An early positive for the Vancouver Canucks this season has been the penalty kill. Through Vancouver's first two games, the penalty kill is a perfect nine for nine and recently killed five power plays against the Edmonton Oilers. Allowing just 12 shots in 17:33 of shorthanded time, the Canucks are on pace to have one of the top penalty kills in 2025-26. 

Unlike in the past, Vancouver is killing penalties as a committee. While there are staples of the penalty kill like Marcus Pettersson, Tyler Myers, and Filip Hronek, 12 different players have been on the ice for over two minutes shorthanded so far this season. This includes Brock Boeser, Aatu Räty and Jake DeBrusk, who haven't been used as penalty killers so far in their Canucks careers. 

Here is a breakdown of shorthanded time on ice as per the NHL:

As for some standouts on the penalty kill, according to Natural Stat Trick, Arshdeep Bains and Boeser have individually only been on the ice for one high-danger chance against. As for shots against, Bains and center Elias Pettersson have limited the opposition to just one during their individual shorthanded time. Vancouver has also been able to generate two shots while shorthanded, with those belonging to Drew O'Connor and Räty. 

Another reason why the Canucks penalty kill has been so strong this season is the play of Thatcher Demko. As per Natural Stat Trick, Vancouver's goaltender has an xG against of 3.1, which at the time of writing ranks third in the NHL. While it is early, Demko is already in the Vezina conversation, partly due to his play on the penalty kill. 

A strong penalty kill will be crucial for the Canucks all season. In the end, it could even be the difference between qualifying for the playoffs and having the 2025-26 campaign end early. Despite only being two games into the season, the organization and fan base can feel confident in the way Vancouver will kill penalties this year. 

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