The Vancouver Canucks hit the road for a four-game road trip, beginning Wednesday night with a battle against the Anaheim Ducks.
Wednesday night’s game will be the first matchup between the two Pacific Division squads. The Ducks have been one of the league’s best teams, currently holding a 14-7-1 record.
Vancouver’s road trip will take them through California, playing all three teams, then heading to Colorado to wrap up the trip against the Avalanche. Wednesday’s game begins three games in four nights for the club, as they face the San Jose Sharks on Friday afternoon and then the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Ducks come into Wednesday’s game having won three of their last four outings and will have three full days off after their last game on Saturday night.
- Anaheim is currently in the middle of its second-longest homestand of the season. Wednesday’s game will be the fifth of the homestand that began on November 17th.
- The Ducks are 8-0-0 when scoring the first goal of the game.
- They are the second-highest scoring team in the league, averaging 3.59 goals per game.
- Cutter Gauthier (13), Leo Carlsson (11), and Chris Kreider (10) are the three Ducks who have double-digit goals this season.
- Carlsson is among the league’s top point-producers this season with 29 points in 22 games played. The 21-year-old Swedish centre is playing on a line with 20-year-old Beckett Sennecke and 22-year-old Gauthier.
- Defenceman Jackson LaCombe leads the team in ice time and is averaging 25:06 per game.
The Story: Practice Time
The Canucks were able to get some vital practice time this week, and head coach Adam Foote used it to work on their play in the defensive zone. They spent a lot of time at the beginning of Monday’s practice working on a whiteboard, and players were active in the conversation with the coaches.
“We want to teach when you think there’s got to be something sorted out,” said Adam Foote.
Foote wanted to take some extra time to discuss situations during practice, given a travel day on Tuesday. He plans to have a longer video session after the team lands in California.
The head coach wants to see his group do a better job of closing in on cycles and the technique that they use to defend in those situations. The coach wants to continue teaching his young players and see them apply those lessons in game action.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Quinn Hughes: 1g-7a-8p
Elias Pettersson: 4g-3a-7p
Filip Hronek: 2g-2a-4p
Jake DeBrusk: 2g-2a-4p
Kiefer Sherwood: 1g-3a-4p
When and Where to Watch
Wednesday’s game is at 7:00 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.
