The Vancouver Canucks begin a new month of action and return to Rogers Arena on Sunday evening for their second matchup of the season against the Detroit Red Wings.
Sunday’s game is the first of a quick two-game homestand before the team travels down to San Jose to face the Sharks. The club then returns home for one final game before the 4-Nations Face-Off break.
The Canucks are one point out of a wild card position and want to close out with some good games ahead of the much-needed break in play. The team has 31 remaining games this season and after Friday night’s trades, the group on the ice is going to look different.
Patrik Allvin confirmed that newly acquired players Filip Chytil, Marcus Pettersson, Drew O’Connor, and Victor Mancini will all be in town on Saturday night and will be available to play on Sunday against the Wings.
We will get into the newly acquired players in our ‘The Story’ section of the article.
The Canucks and Red Wings played on December 1st and the Canucks were victorious by a 5-4 overtime win. Jake DeBrusk scored the game-winner and completed his first hat trick as a Canuck.
The Red Wings scored a shootout win against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday to give them four wins in a row and have been a streaky team this season as they have had a seven-game winning streak and a five-game losing streak this year.
Detroit will be on the second night of a back-to-back when they roll into Rogers Arena on Sunday – they play the Calgary Flames on Saturday night. The Wings are in the middle of a four-game road trip that sees them travel through Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, and Seattle.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Wings are a couple of points out of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. They have a 25-21-5 record and are 10-10-3 on the road this season.
- Lucas Raymond is having a breakout season after putting up 72 points last year. He is up to 20 goals and 36 assists for 56 points through 51 games played. 14 of his 20 goals have come at even-strength while he has put up 20 of his 36 assists on the power play.
- Detroit’s power play has been their biggest strength and are clicking at 27.3% this season. They rank fourth in the league and their captain Dylan Larkin leads the way with 12 power play goals.
- The Red Wings have a couple of young defenceman who eat up big minutes on the backend. 23-year-old Mo Seider leads the way and is averaging 25:11 of ice time per game while 21-year-old Simon Edvinsson is averaging 20:44 per game.
- There are three 20+ goal scorers on the Wings’ roster. Raymond (20), Larkin (22)m and Alex DeBrincat (21).
The Story: A Double Dip on the Trade Market
The Canucks made a pair of trades on Friday night.
J.T. Miller, Jackson Dorrington, and Erik Brännström were traded to the New York Rangers for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a first-round pick.
