The Vancouver Canucks will be without their leading scorer, Brock Boeser, tonight when they face the Edmonton Oilers in the first game of a six-game homestand. Outside of the preseason, where they played them twice, this will be the first time they will face their Pacific Division rival since they got eliminated in Game 7 of the 2024 Playoffs. They were without Boeser then, too, as he was kept out of the lineup due to a blood clot in his leg.
Related: Projected Lineups for the Oilers vs Canucks – 11/9/24
As a result, the Canucks will feature a new-look top-six and fourth line when the puck drops on the 270th meeting between these two teams. Here’s our gameday preview to get you set for the matchup, which should be another good one for Canucks and Oilers fans alike.
Setting the Stage – Oilers (6-7-1) vs. Canucks (7-2-3)
The Canucks are coming off their sixth straight win on the road after beating the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 on Thursday (Nov. 7). Quinn Hughes led the way with a goal and an assist while Jake DeBrusk scored his third in three games. The Oilers, meanwhile, lost 4-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday (Nov. 6) and will be looking to halt a two-game losing skid.
Oilers Projected Lineup
Jeff Skinner — Connor McDavid — Zach Hyman
Vasily Podkolzin — Leon Draisaitl — Viktor Arvidsson
Adam Henrique — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Connor Brown
Mattias Janmark — Derek Ryan — Corey Perry
Mattias Ekholm — Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse — Troy Stecher
Brett Kulak — Ty Emberson
Stuart Skinner
Calvin Pickard
Scratched: Travis Dermott
Injured: None
Canucks Projected Lineup
Pius Suter — J.T. Miller — Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander — Elias Pettersson — Jake DeBrusk
Danton Heinen — Teddy Blueger — Kiefer Sherwood
Nils Aman — Aatu Raty — Arshdeep Bains
Quinn Hughes — Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy — Tyler Myers
Erik Brannstrom — Vincent Desharnais
Kevin Lankinen
Arturs Silovs
Scratched: Noah Juulsen
Injured: Brock Boeser (upper body), Derek Forbort (lower body), Thatcher Demko (lower body), Dakota Joshua (testicular cancer recovery)
Storylines to Watch
New-Look Top-6 Needs to Step Up Without Boeser
Losing Boeser at any point of the season is bad, but against the Oilers it’s particularly troublesome considering he has dominated them throughout his career. In 31 games, he has 16 goals and 27 points – including that famous four-goal outing in the season opener in 2023-24. The Canucks won’t have that firepower in their lineup tonight, and it will be up to the new-look top-six to pick up the slack. As per the morning skate, that top-six will include a top line of Pius Suter, J.T. Miller and Conor Garland, and a second line of Nils Hoglander, Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk. DeBrusk moves back to Pettersson’s wing riding a three-game goal streak, which fans hope will rub off on Pettersson, who only has two goals so far. Garland deservedly moves up to the top unit as he sits tied for second on the team in points with 11 in 12 games.
The Canucks played a solid game without Boeser after he left the game on Thursday, but they will face a stiff test against an Oilers team, while struggling, still possess two generational talents in McDavid and Draisaitl. They might struggle to score without their top goal scorer, but with the depth that has stepped up in recent games in DeBrusk, Sherwood, and Suter, they might eek out a win using their rediscovered two-way game from last season. Not to mention the phenomenal goaltending that Lankinen has provided so far in his Canucks tenure.
New Fourth Line With Sprong Traded
The fourth line will also be different from the past few games as Daniel Sprong is no longer a Canuck. He was dealt to the Seattle Kraken on Friday for future considerations, prompting call-ups of Nils Aman and Arshdeep Bains from Abbotsford. Everyone was hoping Jonathan Lekkerimaki would be one of the names getting the call, but after tweaking something recently, he unfortunately wasn’t an option. He won’t be playing for the Abbotsford Canucks tonight either.
So, instead of seeing Lekkerimaki make his NHL debut alongside Pettersson or Miller, a new fourth line will be in action featuring Bains, Raty and Aman. Bains and Raty have shown some chemistry in the American Hockey League (AHL), so maybe they can recreate some of that magic in the NHL tonight. They likely won’t get a lot of ice time, but should be trusted for a regular shift throughout considering they all are good defensively – unlike Sprong.
Players to Watch
Quinn Hughes
Hughes is always a player to watch, but he’s been unreal over the past few games. He has six points in his last three games, and recently hit the 300-assist mark in his 376th game, usurping Paul Coffey who did it in 377 games. He is also coming off another insane performance against the Kings where he twice made Akil Thomas look silly with his edgework and puckhandling at the blue line. First, Thomas got confused by his fancy feet and gave him room to feed DeBrusk for a wide-open look at Darcy Kuemper, and then, on the game-winner in the third, did a line dance to deceive him and put home a long shot for a 3-2 lead. What does the captain have in store for the home fans at Rogers Arena? I for one am excited to find out.
Kevin Lankinen
Lankinen has been a revelation for the Canucks so far this season. He is still unbeaten in regulation with a record of 7-0-2 and holds a Vezina Trophy-like statline with a 2.08 goals-against average (GAA) and .923 save percentage (SV%) along with a shutout. In other words, they haven’t missed Demko in the crease, and it has given them the luxury of allowing their star goaltender to rehab his injury without any outside pressure of the team losing without him. With a win tonight, he will beat Kirk McLean for the longest point streak to start a season. Not bad for $875,000, right?
What’s Next for the Canucks?
The Canucks will continue their homestand against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. They last met them in their home opener on Oct. 9, when they blew a multigoal lead to lose 6-5 in overtime. That feels like a lifetime ago, considering Lankinen did not start that game, and the Canucks were not nearly as solid defensively as they are now. As a result, it should be a way different matchup this time around.
But, first, the Canucks must tame the Oilers. Puck drop is at 7 pm PT on Hockey Night in Canada with DeBrusk being featured after the game on After Hours with Scott Oake and his dad Louis.
