent to Abbotsford.

Source: nhl.com

Logos of the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks superimposed over an ice rink background.

By Andrew Phillip Chernoff | CanucksBanter

October 18, 2025

The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in a shootout in a hard-fought contest. This victory marked the Canucks’ second straight win and extended their dominant streak over the Blackhawks.

Playing on the second night of a back-to-back after defeating the Dallas Stars 5-3, Vancouver once again orchestrated a rally to come back from a 2-0 deficit. The win improved Vancouver’s record to 3-2-0 and extended their winning streak against Chicago to 11 straight games.

The Blackhawks registered on the scoreboard first but lacked the same effort of the initial period in the middle frame, eventually taking a heartbreaking loss to go 2-2-2 on the season, snapping a two-game win streak.

Pacific Division Record (as of October 18, 2025)

Table displaying the Pacific Division standings in the NHL, showing games played, wins, losses, overtime losses, points, goals for, goals against, and last 10 game performance.

Blackhawks Take Early Lead

Chicago jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Ryan Donato (power-play goal, assisted by Andre Burakovsky and Artyom Levshunov) and Tyler Bertuzzi (rebound goal, assisted by Sam Rinzel).

Canucks Battle Back

Vancouver rallied in the second period, tying the game at 2-2.

Jake DeBrusk, celebrating his 29th birthday, scored a power-play goal at 6:49 of the second period (assisted by Conor Garland and Quinn Hughes).
Max Sasson tied the game with a tap-in at 6:18 remaining in the period (assisted by Filip Hronek and Linus Karlsson).

Controversial Call

Late in the third period, a potential go-ahead goal by Chicago’s Tyler Bertuzzi was waved off for goaltender interference. The Blackhawks challenged the call, but it was upheld after a review, keeping the score tied. This was a major talking point post-game, with Blackhawks players and coaches expressing frustration over the ambiguity of the rule.

The Goaltenders

The game remained locked through a scoreless third period and overtime.

Kevin Lankinen (VAN), playing against his former team, was a standout with 31 saves and a perfect performance in the shootout.
Spencer Knight (CHI) also played well, stopping 30 shots in regulation and overtime.

Shootout Winner

After seven combined shooters failed to score, Brock Boeser ended the shootout in the fourth round, sniping a shot past Spencer Knight for the Canucks win.

Key Player Performances

Vancouver Canucks
- Jake DeBrusk: 1 goal (power play), 10 shots, 21:32 TOI. His chip-in goal sparked the comeback.
- Max Sasson: 1 goal, his second in two nights, in just 8:17 TOI.
- Brock Boeser: Shootout winner, 3 shots, 23:27 TOI.
- Quinn Hughes: 1 assist, led all skaters with 30:08 TOI.
- Teddy Blueger: Made his season debut after injury, playing 12:57 and finishing minus-1.
Chicago Blackhawks
- Tyler Bertuzzi: 1 goal, 6 shots, 19:02 TOI; had a goal disallowed in the third.
- Ryan Donato: 1 power-play goal, 3 shots.
- Connor Bedard: No points but 4 shots and 25:01 TOI, with 4 penalty minutes.

Game Stats

At The Buzzer

Canucks

Vancouver’s comeback showcased their depth and grit, particularly on a challenging back-to-back road trip.
The team’s ability to rally after a sluggish first period—attributed to travel fatigue—highlights improved conditioning and coaching adjustments under Adam Foote.
The second-period surge highlighted their offensive depth and ability to capitalize on the power play.
Offensively, contributions from DeBrusk, Sasson, and Boeser balanced the load, while Lankinen’s goaltending was the backbone, especially in high-pressure moments.
However, early concessions (allowing 2-0 leads in recent games) remain a concern, as Foote noted the need for stronger starts and more net-front battles.
Goaltending from Kevin Lankinen was dominating, especially in the shootout, where he shut down all four Blackhawks attempts. His strong performance was crucial to securing the extra point.

Blackhawks

For Chicago, the game exposed vulnerabilities in maintaining leads. A hot start with efficient scoring (high shooting percentage early in the season) was not present for the Hawks, allowing Vancouver to dictate play.
Young stars like Bedard and Bertuzzi generated chances, but defensive lapses and poor power-play execution (1/7) left them hanging.
The disallowed goal was the turning point, shifting momentum, and deflating the home team.
The line of Ryan Donato, Jason Dickinson, and Ilya Mikheyev was a thorn in the side of the Canucks all game.
Overall, the Blackhawks show promise with their youth movement but needed better consistency to close out games against resilient opponents like Vancouver.

5-GAME ROAD TRIP CONTINUES