U.S. Thanksgiving marker usually tells us which teams will be in the playoffs and which teams, hello Calgary, will be in the lottery
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Hockey loves it’s traditions, it’s clichés, it’s norms. So, with standard benchmarks we like to rate things, and Ben Kuzma did that yesterday taking a look at the Canucks as we’re a quarter of the way through the season (already!)
The Canucks jammed their first 20 games into 39 days, had a slog of five road games in eight days followed by three at home in four days. Rest and recovery became more crucial than practice because the Canucks were being taxed and had nine players sidelined by injury at one point.
A pre-season projection had the Canucks amassing 90 points with a 51 per cent chance of getting back to the playoffs. It’s more likely 96 points and that means a big run of 35-20-6 in remaining games. And with a league-worst penalty kill, bleeding goals simply has to stop.
Click the link and read how Ben judges how the team has performed offensively and defensively so far.
U.S. Thanksgiving, which arrives next week, is a mark where statistically we generally know what teams are, top contenders, playoff fodder or looking to the draft. There are outliers, the year the Blues won the Cup they were outside looking in at this juncture but put on a roaring show after the turn of the new year.
We’ll have our Canucks Fan Council weigh in on their thoughts so far this weekend so keep an eye for that, but at this point, there’s a lot of reflection on what the Canucks are. The Hockey News weighed in on five storylines of the season so far, including the dreadful penalty kill.
Feisty right winger Conor Garland returned to the ice Wednesday after missing one game.
Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat.
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He took exception to a crosscheck to the back behind the Lightning net on Sunday in Tampa Bay and was a willing participant in a scrap. He didn’t return for the third period. On Wednesday, he lined up with Brock Boeser and newcomer David Kampf in a testy session in complete with coaching F-bombs. Garland has 13 points (5-8) in 17 games.
Class was in session. It was back to the basics of learning to defend. The Canucks have allowed 77 goals, one behind the league worst by the St. Louis Blues. Vancouver is coughing up an average of 3.67 goals per outing. It has to stop bleeding goals.
Only highlight of that period was Conor Garland ducking and weaving to start his fight. Student of the fight game. pic.twitter.com/GSGmFTNipW
Lines, pairings at Wednesday practice:
Kane-Pettersson-Sherwood.
Boeser-Kampf-Garland.
DeBrusk-Raty-O’Connor.
Reichel-Sasson-Karlsson.
Hughes-Hronek.
M Pettersson-Myers.
E Pettersson-Willander.#Canucks
Canucks head coach Adam Foote cut to the chase after practice Wednesday.
He knows you don’t have to be a math major to see that lack of a total defending commitment is adding up to big trouble. If that isn’t bad enough, the Dallas Stars visit Thursday with a pair of snipers who have had their way with Vancouver.
The Stars have earned points in five of their last six games played against the Canucks (4-1-1) dating back to Dec. 21, 2023. Dallas’ 105 points against Vancouver at Rogers Arena rank fourth among all NHL teams.
Big winger Mikko Rantanen enters Thursday with the second longest active point streak against the Canucks among all active NHL skaters, earning 14 points (9-5) in 10 games played. In 22 career games versus Vancouver. Rantanen has 33 points (17-16), earning points in all but three games.
Rantanen’s 1.50 points-per-game average ranks fourth among active NHL skaters who have played Vancouver at least 10 times in their career.
Victoria native Jamie Benn has 38 points (17-21) in 44 games against the Canucks, with a plus-minus rating of +6. Benn’s 38 points versus Vancouver are first among active Stars skaters and 13th among active NHL skaters. His five game-winning goals against them are tied for the third most among active NHL skaters.
“For me, it doesn’t matter who’s coming in,” Foote said after practice. “It’s our process and our thinking. They (Rantanen, Benn) are guys who like to play heavy on the walls and take the puck to the net. We’re going to have to be sharp. We have to get into guys early and mark them. Contain them and be aware of their threats.”
Just like at even strength, Vancouver’s penalty kill structure has been problematic this year. After finishing 2024-25 as one of the top penalty killing groups in the league, the Canucks find themselves at the bottom in 2025-26, having killed just 67.1% of their penalties. For reference, if the campaign ended today, Vancouver would set the NHL’s record for worst penalty kill in a season.
Back-door scoring chances have been one of the biggest problems for the Canucks this year. Teams are able to spread Vancouver’s skaters out enough that lanes open up for cross-ice passes to open players standing in and around the crease. While the Canucks have some athletic goaltenders, these types of shots are extremely difficult to stop, which is why, when they do get stopped, they often end up on highlight reels.
At this point, the penalty kill is costing Vancouver points in the standings. The Canucks have only gone perfect on the kill six times this year, compared to nine times that they have been at 50% or lower. Ultimately, the penalty kill will be a massive storyline throughout the rest of the season as Vancouver looks to avoid being put in the record books for the wrong reason.
ESPN doesn’t think much of the Canucks chances. They’ve done a look ahead to the playoffs with four categories, locks, work to do, long shots and lottery teams. Guess where they have Vancouver? Yep, the lottery.
Vancouver Canucks
Record: 9-10-2, 20 points
Playoff chances: 0.4%
Quinn Hughes is a rather important player for the Canucks. Despite missing a handful of games, he led the team in scoring with 20 points in 16 appearances, including 10 points in three games recently. He’s averaging well over 26 minutes per game in ice time, including nearly five minutes per game on the power play. He has been incredible, again.
