The Vancouver Canucks will wrap up their four-game homestand with the Winnipeg Jets in town for an all-Canadian matchup on Tuesday night at Rogers Arena.
Tuesday’s game will be the first battle of the season between the Canucks and Jets.
The Canucks have gone 1-1-1 on their current homestand, and resiliency has been the key word from head coach Adam Foote when speaking of what he likes from the team.
“Guys are trying, they’re resilient, and we’ve got a lot of young guys playing situations that the reps will help them through as the year goes by,” said Foote.
“We’ve got seven guys in that lineup right now that are playing bigger minutes than they anticipated, and they’re doing a hell of a job, and they’ve been really resilient. That’s the positives we’re going to take out of it, and we’ll get through this.”
Winnipeg comes into the game in the middle of their longest road trip of the season. They will play six of the seven Pacific Division teams during this trip, and lost the first three games, as they were swept by the California teams.
Despite a three-game losing streak, the Jets remain a strong foe with a 9-6-0 record on the season.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The biggest story with the Winnipeg Jets is often between the pipes. Connor Hellebuyck is off to another strong start despite his 6-5-0 record. The 32-year-old netminder has a .922% save percentage and a 2.30 goals-against average through 11 starts.
- Veteran Mark Scheifele has had a hot start to the season and has nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in 15 games. The 32-year-old has 825 points in 894 career games. He has had seven seasons where he is a point-per-game player.
- The Jets have been strong on the penalty kill this season and rank sixth in the league with their 86.9% kill rate.
- They are eighth in the league in faceoff percentage (52.7%), and Jonathan Toews has been their best man in the dot this season, winning 62.7% of his draws.
- Defenceman Josh Morrissey is averaging 24:25 of ice time per game. He’s nearly at a point per game this season with two goals and 11 assists for 13 points in 15 games.
- Kyle Connor is far and away the most popular shooter on the team. He has 58 shots on net this season, ranking him ninth in the league for shots per 60 minutes played. He has 19 more shots than the next closest Jets player.
The Story: Three's Company
Jake DeBrusk, Evander Kane, and Brock Boeser each have three goals in the last four games.
The trio of wingers have been shooting the puck a ton over the past few games and are all starting to find the back of the net from their efforts.
Boeser leads the crowd with seven goals on the season. He has scored six of his goals at even strength and has added one on the power play.
Kane (51) and DeBrusk (49) lead the team in shots on net this season. Each of them has had a 10-shot game this year.
Another player on a hot streak to note is Drew O’Connor, who scored his fourth goal in his last five games on Sunday night when he scored his first shorthanded goal as a Canuck.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Drew O’Connor: 4g-1a-5p
Brock Boeser: 3g-2a-5p
Evander Kane: 3g-1a-4p
Aatu Räty: 1g-3a-4p
Jake DeBrusk: 3g-0a-3p
When and Where to Watch
Tuesday’s game is at 7:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch the game on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
