If you’re a passionate fan of the Vancouver Canucks, you will attempt to watch every game on the 2025-26 schedule. But not every game is created equal. There are always ones that promise to be extra exciting or have an underlying storyline that makes it a must-watch, whether it is in Rogers Arena, chilling at a local watering hole or home on the couch. With that, let’s take a look at 10 home games that need to be watched live this season, not PVRed or via a highlight package on Sportsnet or TSN.
Oct. 9 vs. Calgary Flames
The season opener is also the home opener, as the Canucks will ring in the new campaign at Rogers Arena for the third season in a row. Fans hope it will be different from last season’s opener, well, at least the third period of it. They also met the Calgary Flames on this same date in 2024, jumping out to a 4-1 lead thanks to goals from Daniel Sprong, Brock Boeser (twice) and Conor Garland, only to see it evaporate in the third when Martin Pospisil, MacKenzie Weegar and Jonathan Huberdeau scored to push the Flames into a 5-4 lead. J.T. Miller blasted his first of the season past rookie Dustin Wolf in the final two minutes to tie the game at five, but Connor Zary completed the comeback early in overtime, making a nice move around Arturs Silovs to seal the deal.
Some might say that game was an omen for the disappointing season that came afterward – a campaign full of drama that ultimately ended with the Canucks trading Miller and missing the playoffs. Hopefully, this one goes the home team’s way and fans can celebrate a win sitting in the new black seats that were installed over the offseason.
Oct. 13 vs. St. Louis Blues
Fans won’t have to wait long to see Pius Suter in his new threads as the St. Louis Blues come to town in the first week of the season. After a career-high 25 goals last season, the Canucks chose not to re-sign him, and he will be wearing the blue note instead of the orca when he next sets foot in Rogers Arena. Even though Suter only played two seasons in Vancouver, he proved to be a very useful Swiss Army knife that could be deployed up and down the lineup and on both special teams.
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Suter also formed one half of a solid penalty-killing duo with Teddy Blueger and even played the role of top-line centre when Elias Pettersson and Filip Chytil were both out with injuries towards the end of the season. His versatility will be missed, and hopefully, it doesn’t come back to bite them early when he and the Blues make their first visit to the West Coast this season.
Oct. 25 vs. Montreal Canadiens
Whenever the Montreal Canadiens come to Vancouver, it’s a must-watch affair. The Original Six team only visits once a year, and they now have one of the most exciting young groups in the NHL. Led by the dynamic Lane Hutson on the backend and an emerging core captained by Nick Suzuki and supported by Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield up front, it’s always a fun time when the Habs come to town. Last season, Hutson lit the world on fire, as the 21-year-old won the Calder Trophy with six goals and 66 points.
This season, the Canadiens might have another one in 19-year-old Ivan Demidov, who will be playing his first full campaign after coming over from Russia late last season. He looked comfortable in the games he played, including five in the playoffs, and is probably the NHL’s top prospect right now. The Canadiens have had some success against the Canucks recently, winning both games in the season series in 2024-25, including a 4-2 win on March 11 in Vancouver. However, the Canucks hold a 6-2-2 record overall in their last 10 matchups.
Oct. 28 vs. New York Rangers
After 404 games as a Canuck, Miller will make his return to Rogers Arena on Oct. 28 as a member of the New York Rangers. Will he get cheered or booed? It will probably be a mix of both, depending on how fans feel about his exit from the franchise. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few months, you know all about the reported feud between Miller and Elias Pettersson that ultimately led to Miller being traded back to the Big Apple. But in the end, Miller was a very respected (and successful) member of the Canucks who shouldn’t be met with a rude welcome when he returns to the place he called home for almost seven seasons.
After all, Miller left the Canucks as one of the highest-scoring forwards in franchise history, tallying 152 goals and 437 points, which ranks 18th on the all-time list for goals and 11th for points. He also ranks 11th in game-winning goals with 27, 20th in power-play goals with 43, and eighth in shorthanded goals with eight. He should be met with a standing ovation – not boos – for all he did in Canucks colours, despite all the drama that followed him around last season.
Nov. 5 vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Nov. 5 will only be the third time North Vancouver native and 2023 first-overall pick Connor Bedard will play at Rogers Arena. He has yet to score against his hometown team and only has two assists in four games, along with a minus-7 plus/minus rating and a surprising 14 penalty minutes – all leveled against him in his most recent game on March 15. Safe to say, he hasn’t had a warm welcome in his hometown. Overall, the Canucks have shut down the phenom, not just in his visits to Vancouver, but in his career so far. He was held without a point in all three games last season and was on the ice for seven goals against. The two assists he got came during his rookie season in 2023-24 when he played his first game against them on Dec. 17, 2023.
