After a three-game road trip that saw them go 2–1–0, the Vancouver Canucks will be spending the next four games at home, taking on the Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche, and Winnipeg Jets. This means the Canucks have the opportunity to snag a possible eight points within the span of the week, which would do great damage in the standings to their Pacific Division opponents. Let’s make some guesses as to how this homestand will go for the Canucks. 

November 5 vs. Chicago Blackhawks 

Some may be quick to dismiss the Blackhawks, as this stretch of home games features opponents who currently sit at the top of the NHL’s standings. However, this shouldn’t be the way Vancouver approaches tonight’s game, as they did only take their game against Chicago via shootout back in October. Since Thatcher Demko has started the past two games, it would make sense for Kevin Lankinen to get the start tonight, just as he did back in October. On the other side of the ice, expect Spencer Knight to start for Chicago, as Arvid Söderblom was given the start in the Blackhawks’ most recent game on Monday. 

Chicago’s special teams put them around the middle of the pack, with their penalty kill (80.8%, 15th in the NHL) being a bit better than their power play (17.5%), which sits at 21st in the NHL. While the Canucks did score two goals on Monday with the man-advantage, neither of these came from their top-unit. With Quinn Hughes taking part in his second game since returning from injury, Vancouver’s first-unit is due for a goal or two. 

Prediction: Canucks 5, Blackhawks 3 

Three Stars for Vancouver: Quinn Hughes, Kevin Lankinen, Elias Pettersson 

November 8 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Canucks’ second game of their homestand is against the Blue Jackets, who will take on the Calgary Flames tonight before heading to Vancouver for Saturday’s game. Columbus has looked strong so far this season, with the Blue Jackets occupying the fourth spot in the Metropolitan Division. As of November 5, the Blue Jackets are currently tied for the fourth-most 5-on-5 goals-for in the NHL with 30 while sporting the third-lowest goals-against at 5-on-5 with only 20. Their special teams work, on the other hand, may be one of their biggest weaknesses. Columbus has scored only five goals on the power play so far this season, while surrendering 12 power play goals against. 

As for goaltending, Elvis Merzļikins and Jet Greaves has split their starts pretty evenly so far for Columbus, with Merzļikins taking the team’s November 2 game against the New York Islanders. If Greaves gets the start tonight, Merzļikins will likely be the starter on Saturday. In the event that Vancouver starts Lankinen on Wednesday, Demko would be the most likely candidate to start on Saturday, with Lankinen then coming in on Sunday against the Avalanche. 

Prediction: Blue Jackets 3, Canucks 2 (OT) 

Three Stars for Vancouver: Brock Boeser, Quinn Hughes, Thatcher Demko 

November 9 vs. Colorado Avalanche

As of November 5, the Avalanche are the top team in the entire NHL, having only lost once in regulation but five times in overtime. It will be very hard for the Canucks to shut down the lethal offence of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Martin Nečas, especially given that Vancouver is missing a good chunk of their top penalty killers in Teddy Blueger and Conor Garland. However, the Canucks have found success against Colorado in the past, as the team won all three of their matches against the Avalanche last season including shutting them out back in February. 

Vancouver’s biggest shot at winning against Colorado comes in overtime, as the Avalanche have lost all five of their games that have gone past regulation. The Canucks, on the other hand, have yet to give up a game in overtime or a shootout (though the prediction for their Columbus game negates that stat). While this game marks the second-half of a back-to-back for both teams, Colorado will be travelling to Vancouver from Edmonton, putting the circumstances of the game in the Canucks favour — albeit slightly. 

Prediction: Canucks 4, Avalanche 3 (OT) 

Three Stars for Vancouver: Quinn Hughes, Kiefer Sherwood, Kevin Lankinen 

November 11 vs. Winnipeg Jets

Vancouver’s fourth and final game of this homestand is against the Jets next Tuesday. Winnipeg, near the top of the NHL’s standings with a 9–4–0 record, welcomed back their captain Adam Lowry on Tuesday night after the forward started the season rehabilitating hip surgery done in May. The Jets have been a strong team all over the ice this season, placing in the top-half of the NHL in power play (22.7%), penalty kill (88.7%), and faceoff wins (51.9%). The only lapse in the Jets’ power that seems to be a target is their ability to generate shots and scoring chances. They’re within the bottom-10 in the NHL in shots per game with 26.8, and have generated a ninth-lowest scoring chances for with 356. 

From now until the 11th, the Jets only play in two games. Winnipeg backup Eric Comrie has played in three games so far this season against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Calgary Flames, and New York Islanders, winning all of them. Whether he gets the start over Connor Hellebuyck or not will depend on who starts the Jets’ next couple of games. For Vancouver, if Lankinen takes the game against the Avalanche, then all signs will point to Demko starting against Winnipeg. 

Prediction: Jets 3, Canucks 1

Three Stars for Vancouver: Jake DeBrusk, Evander Kane, Thatcher Demko 

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.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:

Vancouver Canucks Gameday Preview #15: Looking For History Against The Chicago Blackhawks

Canucks Could Set Franchise Record On Wednesday In Matchup With The Blackhawks

Which New York Islanders Center Should The Canucks Really Be Targeting In A Hypothetical Trade?

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.