The Vancouver Canucks (4–2–0) will hope to extend their win streak to four straight games when they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins (4–2–0) later today.
The Vancouver Canucks (4–2–0) will hope to extend their win streak to four straight games when they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins (4–2–0) later today. Vancouver has won all three games of their road trip so far, with the most recent being a gutsy victory against the Washington Capitals on Sunday. Pittsburgh is also looking to extend a win streak of their own, as they have won their past two games on the road against the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.
Vancouver had a rough Sunday, as they exited their game against the Capitals down four players. On Monday, the team made a handful of transactions to fill the gaps in their lineup, including calling up defensive prospect Tom Willander and forwards Nils Åman and Joseph LaBate. Filip Chytil and Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who were each on the receiving end of hits on Sunday, left the game after the first period and did not return. Both have since been moved to the IR. Brock Boeser and Teddy Blueger were both absent from the lineup — Boeser before the game and Blueger by the end of the third period — though neither has been moved to the IR, which should signify that their absences won’t be for an extended period of time.
The Canucks got off to an excellent start on Sunday morning, scoring within the first minute of the game and piling a 4–0 lead onto the Capitals by the halfway point of the game. Establishing a solid first period is something that Vancouver has struggled with during parts of this season, so they’ll want to keep things rolling tonight against the Penguins.
Players To Watch:
Elias Pettersson (F)
Pettersson scored his first goal of the season on Monday, doing so within the first minute of the match. While some have been disappointed with his offensive output so far this season, Pettersson has been a key player on all sides of the ice. The center ranks second on the Canucks in shots blocked this year with 12, with the only player ahead of him being Tyler Myers with 16.
Another thing to consider about Pettersson is his personal records against the Penguins. He has nine points throughout his past five games against Pittsburgh and 13 total in 11 games. While he has yet to face Pittsburgh’s projected starting goaltender (more on him later), Pettersson has found success offensively speaking against the Penguins.
Artūrs Šilovs
Vancouver fans arguably know Šilovs better than Penguins fans, as the goaltender has spent the past three seasons with the Canucks. The Calder Cup champion and playoff MVP endeared himself to Canucks fans when he backstopped them to a second-round Game 7 Stanley Cup Playoff campaign back in 2024.
Šilovs has been playing as many may have expected him to this season. He started the year off with a shutout, then had a subpar performance the game after, but followed it up with a solid 30-save showing. The goaltender isn’t as used to a regular season of starting in net at the NHL level, so the split system that the Penguins have put him in alongside Tristan Jarry works well. While it’s currently unconfirmed whether Šilovs will start tonight or not, the goaltender has yet to play since October 16, while Jarry started Pittsburgh’s most recent games, indicating that the Penguins could look to Šilovs to start tonight.
Vancouver Canucks (4–2–0):
Points:
Conor Garland: 1–5–6
Quinn Hughes: 1–4–5
Kiefer Sherwood: 4–0–4
Brock Boeser: 3–0–3
Filip Chytil: 3–0–3
Goaltenders:
Thatcher Demko: 3–1–0
Kevin Lankinen: 1–1–0
Pittsburgh Penguins (4–2–0):
Points:
Evgeni Malkin: 2–7–9
Sidney Crosby: 3–4–7
Justin Brazeau: 4–1–5
Rickard Rakell: 2–3–5
Anthony Mantha: 2–2–4
Goaltenders:
Tristan Jarry: 2–1–0
Artūrs Šilovs: 2–1–0
Game Information:
Start time: 4:00 pm PT
Venue: PPG Paints Arena
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: Sportsnet 650
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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