Hughes has nine points through five games on this current road trip and has averaged 27:50 of ice time over his last four games. The Canucks’ captain has multiple shots on net in 21 consecutive games. Yes, even in the Senators game where he played five minutes and 12 seconds...
Jake DeBrusk has been on a scoring frenzy during this trip. He has scored seven goals, including two game-winning goals, through five games and has added a pair of assists to give him nine points during this recent run of games.
Goaltender Kevin Lankinen now has a 12-3-2 record on the season. His goals-against average sits at 2.65 on the year and he has come up huge for the Canucks when they have needed him.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Wild have been better on the road than at home this season. They hold a 6-3-1 record at the Xcel Energy Centre and with six goals and seven assists for 13 points, Kirill Kaprizov has been their top scorer on home ice.
- With 56 goals against in 24 games played, no team has been better at keeping the puck out of their net this season.
- Goaltender Filip Gustavsson is a big reason the Wild are the best in the league at limiting goals against. He has a league-best .929% save percentage and a 2.05 goals-against average.
- Kirill Kaprizov is tied for fifth in the NHL with 15 goals this season. He leads the NHL with five empty-net goals.
- Brock Faber leads the Wild in ice time – averaging 24:46 per game. The 22-year-old has three goals and nine assists through 24 games played.
- Ranking 19th on the power play and 27th on the penalty kill, the Wild will try to keep the game at even-strength. They are the only team in the league with a control of even-strength goal share that is over 60%. The Wild have scored 63 goals and allowed 40.
- They are 12-2-2 when scoring first and 11-0-0 when leading after two periods.
- Another fun note is that the Wild have had 691 shots on net and allowed 691 shots on net through 24 games this season.
The Story: Blocking Shots on the Penalty Kill
Noah Juulsen is blocking shots at the highest rate of any player in the NHL while shorthanded. Juulsen has played 32:07 of shorthanded ice time this season and has blocked a league-best 20.55 shots per 60.
The BC-born Juulsen has played in 12 games this season and provides valuable depth and penalty-killing skill to the defensive corps. The 27-year-old begins most of his shifts in the defensive zone and plays a tough role that does not look flashy but certainly earns the respect of his teammates.
Juulsen also leads Canucks defencemen with 10.73 hits per 60 minutes played.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Jake DeBrusk: 7g-2a-9p
Quinn Hughes: 1g-8a-9p
Elias Pettersson: 1g-7a-8p
Conor Garland: 3g-4a-7p
Pius Suter: 3g-2a-5p
When and Where to Watch
Tuesday night’s game is a 5 p.m. PT start, and you can watch it on Sportsnet or listen along to the radio call with Brendan Batchelor on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
