Following their two-game road trip through California, the Vancouver Canucks are back on home ice at Rogers Arena to face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday with a 4:00 p.m. puck drop.
Since 2006, Vancouver has dominated the visiting Toronto team. The Canucks are 18-2-1 in their last 21 games against the Leafs on home soil.
Elias Pettersson comes into Saturday’s game riding a six-game point streak. He has 16 points through 15 games and is averaging 20:04 of ice time per game. Pettersson also sits second in the NHL for blocked shots this season with 16.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Leafs come into the game on a two-game losing streak, and this Saturday will be the final stop of their four-game road trip through the Pacific Division.
- They are 7-6-2 this season and sit sixth in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division.
- It looks like former Canucks Dakota Joshua and Chris Tanev will be returning to the lineup for the Leafs on Saturday. Joshua hasn’t played a game this season, while Tanev last played on October 10th.
- The Leafs have scored a league-high 56 goals this season; Auston Matthews leads the way with 10 goals.
- They are 4-1-2 when scoring the first goal of the game and are 5-0-1 when taking a lead into the third period.
- Kirill Marchenko has now played 14 games with the Leafs and has six goals and eight assists for 14 points. He had a hat trick on October 15th against the Buffalo Sabres.
- Darren Raddysh leads the Leafs in average ice time per game. He is playing 23:47 per game this season. Matthews is second on the team, playing 20:37 per game.
The Story: Quillan Coming Up
Newly acquired Canuck Jacob Quillan got the call-up Friday afternoon after Filip Chytil was placed on injured reserve.
Quillan has had a strong start since the Canucks got him in a trade on October 15th. He has scored five goals and added two assists for seven points in five games.
He is a versatile forward who can play centre and can be used on the wing if needed. His game is all about speed, and he won a National Championship with Quinnipiac in 2023 and a Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies last year.
Canucks' Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Jonathan Lekkerimäki: 4g-2a-6p
Elias Pettersson: 1g-5a-6p
Brock Boeser: 2g-3a-5p
Filip Hronek: 1g-4a-5p
Zeev Buium: 0g-3a-3p
Jake DeBrusk: 0g-3a-3p
When and Where to Watch
Saturday’s game starts at 4:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on KiSS West Coast.
