The Vancouver Canucks play one final game ahead of the two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off and it is a doozy as the Toronto Maple Leafs come to town for an all-Canadian matchup between two of the most passionate fanbases in the league.
Saturday’s game is the feature game on Hockey Night in Canada and will be a 4:00 p.m. PT start time from Rogers Arena.
These two teams met one month ago, and the Canucks came out victorious in a game where the Canucks travelled the same day after being stuck in Carolina the night before. Kevin Lankinen stopped all 20 shots that he faced as he picked up his fourth shutout of the season.
Tyler Myers and Quinn Hughes had two points apiece in the win over Toronto and the team picked up the win without getting an opportunity on a single power play.
Saturday’s game is the fourth and final game of the Leafs’ four-game road trip through the Pacific Division. They have picked up wins against Calgary, Edmonton and Seattle over the past week and have alternated three-game winning and losing streaks through their past 12 games.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Leafs are 7-8-1 on Saturdays this season while the Canucks are 8-2-2.
- Mitch Marner is the leading point-getter for the Leafs this season and has picked up 16 goals while adding 55 assists for 71 points in 53 games played. Marner’s 71 points tie him for fourth in league scoring. Marner leads the Leafs in average time on ice this season, playing 21:32 per game.
- William Nylander leads his club with 33 goals this season. His 33 goals rank second in the league behind Leon Draisaitl, who has 38.
- Nylander and Marner are playing on John Tavares’ wings and the trio has only played 31:40 as a line at five-on-five this season.
- Joseph Woll has made 26 starts this season while Anthony Stolarz has made 18. Woll has a 19-10-0 record with a .909% save percentage and a 2.67 goals-against average. Stolarz has a 10-5-2 record with a .929% save percentage and a 2.08 goals-against average.
- The Leafs' power play ranks 10th in the league with a 23.5% conversion percentage. Nylander and Tavares have a tie for the team lead with eight goals apiece on the man-advantage.
- On the penalty kill, the Leafs rank 14th and have killed off 80.3% of their penalties.
- The Leafs are 20-5-1 when scoring first and 13-14-1 when their opposition notches the first goal of the game. They are 23-0-0 when bringing a lead into the third period.
- Their best period on the road has been the second period, where they are outscoring the opposition 32-24. The Leafs have also won all three road games that have gone to overtime this season.
The Story: Success against the Leafs at Rogers Arena
Saturday evenings with the Leafs in town always make for a fun night at Rogers Arena. It is even more fun when you look back at the Canucks’ success against the Leafs in recent memory.
The Canucks are 9-1-0 in their last 10 home games against the Leafs. They have held the Leafs to two or fewer goals in seven of their last 10 games at Rogers Arena. Brock Boeser is the only Canuck who has been in the lineup for each of those previous 10 home games and has 11 points through the stretch. Over his career, Boeser has scored six goals and added 13 assists for 19 points in 21 career games against Toronto.
The Leafs have two former Canucks in their defence corps with Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Chris Tanev patrolling the blue line. The Canucks have zero former Leafs in the lineup for Saturday’s game.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Jake DeBrusk: 2g-1a-3p
Pius Suter: 2g-1a-3p
Filip Hronek: 0g-3a-3p
Quinn Hughes: 0g-3a-3p
Tyler Myers: 0g-3a-3p
When and Where to Watch
Saturday’s game is a 4:00 p.m. PT start, and you can watch it on Hockey Night in Canada or listen along to the radio call with Brendan Batchelor on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
