Following a 2-1-0 road trip through the Central Division, the Vancouver Canucks return to home ice on Wednesday, hosting the Chicago Blackhawks for their first game of a four-game homestand.
Quinn Hughes returned to the Canucks’ lineup on Monday after missing four games. He immediately made an impact, playing 28:04, having six shots on net, and blocking two shots.
Brock Boeser and Evander Kane each had a pair of goals in Monday’s win, including Boeser scoring the game-winning overtime goal in the final seconds of the extra frame.
Boeser is up to six goals on the season and has scored five of those goals at even strength.
Wednesday is Diwali night at Rogers Arena, and there will be a Party on the Plaza, a Diwali market, exclusive Diwali merchandise available in the team store, and more in-game entertainment throughout the night.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Blackhawks are in the middle of their longest road trip of the season. They will be hungry for a win, as they have begun the six-game road trip with three losses in Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Seattle.
- Through 13 games, the Blackhawks hold a 5-5-3 record and rank 16th in the league for both goals scored and goals allowed.
- North Vancouver’s Connor Bedard has been heating up of late and has four goals and five assists for nine points in his last five games. He leads the Blackhawks with 16 points (6g-10a) this season and is playing on a line with Ryan Greene and Andre Burakovsky.
- Bedard isn’t the only 20-year-old to have success for the Blackhawks this season. Defenceman Artyom Levshunov played 18 games last year and has already played a dozen games this season. The 2024 second-overall pick is averaging 15:12 of ice time per game and has collected five assists.
- The Blackhawks have run with 11 forwards and seven defencemen in many of their games this season.
- Spencer Knight has started nine of their 13 games this season. Knight has a 4-3-2 record with a .913% save percentage and a 2.62 goals-against average. Arvid Söderblom is the backup, and he has started four games this season, posting a 1-2-1 record with an .885% save percentage and a 3.04 goals-against average.
The Story: Willander’s Debut Week
The NHL comes at you fast and furious during the 2025-26 season, and 2023 first-round pick Tom Willander had a busy first week in the league.
At 20 years old, Willander made his NHL debut on October 28th and has played in four games over the past week.
The rookie picked up his first-ever point in the NHL with an assist on Brock Boeser’s goal on Monday in Nashville.
