At this time last season, the Vancouver Canucks were coming off a 3-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes and had a record of 10-12-3. This season, they are 16-8-1 and while they have had some issues scoring goals lately, they have drastically turned around their fortunes and sit in a pretty good spot heading into the first week of December.
The Canucks made it through the 15-game gauntlet in November and will have a lighter schedule this month with only 12 games (seven at home, five on the road) and zero back-to-backs. After a quick trip to Alberta that saw them squeak out a 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Dec. 2, they are now settling in for a five-game homestand that will feature plenty of storylines.
Battle of the Hughes Brothers
Dec. 5 – New Jersey Devils
While Quinn Hughes has faced his brother Jack six times in his career already, he has yet to play against Luke. That will change when the New Jersey Devils come to town on Dec. 5. The former fourth-overall pick in 2021 plays the game a lot like his older brother Quinn and is having a solid rookie season so far with three goals and 14 points in 22 games.
Quinn of course is ripping up the league with 34 points in 25 games and is still on pace to hit 100 points. Surprisingly, he has points in all but six games this season along with seven multipoint efforts. As for Jack, he has four goals and 10 points since returning from his injury on Nov. 18, including three goals and eight points as part of his current four-game point streak.
Jack has the leg up when it comes to points in the head-to-head matchup with six goals and 10 points compared to Quinn’s three assists. The Devils are also 5-1 against the Canucks when Jack is in the lineup.
Jason King Returns to Vancouver
Dec. 7 – Minnesota Wild
After seven seasons in the organization as an assistant coach (four in the American Hockey League and three in the NHL), Jason King was fired in the offseason by the Canucks. He was promoted ahead of the 2020-21 season, survived the coaching change from Travis Green to Bruce Boudreau and Boudreau to Rick Tocchet, and was let go after the 2022-23 season ended. It didn’t take long for him to find work as the Minnesota Wild hired him as an assistant coach on July 9 to join then-head coach Dean Evason.
Related: Hockey Insider Sees Zadorov as Perfect Fit for Canucks Blue Line
Unfortunately, the Wild stumbled out of the gate to a 5-10-4 start and fired Evason on Nov. 28. Since King entered the NHL as an assistant coach in 2020, he has gone through three regime changes and has survived the firings of three head coaches. The Wild are 3-0 under new coach John Hynes and King will be hoping that his boss doesn’t change again for the foreseeable future. The former Canuck will enter Rogers Arena for the first time behind an opposing bench and will try to take advantage of a Canucks penalty kill that has struggled in recent games.
Lower Grade Hurricane Touches Down at Rogers Arena
Dec. 9 – Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have been uncharacteristically bad defensively this season with a low plus-6 goal differential through 23 games. Last season they rocked a plus-53 and allowed 213 goals, behind only the Boston Bruins’ 177. They have already allowed 75 this season and are on pace for 267. The Canucks, meanwhile, are a plus-32 and are on pace to allow 209 goals – the lowest since 2011-12 when they won the Presidents’ Trophy with only 198.
Regardless, the Canucks will have their hands full with the Hurricanes’ depth and star power in Sebastian Aho (22 points), Seth Jarvis (19 points) and Teuvo Teravainen (11 goals) as well as perennial thorn-in-the-side Brent Burns (12 points). Aho and Burns have been particularly lethal against the Canucks in their career with 12 points in 11 games and 42 points in 78 games respectively.
Kucherov vs. Boeser, Miller, Pettersson & Hughes
Dec. 12 – Tampa Bay Lightning
Nikita Kucherov is once again off to a scorching start this season with 15 goals and 40 points in 24 games. He’s on pace for a staggering 135 points (and his first 50-goal season) and currently leads the NHL in points. But he has some competition in the form of Brock Boeser, who leads the NHL with 17 goals, and JT Miller, who is only four points behind him with 36 points. Not to mention Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson, who are within six and eight points respectively as well. Needless to say, this foursome will be looking to close the gap when they meet Kucherov and the Lightning next week.
The Lightning have struggled since their 4-3 comeback win against the Canucks on Oct. 19, but Kucherov has not. Even though his team is currently on a four-game losing streak, he is riding a nine-game point streak; including a six-point game on Nov. 24 against the Hurricanes. He has been a freight train this season and the Canucks will have their work cut out for them to slow him down.
Luongo Inducted Into the Ring of Honour & Ekman-Larsson Returns
Dec. 14 – Florida Panthers
Closing out this homestand will be an exciting visit from Roberto Luongo and the Florida Panthers. While Luongo no longer dons the pads for the Canucks, he will be celebrated for his eight seasons in the blue and green when they induct him into the Ring of Honour. He will join another goaltending pillar in Kirk McLean and take his rightful place among the greats in Rogers Arena.
Luongo’s career with the Canucks was one for the ages as he broke several franchise records for goaltenders and still tops the leaderboard in wins (252), goals-against average (2.36), save percentage (.919), and shutouts (38). It’s sure to be a fun night with video tributes, a likely funny anecdote or two from former Canucks, a speech from the Hall-of-Famer himself and hopefully a win against the team he works for. The Canucks will be looking for a series sweep against their former star netminder after a 5-3 win on Oct. 21.
Lost amongst the shuffle will be Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s return to Vancouver after being bought out in the offseason. He played 133 games in a Canucks uniform, scoring an underwhelming seven goals and 51 points. He is having a resurgent season with the Panthers almost matching those seven goals with six and averaging 21:25 of ice time.
Canucks Can Make Some Hay On This Homestand
The Canucks have alternated wins and losses over the last month with only one two-game winning streak since they rattled off five between Halloween and Nov. 9. This homestand will be a chance to make some hay and get back to their winning ways. Their top-six has struggled to generate offence and their defence and goaltending have not been as strong lately, so hopefully the positive vibes at Rogers Arena can turn things around. Even though they are only facing two teams currently in the playoff picture (Panthers and Hurricanes), all of them made the playoffs last season. In other words, it won’t be easy to get out of this with a winning record. But with all the storylines, it should be a fun ride for the fans.
All stats are current as of Dec. 4, 2023
