Vancouver Canucks At 60: Looking Back At The First 60 Games Of The 2023-24 Season
The Vancouver Canucks are 38-16-6 through their first 60 games of the 2023-24 season.
The Vancouver Canucks have continued their success into the 60 mark, tying their total wins from last year with 38. They are also the top team in the Western Conference and have an 11-point advantage over the Vegas Golden Knights in the Pacific Division. Here is a look at some of their statistics from the first 60 games of the 2024-24 season.
One of the reasons behind the Canucks success this year is that they are strong at both ends of the ice. They sit second in the league with 3.63 goals per game and seventh in goals against per game at 2.73. They also sit tenth in shots allowed per game at 29.6 and have a league-high shooting percentage of 12.9%. Their ability to score and limit the opportunities against has been crucial this season as they have developed into one of the most challenging teams to play against in the NHL.
As for special teams, Vancouver continues to improve their penalty kill but has struggled recently on the power play. Starting with the power play, they have slipped to 11th in the league as they only have two power play goals on 30 attempts in their last ten games. At the moment, the power play is the team's biggest weakness and needs to be sorted out if they want to go on a long playoff run this year.
As for the penalty kill, it continues to get better as the season progresses. Over the past ten games, they have killed 32 of 38 five-on-four attempts, with their only hiccup being going three for five on two-man advantages during that time. If the Canucks can stay disciplined and keep their penalty totals to under three per game, they should see a rise in the penalty kill percentage from now until the end of the season.
Moving onto the skaters, multiple players are having career years. J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson are both on pace for 100 points, while Quinn Hughes is just six points off, matching his career high of 76, which is also the most by a defenceman in franchise history. Other players who have already set career highs include Brock Boeser, who eclipsed the 30-goal and 60-point mark for the first time; Filip Hronek, who has already set a new career high in points and Dakota Joshua, who is having a career year and may set the franchise record for hits in a season. From their top-end players to depth pieces, everyone on the team is playing hard, which is one of the main reasons Vancouver finds itself at the top of the NHL standings.
Lastly, Thatcher Demko has been brilliant this season. He leads the league with 31 wins and sits in the top six for goaltenders who have played at least 25 games this season. He also sits tied for second in shutouts with five, which is four off the Canucks all-time single-season record held by Roberto Luongo. A potential Veznia candidate, it is hard to imagine where this team would be without him.
With a heavy home schedule the rest of the way, Vancouver has a good chance of matching their record from 2010-11 when they won the Presidents' Trophy. It is clear Rick Tocchet is pushing his team day after day as they look to secure a playoff spot and the Pacific Division crown. Based on their performances so far, Canucks fans should get excited as it looks like playoff hockey will be played at Rogers Arena for the first time since 2015.
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