The Vancouver Canucks’ longest road trip of the season concludes on Sunday afternoon with a matchup against the league-leading Winnipeg Jets.
Before hitting the road, the Canucks played one of their best games of the season and beat the Jets 6-2 at Rogers Arena. Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist while Pius Suter chipped in with a pair of goals in the victory.
That game against the Jets kicked off a hot stretch for Boeser. He has scored six goals in his last six games. Suter also caught fire after that game against Winnipeg. He has three goals and six assists for nine points in his last half-dozen games.
Aatu Räty was recalled to the Canucks last Sunday and has come into the lineup and been effective in the faceoff dot and the scoreboard in his three games with the big club. Räty has three goals in three games while winning 58.3% of his faceoffs. He has been on the ice for four goals scored and two against at five-on-five since his recent call-up.
The Jets are coming into Sunday’s game fresh off a 4-0 shutout of the New Jersey Devils. Winnipeg has been home all week, and Sunday’s game puts a bow on a four-game homestand. Through three games of the homestand, the Jets have won a pair of games and lost 5-3 to the Buffalo Sabres.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Jets are one of the best teams on home ice this season; they have a 27-6-4 record.
- They sit third in the league for goals for (252) and first in goals against (171).
- Kyle Connor leads the team with 37 goals this season, while Mark Scheifele is right behind him with 36 of his own.
- Gabriel Vilardi (27) and Nikolaj Ehlers (24) are the other two Jets’ players with 20+ goals this season. Vilardi is currently listed as week-to-week and will not play on Sunday.
- Josh Morrissey is averaging 24:14 of ice time per game. The 29-year-old defenceman has 12 goals and 44 assists for 56 points this season. His 56 points rank seventh amongst defencemen.
- Luke Schenn is averaging 17:51 in his first eight games with the Jets after being traded for at the deadline.
- Connor Hellebuyck is en route to winning the Vezina Trophy for the third time in his 10-year NHL career. The netminder has a 42-10-3 record with a .925% save percentage, 2.02 goals-against average, and a career-high seven shutouts.
- The Jets’ power play is one of two power plays with a conversion rate over 30% this season. They are second in the league and are scoring on 30.1% of their man-advantages.
- Their penalty kill is 14th in the league, killing 79.4% of their penalties.
The Story: Kiefer Sherwood Showing his Potential and Adding to his Record
Through the first five games of the road trip, Kiefer Sherwood has been impactful on every shift. He has contributed to the scoresheet with three goals and added four assists for seven points.
On top of the points, Sherwood has 41 hits in his last five games. He now has 414 hits on the season and is extending his record for most hits in a season every time he throws the body.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Kiefer Sherwood: 3g-4a-7p
Pius Suter: 1g-6a-7p
Brock Boeser: 4g-1a-5p
Quinn Hughes: 0g-5a-5p
Jake DeBrusk: 1g-3a-4p
When and Where to Watch
Sunday’s game is a 12:00 p.m. PT start, and you can watch it on Sportsnet or listen along to the radio call with Brendan Batchelor on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
