The Vancouver Canucks are back in action on Saturday night for Hockey Night in Canada as the Columbus Blue Jackets come to town for the first matchup of the season between these two teams.
These two teams have had high-scoring games in each of their last seven matchups. There has been a minimum of seven goals scored in each of those last seven games, and an average of 8.3 goals scored.
Elias Pettersson has 10 goals in 11 games against Columbus, while Quinn Hughes has 15 points in his 10 games against them.
Saturday night is Hockey Fights Cancer night at Rogers Arena. This is the 27th season that the NHL is coming together to unite and fundraise for cancer research, to educate and empower more fans to learn about cancer risk factors and to take action to get screened for certain cancers.
You can join the fight and donate at V.org/hfc.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Blue Jackets come into Vancouver following a pair of losses to begin a five-game road trip. Their most recent outing was a 5-1 loss in Calgary against the Flames on Wednesday.
- Kirill Marchenko leads the Blue Jackets in goals (6) and points (13). The 25-year-old forward is coming off his first 30-goal season after notching 31 last year.
- Columbus is the only team in the NHL with double-digit goals from defencemen this season. They have 11 from their backend and 2025 Norris Trophy finalist Zach Werenski leads Blue Jackets’ defencemen with four goals.
- Werenski is their hottest player over the past five games. In that stretch, he has three goals and three assists for six points.
- Jet Greaves has made seven starts this season between the pipes. He has a 3-4-0 record with a .907% save percentage and a 2.89 goals-against average. Elvis Merzlikins has six starts, with a 4-2-0 record, a .917% save percentage, and a 2.98 goals-against average.
- Columbus has outscored their opponents 30-24 at five on five this season but it’s their special teams that are lacking. Their power play ranks 25th in the league with a 16.1% conversion rate while their penalty kill is 30th and is killing off 68.4% of their penalties.
The Story: Räty Rising Up
Aatu Räty knows his role on this Canucks’ roster, and he is beginning to find some offensive pop over the past few games.
The 22-year-old centre has picked up a goal and two assists over his past three games.
Räty is often called upon for big faceoffs in both the offensive and defensive zones and is expected to be hard on the forecheck and be able to create havoc for the opposition’s passing lanes.
So far this season, Räty is second on the team with 161 faceoffs taken and has won 57.1% of his draws. He is also throwing the body around a lot and sits second on the team with 36 hits.
His only two-goal game in the NHL came the last time the Canucks played against the Blue Jackets.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Evander Kane: 3g-1a-4p
Drew O’Connor: 2g-2a-4p
Aatu Räty: 1g-3a-4p
Kiefer Sherwood: 3g-0a-3p
Brock Boeser: 2g-1a-3p
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.
