The Vancouver Canucks will play in their second preseason game in as many days, but they will be out in the valley so that the great folks in Abbotsford can take in some NHL action.
After a 3-1 win against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday, the team gets back into action on Wednesday night.
Wednesday’s game will see notable names like Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and Jake DeBrusk make their preseason premieres out at the Abbotsford Centre.
The Story: Building Chemistry between Pettersson and DeBrusk
DeBrusk and Petterson both spoke highly of each other through training camp and the duo is excited about getting into game action to bring their chemistry from drills to game action.
"I’ve just watched him play and am trying to read off him as much as possible,” said Debrusk on playing with Pettersson. "That kid on the right side [Jonathan Lekkerimäki] is pretty damn good too. He's got a great quick shot. So, I am excited to be a part of the line. I just want to do whatever I can to help it work. Yeah, it's been interesting.”
DeBrusk views his chance to play with Pettersson as an opportunity but also a responsibility. He wants to improve his own game with the help of Pettersson as his centre while simultaneously helping Pettersson see his game improve.
“With great power comes great responsibility as Spider-Man would say,” joked DeBrusk in an interview with Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy.
The DeBrusk and Pettersson duo will certainly show flashes of excellence as they develop their chemistry, but DeBrusk wants the focus to be consistency and knows that it could take a bit of time before we start to see consistent chemistry in every Canucks outing.
I guess that is what the preseason is for!
You Should Know
Jiří Patera will get the start in net for the Canucks. It will be his first game in a Canucks jersey and Nikita Tolopilo will be the backup. Rick Tocchet confirmed Patera for the start and said it's likely that Patera going 60 minutes but Tolopilo may play the third period.
Jonathan Lekkerimäki will join Pettersson and DeBrusk on the Canucks’ top line. The youngster debuted at Rogers Arena on Tuesday and head coach Rick Tocchet wants to see how he goes through a back-to-back situation.
“I think it’s important that these guys play in that atmosphere of a back-to-back,” said Tocchet. “They might be a little tired, but you've got to see guys play when they are tired, and you’ve got to play smart. It’s a mental thing too, they might not even be tired. It’s important that we get some of those guys [in a] back-to-back.
When and Where to Watch
Wednesday’s game at the Abbotsford Centre is scheduled for a 7:00 pm start time, and you can greet the players at Gate 1 and look for an autograph with the bus scheduled to arrive between 4:15 and 4:30.
