Canucks Matchup with Stars on Thursday Night to Begin Two-Game Homestand

The Vancouver Canucks return to Rogers Arena on Thursday night as they begin a short, two-game homestand with the Dallas Stars coming to town.

After a challenging road trip that saw the Canucks play three games in four nights with travel, the team has had a couple of days in Vancouver. They practiced on Wednesday, and head coach Adam Foote was pleased with the practice and the meetings they had.

New Canuck David Kämpf spoke to the media about joining this Canucks team.

“The last couple of weeks were a little bit harder, but I’m happy I’m here and I can play again. So, like I said, it’s been a busy last couple of days, but I joined the team on the road, so it was good to spend some time with the boys, and I’m ready to play,” said Kämpf.

Kämpf won 11 of 15 faceoffs that he took on Monday in his debut with the Canucks. On Wednesday, he skated on a line with Conor Garland and Brock Boeser.

Quick Hits on the Competition

• Thursday’s game is the first of a four-game road trip for the Stars. They will travel to Calgary, Edmonton and Seattle following their game in Vancouver.

• The Stars have won five of their last six games and have a 12-5-3 record this season. They are 6-1-2 on the road through their nine games away from Dallas.

• Mikko Rantanen leads the Stars with 27 points (9g-18a) through 20 games played.

• Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson lead the team with 11 goals apiece.

• Robertson leads the NHL with 87 shots on net.

• Johnston does a lot of his damage on the man advantage and leads the league with eight goals on the power play.

• The Stars’ power play ranks second in the league and is clicking at 31.9% on the year.

• Miro Heiskanen is averaging 25:24 per game on the backend.

• Jake Oettinger has started 14 of 20 games this season. He holds an 8-4-2 record with an .898% save percentage, a 2.77 goals-against average, and one shutout.

• The Stars are 7-0-0 when taking a lead into the second intermission.

• They are 7-2-0 when scoring the first goal of the game.

The Story: Hughes and Pettersson’s Scoring Streaks

Quinn Hughes rocketed himself up the league’s scoring ranks this past week. The Canucks’ captain has 10 points through his last three games. He is currently on a five-game point streak and has 13 points in his last six games.

Yes, 13 points in his last six games.

Hughes leads the league in power play points from a defenceman with 10 on the year.

Another Canuck on a scoring streak is Elias Pettersson. The Swedish forward has picked up multi-point games in four consecutive outings.

He has accomplished this feat once prior in his career, but if he can have another multi-point game on Thursday, it will be the first five-game multi-point streak of his NHL career.

Pettersson is now up to 19 points in 21 games and is averaging 20:16 of ice time per game. He also leads the NHL in blocked shots from a forward (45) and faceoffs taken (463).

Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games

Quinn Hughes: 0g-11a-11p
Elias Pettersson: 3g-5a-8p
Kiefer Sherwood: 3g-2a-5p
Jake DeBrusk: 4g-0a-4p
Filip Hronek: 1g-3a-4p
Brock Boeser: 1g-3a-4p

When and Where to Watch

Thursday’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.