The Vancouver Canucks hit the road for the final time this season as they will face two Central Division teams this week. Their road trip begins on Tuesday with a tilt against the Dallas Stars.
Nils Höglander returned to the Canucks’ lineup on Sunday and picked up right where he left off, scoring the opening goal of the game. The young winger has two goals and five assists for seven points in his last seven games.
Canucks’ Head Coach Rick Tocchet gave some praise to the forward following Sunday’s game.
“Typical Höggy, I think he’s been playing good hockey for us the last five-six weeks,” said Tocchet. “A lot of guys can learn from Höggy. You’ve got to move your feet and know that the puck is coming to you before it’s coming. That’s where Höggy’s really improved.”
Brock Boeser picked up a goal and two assists during the Canucks’ most recent three-game homestand. Boeser led the team with 14 scoring chances over the previous three games and now leads the team with 25 goals this season.
Aatu Räty won 19 of the 29 faceoffs (65.5%) he took during the homestand. He has been a boost to the lineup and has scored four goals in his last six games. Räty now has six goals in 28 games played.
The Stars come into Tuesday’s game after two losses over the weekend. Before their consecutive losses, the team had reeled off seven wins in a row.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- Mikko Rantanen leads the Stars with 84 points this season. The 28-year-old forward has put up 14 points in 15 games since joining the Stars at the trade deadline.
- The Stars are the third-highest scoring team in the NHL, averaging 3.4 goals per game. They are also third in the league in goals allowed, giving up 2.55 goals against per game.
- They have the second-best penalty kill in the league, killing off 84.4% of their penalties.
- The goaltending duo of Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith give the Stars the second-best save percentage in the league. Their .911% save percentage only trails the .913% of the Winnipeg Jets.
- Thomas Harley (23:22) and Esa Lindell (22:11) are the two biggest minute-munchers on the Stars’ defence corps. Both of them will see time on the penalty kill while Harley is quarterbacking the top pairing.
- The Stars are 19-3-1 when scoring the game’s opening goal on home ice. They are 9-5-1 at home when the opposing team scores the game’s first goal.
- They have outscored their opponents 132-87 on home ice this season.
The Story: Young Development
Rick Tocchet spoke after Sunday’s game about his young players and the work to be done as they develop. He wants to see his players develop confidence while skating with the puck. Tocchet named Nils Höglander a player who has developed that in his game over the past few years.
The team has many new NHL players, including Elias Pettersson (D-Petey), Victor Mancini, Aatu Räty, Max Sasson, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, and Linus Karlsson.
Tocchet wants to see his players continue to learn lessons in the season’s final stretch instead of waiting for the summer to improve their game significantly.
There’s a lot of hockey and learning left in the season. These young players are getting opportunities, and the head coach wants to see growth over the final few games of the season.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Brock Boeser: 2g-3a-5p
Pius Suter: 1g-4a-5p
Kiefer Sherwood: 0g-5a-5p
Quinn Hughes: 0g-4a-4p
Aatu Räty: 3g-0a-3p
When and Where to Watch
Tuesday’s game starts at 5:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch it on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
