Following a 2-0 shutout victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, the Vancouver Canucks five-game homestand continues with a game against the improving St. Louis Blues.
Playing their second game of a back-to-back, the Blues will try to slow down a Canucks team that has won three straight at Rogers Arena.
The Blues (22-20-2) are in Calgary to play the Flames on Tuesday night as they kick off a quick three-game road trip through the Pacific Division. They are 4-5-1 over their last 10 games and have an 8-12-1 record on the road this season.
Leading the way offensively for St. Louis is 24-year-old Robert Thomas. Thomas has picked up 19 points over his last 16 games and contributes on both of the Blues’ special teams units. Averaging 20:56 of ice time per night this season, he has seen his playing time increase with a change of head coaches. Since Drew Bannister took over, 16 games ago, Thomas has seen a bump in ice time and is averaging 21:31 with his new bench boss in charge.
The young star in the Blues’ lineup is Jake Neighbours. The 21-year-old has 14 goals and is tied with Pavel Buchnevich for the team lead in power play goals with four. Neighbours was selected 26th overall out of the WHL in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
Thomas and Buchnevich are joined by Jordan Kyrou on the Blues’ top line. The trio has played a total of 263 minutes together this season and they hold a 54.2% control of the goal share – being on the ice for 13 goals scored and 11 goals against.
Some notable players in the Blues’ forward depth include 6’6” winger Alexey Toropchenko, veteran centre Kevin Hayes, and U.K.-born Nathan Walker.
On defence, the Blues’ busiest player is Colton Parayko. He’s averaging 23:41 this season and has eight goals to go with seven assists. Parayko scored in the last matchup between the Canucks and Blues – that saw the Blues win 2-1 on January 4th.
Each defenceman in the Blues’ top-four averages over 21 and a half minutes; Parayko (23:41), Justin Faulk (22:17), Nick Leddy (22:01), and Torey Krug (21:39).
Quick Hits on the Competition:
- The Blues are the last team to beat the Canucks in regulation. Since that loss, the Canucks have gone 8-0-1.
- Their penalty kill is ranked 21st in the league, clicking at 78%.
- As for the power play, the Blues rank 28th in the league with a power play that is rolling at 13.9%. They have been great with the man advantage lately, picking up six power play goals over their last five games.
- Sammy Blais is the leader in hits with 95 through 34 games.
- Jordan Binnington leads between the pipes. He’s started 30 of their 44 games this season. Binnington is 15-12-2 on the season with a .906% save percentage and two shutouts.
- The Blues are very healthy at the moment and only missing Kasperi Kapanen from their lineup.
The Canucks look to build on their 8-0-1 record over their last nine games. As mentioned, the team has reeled off three consecutive wins to open up this five-game homestand and wants to finish strong as they head into the All-Star break.
We are seeing scoring throughout the lineup as head coach Rick Tocchet is getting contributions from all four of his lines. On top of the forwards' scoring, Quinn Hughes continues to build on his All-Star season from the backend.
After tickling twine once again on Monday night, Hughes is now up to 12 goals on the season and has an impressive 45 assists to give him 57 points through 47 games. Hughes has always been good on the power play but his play at even strength this season is beginning to separate him from the pack. Hughes leads the NHL, and is now up to 36 even-strength points – coming in second place is Noah Dobson, who is seven points back of Hughes.
The line of Pius Suter, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Ilya Mikheyev showed well on Monday night against the Blackhawks. The trio combined for four points in the 2-0 victory and Suter is now seeing some time on the first power play unit.
Noah Juulsen slid back into the lineup on Monday with Carson Soucy expected to be out for five-to-six weeks. Juulsen took a bit of time to get into the groove of NHL pace but Tocchet liked the way he played as the game went along. Juulsen played 15:51 on Monday night, picked up an assist on the game-winning goal, and was a big part of the penalty kill that went five-for-five on the night.
The penalty kill has been a strength for the Canucks over the last 15 games. They’ve killed off 40 of their last 44 penalties, which is good enough for a 90.9% kill rate since December 19th. That gives them the most effective penalty kill in the league over the stretch.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five:
Quinn Hughes: 1g-5a-6p
J.T. Miller: 2g-3a-5p
Conor Garland: 3g-1a-4p
Elias Pettersson: 3g-1a-4p
Teddy Blueger: 0g-4a-4p
Wednesday night’s game is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT at Rogers Arena. You can watch the game on Sportsnet or listen to the radio broadcast with the king of the call, Brendan Batchelor on Sportsnet 650.
