spencer knight – CanucksBanter

Logos of the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks on an icy background, with 'CANUCKS BANTER' text at the center.

By Andrew Phillip Chernoff | CanucksBanter

November 05, 2025

The Vancouver Canucks will host the Chicago Blackhawks at Rogers Arena tonight.

The Canucks are coming off an overtime road win against Nashville, marking the start of a four-game homestand.

With a victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, the Vancouver Canucks would set a franchise record for most consecutive wins over a single opponent. The record is currently held at 11 straight wins and is shared by Chicago, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the San Jose Sharks.

Vancouver can become the fifth franchise to defeat the Blackhawks at least 12 straight times.

Recent performance analysis

Vancouver Canucks (7-7-0)

Offensive Depth: The Canucks have found ways to win recently despite numerous injuries. Brock Boeser and Evander Kane both scored twice in the latest win, showcasing their stepped-up offensive contributions.
Special Teams Concerns: The Canucks’ penalty kill has struggled significantly, while their power play has been more effective. In all situations outside of 5-on-5, Vancouver has a negative goal differential.
Defensive Weakness: The team has been out-chanced and outshot, relying heavily on goaltending. The upcoming homestand will test if this trend can be reversed.
Return of Hughes: The return of captain Quinn Hughes provides a major boost to the Canucks’ defense and power play, although the team is still dealing with other injuries.

Chicago Blackhawks (5-5-3)

Offensive Improvement: Chicago’s offense has shown recent life, scoring 32 goals in their last 10 games. Young star Connor Bedard is a key driver, having improved significantly in his third season.
Goaltending Stability: Goaltender Spencer Knight has provided a stabilizing presence in net for the Blackhawks.
Defensive Concerns: Despite improvements, the Blackhawks remain defensively porous and inexperienced overall.

Player spotlight

Canucks: Keep an eye on Quinn Hughes in his second game back from injury, and on the forward line chemistry with Elias Pettersson and others.
Blackhawks: The main threat is Connor Bedard, who leads Chicago in points. Containing him will be a priority for Vancouver.

Some Thoughts

The Canucks, with Quinn Hughes back, are looking to build on their road win to start their homestand strong against a historically favorable opponent.

However, their struggles with special teams and overall defensive structure outside of 5-on-5 play are areas of concern.

For the Blackhawks, improved play from Bedard and stable goaltending offer a chance to break their losing streak against Vancouver, but their overall defensive weaknesses could be exploited by the Canucks’ strengthened lineup.

Recent matchup: Canucks at Blackhawks (Oct 17, 2025)

The Canucks won 3-2 in a shootout in the last encounter, setting a franchise record for consecutive road wins against Chicago. This game could be a close one, with Vancouver’s special teams being a crucial factor.

Until next time, hockey fans

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