The Vancouver Canucks return to Rogers Arena to begin a three-game homestand with the defending Stanley Cup Champions in town for a Tuesday night game.
Following a lengthy six-game road trip that began in Carolina, the Canucks are back on home soil and will face the Carolina Hurricanes for the second and final time this season.
Elias Pettersson enters Tuesday’s game on a point-per-game pace through the first 10 games of the season. He has scored three power play goals, is averaging three hits a game, and is leading all Canuck forwards in ice time with 19:33 per game.
Pettersson skated with Jake DeBrusk and Linus Karlsson at Monday’s practice. That trio has played just over 10 minutes of five-on-five as a line this season and has a 67.8% control of expected goals in their limited ice time.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- Carolina is 7-2-1 this season and leads the Metropolitan Division.
- The Hurricanes began a five-game road trip on Saturday with a 3-2 win in Winnipeg but then had their seven-game winning streak snapped on Sunday night in a 3-2 loss to the Calgary Flames.
- Sebastian Aho leads the team with six goals and 14 points in 10 games. He has three goals on the power play and one shorthanded.
- The Canes have been outscored 7-8 in first periods this season but have outscored their opponents 28-15 in the second and third periods.
- They lead the league in five-on-five shot share, with 246 shots for and 170 against.
- Their power play ranks eighth in the league, and their penalty kill sits in third.
- Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov have each made five starts this season. Kochetkov has had the stronger showing through the first handful of games, posting a 5-0-0 record with a .912% save percentage and 1.78 goals-against average.
- K’Andre Miller leads the Canes in ice time, averaging 22:24 per game.
The Story: Effort and Structure
Manny Malhotra spoke to the media on Monday as the team returned to Rogers Arena for practice. He was asked about his team working on their system and establishing their identity.
“When you look at the opponents that we had from Carolina to Florida to Tampa, teams that have established their structure and their team identity, and they stick to it, and obviously we continue to talk about this as a work in progress. But the quicker we get to our identity and establish what that identity is, the better things are going to look,” said Malhotra.
He also said the structure is part of the equation, but they need to focus on effort as they work on developing it.
“What we have to be more dialled in with is the identity of our group in terms of how hard we play the game. And structures are one thing, but in terms of winning puck battles and tenacity, and being in the right place, and winning races, and just being hungrier than your opposition, those are the types of things that have to be at the forefront of our game right now.”
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Brock Boeser: 1g-3a-4p
Linus Karlsson: 2g-1a-3p
Elias Pettersson (D): 2g-0a-2p
Jake DeBrusk: 1g-1a-2p
Elias Pettersson: 1g-1a-2p
When and Where to Watch
Tuesday’s game starts at 7:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on KiSS West Coast.
