The Olympic break is over, and we are back to Vancouver Canucks hockey on Wednesday night, when the Winnipeg Jets come to town for an all-Canadian matchup at Rogers Arena.
Conor Garland spoke about the remaining 28 games of the season for the team and said it's a good audition for many of the young players, not only in games but also in how they approach practice.
Head Coach Adam Foote says his guys are ready to go, and he can see it in the intensity of their battle drills at practice. He had seen the group trend upwards through the past week of ramping up for game action and is ready to see them compete on Wednesday night.
Teddy Blueger had a strong finish before the Olympic break, picking up four goals and three assists for seven points in eight games. Blueger represented Latvia at the Olympics and picked up an assist in a 5-1 loss to Sweden in Latvia’s final game.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor are head and shoulders above the rest of the Jets for points this season. Scheifele leads his team with 27 goals and 68 points this season, while Connor has 25 goals and 64 points.
- Connor leads the Jets with 185 shots on net this season. He has attempted 325 shots this season, averaging 5.8 shot attempts per game.
- Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi are tied for the team lead with seven power play goals this season.
- The Jets’ power play ranks 20th in the league and is clicking at 19.1% this season.
- Jonathan Toews has won 61% of his faceoffs this season.
- It is uncertain if Connor Hellebuyck will be in net for the Jets on Wednesday, following his play at the Olympics. Eric Comrie is the backup, and has a 9-9-1 record, 3.07 goals-against average, and an .892% save percentage.
- Former Canuck Luke Schenn leads the Jets with 132 hits this season.
The Story: Shaking of the Rust
Jake DeBrusk spoke about the excitement of getting back into action against other teams following a week-long practice schedule.
“It’s nice to have that time to get practicing with the guys, getting some three-on-three drills, ramping it up. It’s new for all of us,” said DeBrusk about having a ' bye week’.
With the busy schedule this season, DeBrusk believes the group used this week as an opportunity to get valuable practice time and is looking forward to how the group will be coming out of the break.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Teddy Blueger: 2g-3a-5p
Liam Öhgren: 1g-2a-3p
Jake DeBrusk: 0g-3a-3p
Elias Pettersson: 0g-3a-3p
Conor Garland: 0g-3a-3p
When and Where to Watch
Wednesday’s game is at 7:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch the game on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