Dec. 30 vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Rick Tocchet may have only been the Canucks’ head coach for 200 games, but he stands as one of their most successful bench bosses in franchise history. When he decided not to return to Vancouver at the end of last season, he left the team with a 108-65-27 record (.608 winning percentage). That winning percentage ranks ahead of Alain Vigneault (200-120-41-16; .597 winning percentage), who presided over the most successful era of Canucks hockey. He will return to his home of two and a half seasons on Dec. 30, just before the dawn of 2026, which also happens to be the Canucks’ final game of the calendar year. I would expect a video tribute and possibly a standing ovation, but again, that all depends on how fans view his reasoning for leaving the team and returning to Philadelphia.
Jan. 21 vs. Washington Capitals
This game might be the last time we get the chance to see the Great 8 in Vancouver. The now-leading goalscorer in NHL history will make his annual trek to the West Coast on Jan. 21, during what could be his final tour of the Western Conference. Alex Ovechkin hasn’t officially said that he is retiring after this season, but with only one year remaining on his contract, it’s definitely a possibility. He won’t be chasing any milestones this time around; it’s almost a guarantee he would have hit 900 by the end of January, barring an injury, of course. He has 16 career goals against the Canucks, with five in his last three games.
Jan. 23 vs. New Jersey Devils
The annual “Hughes Bowl” at Rogers Arena is set for Jan. 23, and fans hope this won’t be the penultimate time they see it with Quinn Hughes as captain of the Canucks. With rumours and speculation that he will decide to leave and join his brothers Jack and Luke in New Jersey in two years, this could be a significant game to watch. If they are floundering in the standings, the speculation will only ramp up in the media with the trio in the building.
As for how Jack and Luke have done against their older brother, Jack has been on fire since he first faced the Canucks back in 2019. They have had a tough time shutting down the 2019 first-overall pick, as he has torched them for eight goals and 15 points in eight games. In fact, he has been shut out only once (Nov. 10, 2019). In the other games, he has six multipoint outings and is currently on a six-game point streak (seven goals, 14 points). Luke hasn’t played the Canucks as much, but he does have a goal and two points in four games. Quinn’s numbers are only average when he has faced at least one of his brothers, with eight assists in 10 games. He has also been kept off the scoreboard in five of them.
Jan. 25 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Now that Silovs is part of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, there are two reasons to watch this game. Sidney Crosby is always a draw for fans, and this could also be Silovs’ first start against the team that drafted and developed him. Crosby is running out of runway in the NHL at 37 years old, so every game he plays at Rogers Arena could be one of his last. Of course, the most memorable came during the 2010 Olympics when he was part of Team Canada and scored the golden goal at the then-named Canada Hockey Place. He has 12 goals and 26 points in 25 games versus the Canucks.
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As for Silovs, who recently won the Calder Cup with the Abbotsford Canucks and was named the AHL Playoffs MVP, he will be wearing a different jersey when he next walks into Rogers Arena. Whether he will be in the starting crease or sitting on the bench in a ball cap remains to be seen, but he will no doubt get a positive reaction from the fans. Nicknamed “Arty Party”, the always-smiling Latvian goaltender had a brief but memorable time in Vancouver and Abbotsford, leading the parent club to the second round of the 2024 Playoffs and the farm team to a championship. While fans hope that the Penguins walk away with a loss, he will still get a nice reception before (or if he’s on the bench, during) the game.
Jan. 31 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Closing out our home games to watch is Jan. 31’s matchup versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. This would have made the list even before Dakota Joshua was traded there, but now, just like the Penguins, it has double the reasons to tune in. Joshua became a fan favourite during his time in Vancouver, especially during the 2023-24 season when he scored a career-high 18 goals and led the team with 245 hits. He also brought a lot of personality to the dressing room and helped form one of the Canucks’ best third lines in recent memory alongside Teddy Blueger and Conor Garland.
Replacing Joshua’s physicality will be his very similar counterpart, Kiefer Sherwood, providing a very intriguing storyline of who will outhit who. Sherwood comfortably led the league in that department last season with 462 hits, while Joshua had 193, so it will be interesting to keep track of that battle throughout the game.
Canucks Fans Hope Home Cooking Isn’t Rotten This Season
While there are a lot of games to look forward to on the schedule, fans hope the home portion isn’t riddled with disappointing outings, like it was last season. Most of the time, they weren’t treated to fun hockey as the Canucks had the sixth-worst home record at 17-16-8. And to make matters worse, their team was outscored 127-112, the fourth-worst goal differential in the league. There were a lot of times fans didn’t even finish watching the game, either turning off the TV or walking out of the arena. If the Canucks hope to make the playoffs this season, their play at home has to be 100 times better than last season, or they risk losing their fans’ interest.
Regardless, the countdown is on Canucks fans: only 80 more days until the season and home opener!
