The Vancouver Canucks continue their California swing with a Friday afternoon game against the San Jose Sharks.
Note the early start time of 1:00 p.m. PT.
Friday’s game will be the first of four matchups against the Sharks this season. The Canucks come into the game following a big 5-4 win over the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday.
Head Coach Adam Foote liked the way his team adjusted to the speed in Wednesday’s game and liked how his team took the game over in the second period. He didn’t like some of the offensive zone penalties, but liked the resilience of his group.
Nikita Tolopilo made 37 saves in the game and picked up his second career win in the NHL.
“He was solid, he didn’t seem nervous in there,” said Foote on Tolopilo.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- Macklin Celebrini has been on a tear to start his second NHL season. The 19-year-old has 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points in 24 games. He is tied with Connor McDavid for second in league scoring.
- Celebrini plays on a line with William Eklund and Will Smith. The Celebrini-Smith combination has played 236 minutes of five-on-five together this season and has outscored their opposition 14-6 in that time.
- The Sharks’ power play ranks 20th in the league with a 17.2% conversion rate. Celebrini leads the team with four power play goals, while John Klingberg sits second with three of his own.
- Both goaltenders have been solid for the Sharks this season. Yaroslav Askarov has made 15 starts and holds an 8-6-1 record with a .905% save percentage and a 3.03 goals-against average. Alex Nedeljkovic has nine starts, a 3-4-2 record with a .902% save percentage and a 3.02 goals-against average.
- The Sharks are 11-10-3 on the season and are 7-4-3 on home ice.
- Scoring first has been massively essential for them this season. They are 8-2-2 when they score the first goal and 3-8-1 when their opposition lights the lamp first.
The Story: Sasson Speaks
Max Sasson picked up the Canucks fourth goal of the game on Wednesday, and spoke about the win with Rinkside Reporter Olivia McDonald.
“They’re all big but especially dropping a few at home, we knew, we said in between periods, actually, that we’re not taking this thing to OT, we need to win in regulation, and we got the job done,” said Sasson. “And big credit to Tolo, big credit to our group. It’s a big win to start the road trip.”
Sasson liked how his team got on the forecheck against the Ducks, and that set up opportunities for the Canucks’ defencemen to take advantage in the offensive zone.
Filip Hronek and Tom Willander had multi-assist games against Anaheim, and Sasson spoke about Willander’s strong start this season.
“You just see it. Since he’s got here, he has a lot of confidence. He has a lot of poise. And he’s a confident guy,” said Sasson. “He’s flying around out there. He moves his feet really well. He makes really good plays.”
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Quinn Hughes: 1g-8a-9p
Elias Pettersson: 3g-3a-6p
Filip Hronek: 2g-4a-6p
Jake DeBrusk: 2g-2a-4p
Kiefer Sherwood: 1g-3a-4p
When and Where to Watch
Friday’s game is at 1:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch the game on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
