The Vancouver Canucks are right back in action on Sunday night as they play the second game of a back-to-back at Rogers Arena with the Colorado Avalanche in town for their first matchup of the season.
Saturday night was a big win on home ice for the Canucks. Adam Foote was impressed by his team’s composure in the 4-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“It’s a sign we’re growing again, our leadership group is growing,” said Foote. “To stick with it rather than maybe get frustrated.”
The team is looking to get on a roll on home ice, but the head coach kept the message simple, saying they have to take things one day at a time. He’s aware that there’s a strong team coming to town on Sunday night and
“This league is a good league, and good teams [are] coming in and out, and so we’ll just try to do the right thing every day, so that when the emotions get high, we know how to control them,” said Foote.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Avalanche are coming into Vancouver after a big 9-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night.
- Nathan MacKinnon had two goals and two assists on Saturday. He is now up to 24 points (12g-12a) on the season and leads the Avalanche in goals and points.
- Two-time Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar is another player to watch on the Avs. The 27-year-old defenceman has six goals and 14 assists for 20 points in 15 games played this season.
- The Avs sit atop the league standings with a 9-1-5 record. They are 5-1-3 on the road this season and are currently on a two-game winning streak. They have the second-highest goals scored per game in the league (3.93) and have given up the fewest number of goals per game (2.4).
- Sunday’s game wraps up a quick two-game road trip for the Avalanche. It is their third back-to-back of the season.
The Story: Drew O’Connor’s Production and His New Line
Canucks forward Drew O’Connor has had a hot stick over the past five games.
O’Connor has put up three multi-point games over his last five outings and was playing on a line with Aatu Räty and Jake DeBrusk on Saturday night.
Their line outscored the Blue Jackets by a 2-0 count and outshot them 7-2 in the win.
“I knew what to expect out of those two guys,” said DeBrusk about his new linemates following Saturday night’s game.
“Rats is good on draws and also pretty good defensively, and is kind of in and around as a third-guy high, and then OC is obviously a workhorse.”
Räty and O’Connor have played 84 minutes together this season, but DeBrusk is a new wrinkle to the line, and those three had a robust performance in their debut as a trio.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Drew O’Connor: 3g-3a-6p
Aatu Räty: 1g-4a-5p
Evander Kane: 3g-1a-4p
Kiefer Sherwood: 3g-1a-4p
Brock Boeser: 3g-1a-4p
When and Where to Watch
Sunday’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.
