The Vancouver Canucks are in the final stretch of their five-game road trip and have a second and final stop in California to face the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.
Wednesday night saw the Canucks pick up a 3-2 overtime win over the Los Angeles Kings, and the team is looking to keep the momentum going with a short trip down to Anaheim for their seventh back-to-back of the season.
Anaheim returned to action after the break with three road games in four nights. They posted a 1-1-1 record over those three games and are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.
These two teams will play three times before the season concludes and have met once, with the Canucks coming on top by a score of 5-1 on November 5th.
Quinn Hughes picked up three assists in that game, while Kiefer Sherwood and Brock Boeser each had a goal and an assist.
Jake DeBrusk and Conor Garland have scored two goals apiece in three games since the break, while Filip Chytil leads the team with 11 scoring chances over that stretch.
Troy Terry leads the Ducks with 42 points through 52 games played and leads all Ducks forwards in ice time – averaging 19:01 per game. Terry is in his eighth season with the Ducks and has a career-high 37 goals during the 2021-22 season. He is a two-time all-star and is 10th all-time for goals from a Ducks player.
Frank Vatrano and Ryan Strome join Terry on the Ducks’ top line, and that trio has outscored the opposition 25-21 through 493 minutes of play at five-on-five this season.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- 22-year-old Mason McTavish is fourth in scoring on the Ducks with 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points in 51 games. McTavish is 49.1% in the faceoff dot and plays on the second line with Leo Carlsson and Alex Killorn.
- The Ducks recently acquired goaltender Ville Husso, but he is down in the AHL. Lukas Dostal and Oskar Dansk are the two healthy goaltenders on the NHL roster while John Gibson is listed as day-to-day (upper body) after leaving Saturday’s game against the Bruins.
- Dostal has started 32 of the Ducks’ 57 games this season. He holds a 16-14-5 record with a .910% save percentage, 2.93 goals-against average, and has one shutout.
- Jackson LaCombe is the number one defenceman on the Ducks’ roster and averages 21:11 of ice time per game. LaCombe has been paired with Radko Gudas on the Ducks’ top pairing.
- The Ducks have four top-five picks on their roster with Leo Carlsson (2nd in 2023), Cutter Gauthier (5th in 2022), Mason McTavish (3rd in 2021), and Ryan Strome (5th in 2011).
The Story: Duck Hunters
The Canucks have beaten the Ducks in their last seven matchups, and many of the Canucks’ current leading scorers have been the driving forces in their games against the Pacific Division foe.
Elias Pettersson has seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points in his 18 career games against the Ducks.
Quinn Hughes has 17 points in 14 games, while Brock Boeser has six goals in 17 games.
Filip Hronek has three goals and five assists in 11 career games against the Ducks.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Jake DeBrusk: 2g-0a-2p
Conor Garland: 2g-0a-2p
Filip Hronek: 1g-1a-2p
Dakota Joshua: 1g-1a-2p
Elias Pettersson: 0g-2a-2p
Filip Chytil: 0g-2a-2p
When and Where to Watch
Thursday’s game is a 7:00 p.m. PT start, and you can watch it on Sportsnet or listen along to the radio call with Brendan Batchelor on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
