The Vancouver Canucks near the conclusion of their eight-game homestand, as the Anaheim Ducks come to town on Tuesday night to make their second visit to Rogers Arena this season.
Tuesday’s game will be the third of the season between the Canucks and the Ducks. The last time these two teams met, Nikita Tolopilo was stellar between the pipes, stopping all 32 shots he faced in a 2-0 win. He didn’t record his first career shutout in the game, as he was pulled from the concussion spotters, and Kevin Lankinen had to come in for 2:11 of action, in which he made one save.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Ducks currently lead the Pacific Division with a 39-27-4 record.
- Tuesday’s game begins a three-game road trip through the Canadian Pacific Division teams.
- Anaheim has reeled off back-to-back wins over the Utah Mammoth (4-1) and Buffalo Sabres (6-5 OT).
- They are 16-17-2 on the road this season.
- Cutter Gauthier leads the Ducks with 36 goals and 62 points this season. Nine of his 36 goals have come on the power play.
- Gauthier is tied with Connor McDavid for second in the league in shots on net (257). He is averaging 3.7 shots on net per game.
- Lukas Dostal is sixth in the league for most starts (47). He holds a 28-15-3 record this season.
- The Ducks added veteran defenceman John Carlson to their backend at the trade deadline. He has played in four games with the Ducks and is averaging 23:46 of ice time per game.
- Leo Carlsson, Troy Terry, and Ryan Poehling have two shorthanded goals apiece.
- Tim Washe has been dynamite in the faceoff circle for the Ducks this season. He has played in only 27 games and is typically in a fourth-line role, but he has won 57.7% of his draws.
The Story: Pressure on the Forecheck
Monday’s practice focused heavily on the Canucks working on their forecheck. Head Coach Adam Foote wants to see a stronger push from his first two attacking forwards as they look to make breakouts tougher for the opposition.
“The F1 and F2 have to come on quicker. And push them, pressure them down ice. We were a little bit passive last game. Then they just get through the neutral and way too easy, and we can’t get our players off. So, we worked on that. That’ll help us spend less time in our end and more time in the other team’s end,” said Foote.
He noted that the Ducks are a rush team, and they know how to create offence from their rushes up ice. He sees an opportunity for his club to have quick-ups if they can take advantage of the aggressiveness from the Ducks’ defencemen.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Marco Rossi: 3g-7a-10p
Brock Boeser: 1g-6a-7p
Elias Pettersson: 2g-1a-3p
Filip Hronek: 2g-1a-3p
Liam Öhgren: 1g-2a-3p
When and Where to Watch
Tuesday’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.
