The Vancouver Canucks hit the road for a pair of games against Canadian clubs, beginning with a matchup against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.
Thursday's game will be the first game between the Canucks and Jets this season. The two teams will meet three times this season, with games in February and April.
Jake DeBrusk scored a pair of goals Tuesday night and has been a strong performer in November throughout his NHL career. He has played 98 November games in his NHL career and has 38 goals, the most of any month.
Elias Pettersson picked up another pair of points on Tuesday, bringing his season total to 18 points in 17 games.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Jets enter Thursday’s game with a 5-8-3 record and snapped a nine-game winless streak (0-7-2) with a 5-4 overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens Tuesday night.
- Kyle Connor sits tied for second in the league with 13 goals this season. He has more than double the goals of the Jets’ second-highest goalscorer, Cole Perfetti (6). Connor has seven even-strength goals and six on the power play.
- The Jets’ power play sits 26th in the league, scoring on 17% of their opportunities. Connor and Perfetti are the only two players with a power play goal for the Jets this season.
- Star defenceman Josh Morrissey has been out since October 7th and is nearing a return to the lineup from his upper-body injury. He was in a non-contact jersey on Tuesday.
- Neal Pionk leads the Jets in ice time, averaging 24:04 per game. He has three goals and seven assists through 16 games.
- Stuart Skinner has started 11 of the Jets' 16 games this season. He has a 4-4-3 record, an .882% save percentage, and a 3.41 goals-against average.
The Story: Quillan is Checking Boxes
Jacob Quillan made a significant impact on Tuesday's game against the Anaheim Ducks. He was one of the more noticeable Canucks, even though he had only 10:31 of ice time.
The new Canuck had two fights, two hits, one scoring chance, and controlled the five-on-five shot share by a 5-2 count.
"He's endearing himself to the group for sure, just in terms of the way he competes and brings the tenacity that we expect out of him," said Head Coach Manny Malhotra in the postgame media availability.
"The fights aside, just his ability to create turnovers on the forecheck, but not just the energy aspect of it. He executes on breakouts. He makes plays in small areas, so there's definitely a skill aspect to it as well. But he's doing the things we're asking of him physically and forechecking-wise."
Canucks Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Brock Boeser: 3g-3a-6p
Elias Pettersson: 0g-6a-6p
Filip Hronek: 1g-4a-5p
Jonathan Lekkerimäki: 2g-2a-4p
Liam Öhgren: 3g-0a-3p
When and Where to Watch
Thursday’s game starts at 5:00 p.m. PCT, and you can watch on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on KiSS West Coast.
