Vancouver Canucks At 40: Looking Back At The First 40 Games Of The 2023-24 Season
The Canucks are 26-11-3 through their first 40 games of the 2023-24 season.
The Vancouver Canucks look like contenders at the 40-game mark, as they lead the league in multiple categories. Not only are they the first team to have 25 regulation wins, but they are a perfect 23-0 when leading after two periods. They also lead the league in goals per game at 3.88 and are the only team in the NHL with three players at or above 50 points.
Starting with the offence, it is safe to say they are making the most of their opportunities. Despite leading the league in goals with 155, Vancouver ranks 28th in shots per 60 with 27.99 and 12th in expected goals for with 3.19. The reason is their sky-high shooting percentage, which currently sits at 13.75%. While it is unlikely they stay above 13% as the highest shooting percentage in a season since 2000-01 is the 2021-22 St. Louis Blues at 12.4%, they have enough talent on the roster that the percentage shouldn't drop significantly in the second half of the season.
Now, onto the goaltending, which has been superb. The Canucks currently rank fourth in the NHL when it comes to goal against per game 2.60, with both Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith recording a save percentage above .915. Vancouver also has the highest high-danger save percentage in the league at .8441 while also ranking third in team save percentage at .9142. While the offence has looked unstoppable throughout the season, the Canucks goaltending deserves a ton of credit, as they have been the backbone of this team through the first 40 games.
One very impressive trend so far this season has been Vancouver's ability to get goals from everyone in their lineup. Even when players like Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller or Quinn Hughes have an off night, others are able to rise to the occasion and produce offensively for this team. So far this year, 12 players have five or more goals for the Canucks. That is the exact total as the team had in 2022-23, and there is still over half the season to go. Whether it is the third line who all have over 15 points on the year or the fact that five defencemen have at least one goal, the ability to score by committee has been a massive part of Vancouver's success so far this season.
Lastly, one area that has seen massive improvement lately is the penalty kill. Over the last ten games, the Canucks have a kill rate of 83.3% and have only given up power play goals in three of those games. While they still have some work to do, this is an encouraging sign and a trend that must continue as Vancouver enters the second half of the season.
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