The Vancouver Canucks are back in action on Saturday night when the St. Louis Blues come to town for a 4:00 p.m. matchup on Hockey Night in Canada.
Saturday’s game will be the third game of the season between the Blues and Canucks, with each team picking up a win in the season series.
Aatu Räty has picked up a point in each game against the Blues this season. Räty scored his fourth goal of the season on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers and has won 64.3% of his faceoffs over his last eight games. Räty is looking to make his mark on the game with his strong work in the dot, and he has been adding more physicality of late, landing 13 hits over his last three games.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Blues sit seven points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference with their 27-30-11 record. It’s a battle for the final Wild Card spot in the west, but the Blues are making a push to get into contention.
- They have gone 6-2-2 in their last 10 games.
- Three Blues players have been a point-per-game or higher over their last 10 games. Jimmy Snuggerud and Robert Thomas have five goals and seven goals apiece, while Dylan Holloway has four goals and six assists.
- The Blues have 10 players who have scored double-digit goals this season.
- Thomas is the leading scorer on the Blues with 45 points (16g-29a) in 51 games played.
- Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer have each made 34 starts this season. Hofer has much better numbers this season; he has a 17-11-5 record with a .908% save percentage, 2.65 goals-against average, and five shutouts. Binnington has a 10-19-6 record, .871% save percentage, 3.47 goals-against average, and one shutout.
- The Blues have been outscored 113-88 on the road this season.
- Their power play ranks 28th in the league, converting on 16.6% of their power plays.
- St. Louis’ penalty kill matches their power play, sitting 28th in the league. They are killing off 75.9% of their penalties this season.
The Story: Rossi’s Scoring Streak and Line Chemistry
Since the assembly of the BRÖ line, Marco Rossi has been on a bit of a heater.
The young centreman has nine points in his last four games. That is the most points he has scored in any four-game stretch of his career.
Over their last four games, the newly assembled line of Rossi, Öhgren and Boeser has been on the ice for five goals scored and three goals against.
They have created 20 scoring chances and allowed 15 against in that time.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Marco Rossi: 3g-6a-9p
Brock Boeser: 1g-6a-7p
Liam Öhgren: 1g-2a-3p
Elias Pettersson: 2g-0a-2p
Evander Kane, Linus Karlsson, Drew O’Connor, Filip Hronek: 1g-1a-2p
When and Where to Watch
Saturday’s game is at 4:00 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.
