The Vancouver Canucks are back at Rogers Arena for their longest homestand of the season and will play the Edmonton Oilers in an all-Canadian matchup on Saturday night.
This will be the third matchup of the season between the two Canadian clubs; each team has won its home game in the previous two matchups.
Saturday’s game at Rogers Arena is the final game of Hockey Day in Canada. All seven Canadian teams are in action, and three games will feature Canadian teams facing off against each other.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Oilers currently sit second in the Pacific Division with a 23-17-8 record.
- Saturday’s game will be the first game of a back-to-back for the Oilers, who host the St. Louis Blues on Sunday to begin an eight-game homestand.
- They are 12-11-4 on the road this season and 11-1-2 when scoring the first goal of the game away from home.
- Connor McDavid leads the NHL with 82 points in 48 games this season.
- McDavid leads the Oilers with 30 goals, while Leon Draisaitl sits in second on the team with 25 of his own.
- Burnaby’s own Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will play in his 999th NHL game on Saturday.
- The Oilers have the league’s top power play, clicking at 33.% this season.
- They are the 24th-ranked team at five-on-five, being outscored 110-95 this season.
- Former Canuck Vasily Podkolzin leads the Oilers with 142 hits this season, ranking 11th in the league.
The Story: Time to Brock on Saturday Night
Brock Boeser scored in the Canucks’ last game, and there is no better team for the forward to continue potting some goals.
Through 35 games, Brock Boeser has 19 goals against the Oilers. He has scored more goals against the Oilers than any other team in the league.
Boeser spoke following Thursday’s loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets about what the team need to do to get out of their funk.
“The only way to get out of these tough times is hard work, and our team needs to understand that. It starts in practice, starts off the ice. Having an understanding of what our coaches want us to do, and go out there and execute it,” said Boeser
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Elias Pettersson: 2g-1a-3p
Brock Boeser: 1g-1a-2p
Linus Karlsson: 0g-2a-2p
Jake DeBrusk: 1g-0a-1p
Evander Kane: 1g-0a-1p
Max Sasson: 1g-0a-1p
When and Where to Watch
Saturday’s game is at 7:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch the game on Hockey Night in Canada or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
