The Vancouver Canucks head east this weekend for one of their toughest stretches of the season, opening a road back-to-back Friday against the New York Islanders before closing it out Saturday against the Boston Bruins. Despite sitting last in the overall NHL standings with a 13-17-3 record, the Canucks’ season has quietly begun to take a more encouraging turn. Vancouver currently carries the second-highest odds at +400 to finish with the league’s worst record, but recent trends suggest that may not be the team’s true trajectory for the season. Since trading away longtime captain Quinn Hughes, the Canucks have not lost a game as they've rattled off consecutive wins, including impressive victories over the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers. The wins signaled a renewed sense of belief inside a locker room that has gone through the ringer this season. A split in this weekend’s difficult back-to-back could further reinforce the idea that the Canucks are beginning to move in the right direction. Early-season injuries played a major role in Vancouver’s struggles, but the roster is steadily healing. Star center Elias Pettersson is expected to return soon, a significant boost for a team that has already gained depth through recent transactions. Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger remain on injured reserve, but both are projected to return later, adding even more balance to the lineup. The Canucks have already welcomed back Nils Höglander, and his return has helped stabilize a forward group that now features impact across all four lines. Vancouver’s top unit has flown somewhat under the radar, with newly acquired Marco Rossi centering Conor Garland and Brock Boeser. Behind them is a physically imposing trio featuring Evander Kane and Kiefer Sherwood, with Max Sasson anchoring the middle. The bottom six has also shown noticeable bite with Höglander and Jake DeBrusk bringing energy to the third line, while recent acquisition Liam Öhgren has made an early impression, scoring his first goal just two games into his Canucks tenure. On the blue line, the loss of Hughes initially appeared devastating, but Vancouver’s revamped defense has responded. Rookie Zeev Buium has injected immediate energy, stepping into a second-pair role and earning time on the top power-play unit. Marcus Pettersson and Filip Hronek now form the top pairing, a duo with a proven history that could stabilize the back end. In net, the return of former All-Star Thatcher Demko has further strengthened Vancouver’s outlook, giving the team a reliable presence in goal as it looks to climb the standings. With the Canucks sitting just eight points out of a playoff spot, the conversation around their season is beginning to shift. Rather than focusing on where Vancouver might finish, some betting sharps are starting to ask a different question in could this team become a surprise contender down the stretch? The Canucks are currently listed with +900 odds to make the playoffs and over the next few weeks they'll see favorable matchups against the Sabres, Sharks and Kraken twice. All betting lines are from BetMGM Sportsbook [https://www.on.betmgm.ca/en/sports/hockey-12/betting/usa-9/nhl-34] and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly. Sign up with BetMGM [https://www.on.betmgm.ca/en/p/promotions/sports/first-bet-offer], make a deposit, and place your first wager on any game using your First Bet Offer token. If that bet with the token applied loses, you’ll get your original stake paid back in Bonus Bets, up to $1,500! Get in the game today with BetMGM. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/7580a307-e387-4cc9-86ee-6eeb7a5cf1a7.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