If only he had a little more help. Injuries (especially to centre Filip Chytil) and ineffectiveness have created a team that’s 30th in expected goals percentage at 5-on-5 and underwater on shot attempts (44.7 per cent). There have been some real offensive highlights — Kiefer Sherwood’s goal explosion, Elias Pettersson getting near a point-per-game pace again — and there have been some lowlights, such as Evander Kane’s start (three goals in 21 games).
Cause for concern: The Canucks’ penalty kill ranked last in the NHL heading into Tuesday night, at a putrid 67 per cent rate. They’ve given up a power-play goal in 15 games, and multiple ones in eight games. Getting Teddy Blueger back from injury will help, but the team is feeling the offseason departures of Pius Suter and Dakota Joshua. Of course, having a healthy Thatcher Demko in goal would help, too.
We want to know what you think, are the Canucks a playoff team, comment below.
Up next are the Dallas Stars at Rogers Arena. The Canucks schedule lightens up a bit after this so hopefully they can build some momentum.
Dallas Stars (12-5-3, in the Central Division) vs. Vancouver Canucks (9-10-2, in the Pacific Division)
Vancouver, B.C.; Thursday, 7 p.m., TV: SNET, Radio: Rogers 650
BOTTOM LINE: The Dallas Stars visit the Vancouver Canucks after Jason Robertson scored two goals in the Stars’ 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders.
Vancouver has a 9-10-2 record overall and a 3-5-1 record on its home ice. The Canucks have a 2-5-0 record in games their opponents serve fewer penalty minutes.
Dallas is 12-5-3 overall and 6-1-2 in road games. The Stars are 10-2-1 in games they score at least three goals.
The teams play Thursday for the second time this season. The Canucks won 5-3 in the previous meeting.
TOP PERFORMERS: Quinn Hughes has one goal and 19 assists for the Canucks. Kiefer Sherwood has six goals and three assists over the last 10 games.
Robertson has 11 goals and 14 assists for the Stars. Miro Heiskanen has one goal and 12 assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Canucks: 4-4-2, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.2 assists, 4.3 penalties and 11.3 penalty minutes while giving up four goals per game.
Stars: 6-2-2, averaging 3.6 goals, seven assists, 3.3 penalties and eight penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
And of course we aren’t the only ones grading the Canucks. Iain MacIntyre did a report card of the Canucks at the quarter mark for Sportsnet.
As a spectacle, the Vancouver Canucks’ opening quarter of the National Hockey League season was a lot more like “Survivor” than “The Great Race.”
… Head coach Adam Foote has regularly used a lineup that includes a half-dozen players promoted this season from the minors, and general manager Patrik Allvin, unable so far to trade for the top-six centre the Canucks have been seeking since the end of last season, has bought inexpensive lottery tickets on acquisitions Lukas Reichel and David Kampf.
… And have they survived? Well, ask us in another 20 games. On raw points, the Canucks were only two out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference as they arrived home Tuesday from a .500 road trip that ended with an 8-5 loss to the Florida Panthers. But all eight playoff teams sat at .600 or better, while Vancouver’s winning percentage of .476 was ahead of only three teams in the conference.
But they’re still in the fight.
Most encouraging development: Offence picking up
Most concerning development: Blue-liners not meeting expectations
Top-six forwards: Grade B
It’s difficult to categorize some Canuck forwards in tiers because injuries have forced players up the lineup. But if we take the six forwards with the most ice time — Pettersson, Conor Garland, Brock Boeser, Evander Kane, Kiefer Sherwood and Jake DeBrusk — all have been solid to excellent.
First-quarter awards:
MVP: Kiefer Sherwood
Most Improved Player: Drew O’Connor
Best Defensive Player: C Elias Pettersson
Thomas Drance of The Athletic weights in with:
We’re now a quarter of the way into the 2025-26 season and, frankly, I’m not precisely sure what this Canucks team’s identity is, or even what it’s intended to look like. I think they’re supposed to be an aggressive defensive team that leans on goaltending while basing the offensive attack on rush counterattacks, but their defensive aggressiveness is being exploited by their opponents far more than it’s denying them zone time, and the rush chances are few and far between, even if the Canucks are converting on them at a sky-high clip.
Frank Seravalli bullish on the Canucks
I’m actually relatively bullish on the Canucks that they’ve been able to keep their head above water, been able to hang in the race…Now that Thatcher Demko is out for a little bit it all hinges on whether or not Elias Pettersson can get back to being a 100-point player. And I don’t want to alarm anyone, but he’s taking some significant steps in the right direction.
In the last handful of games he’s got eight points in his last four, three goals in the last four and this road trip has seemingly been really good for him. So if Elias Petterssoncan get to the level that we all know that he can, if he can find a way back there methodically brick by brick, well I think there are brighter days ahead for the Vancouver Canucks. Because every conversation becomes a little bit easier to have: There’s less pressure if it’s possible on this team to go out and find that number two centre if he’s carrying the load. Perhaps you need to spend less or be a little bit less aggressive in that acquisition. It makes every facet of your game a little bit easier, because he’s drawing matchups you’re finding spots where you know other players can break through.
And so when I look at the grades for the Vancouver Canucks for this season, I’m weighting this a little bit on a positive trend that we’ve seen. I’m grading on a curve so to speak for what we’ve seen from Elias Pettersson over these last handful of games.
That this second half of this quarter the last 10 games or so has been a lot better in my view. He can’t just be a Selke Trophy candidate. He needs to be a guy that is putting points on the board and I think we’ve gotten a lot more of that of late from Pettersson.
Check back for more Canucks news throughout the day …
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