The Vancouver Canucks begin a five-game road trip in New Jersey on Sunday morning, which will bring them to the Christmas break.
Note the 9:30 a.m. PT start time.
Friday night was a big news day for the team, as they traded Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Öhgren, and a 2026 first-round pick. All three of the new players were at practice on Saturday, and the head coach spoke about them.
“Well, you know, I know them. I didn’t know one of them. I didn’t know a lot about Liam, but two of our coaches here, Brett McLean, worked with him a lot, and Scott Young scouted him a lot, [they] like his speed and his big upside. He’s a strong guy; you saw his speed today. Marco, he’s scored 20-some goals two years in this league, and I just saw him on the power play, [and] every time the puck touches his stick, and I know it’s just practice, but it was the right decision,” said Foote.
“I worked with Zeev when he was 13, for three years in a row. But I had no idea this was going down at all. I know him well as a person and as a player. I’ve seen him play a lot of hockey; he’s going to be a really good hockey player, and he will be fun to work with.”
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Devils were in action Saturday afternoon and picked up a 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Colton White, Ondrej Palat, and former Canuck Juho Lammikko each had multi-point games in the win.
- Jake Allen was in net for the Devils on Saturday, likely meaning that Jacob Markstrom will be in net on Sunday.
- Markstrom, the former Canuck, has an 8-6-1 record with an .875% save percentage and a 3.66 goals-against average this season.
- The Devils have an abundance of injuries with Jack Hughes, Brett Pesce, Zack MacEwen, Johnathan Kovacevic, Evgenii Dadonov, Timo Meier, Arseny Gritsyuk, and Simon Nemec all on the injury list from Saturday’s game.
- Their top line consists of Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer.
- Bratt is the Devils’ leading scorer with six goals and 22 assists for 28 points in 32 games this season.
- Meier is the leading goal scorer with 11, but he is out of the lineup, along with Jack Hughes, who has 10. Hischier and Mercer each have 10 goals on the year and are both expected to be in the lineup on Sunday.
- Home ice has been good for the Devils this season; they hold a 10-5-1 record at the Prudential Center.
The Story: New Guys
Marco Rossi skated on a line and on the first power play unit on Saturday. Although he is currently on injury reserve, Adam Foote added context, noting that they are waiting on the medicals and for the doctors to exchange information.
Zeev Buium was quarterbacking the top power play unit at practice, and the 20-year-old spoke to the media following the team’s skate.
“It’s definitely a huge thing. I’m very grateful for that opportunity,” said Buium about stepping into the first power play unit. “I think it’s my job to show them that it was the right decision, and to just play my best.”
Liam Öhgren said he is trying to bring a mix of speed, physicality, and strength and to use his shot as he joins the Canucks’ lineup.
He discussed seeing some familiar faces and how that has made this transition easier for him.
“I knew a few of them already. So, [it was] great to see them again, and obviously nice to get to meet everybody and get a practice in before a game tomorrow,” said Öhgren.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Aatu Räty: 2g-3a-5p
Arshdeep Bains: 1g-1a-2p
Linus Karlsson: 1g-1a-2p
Tom Willander: 1g-1a-2p
Elias Pettersson (D): 1g-1a-2p
When and Where to Watch
Sunday’s game is at 9:30 a.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.
