Spooky Assessment to Start the Season

The Vancouver Canucks came into the 2024-2025 NHL season with high hopes after blowing expectations out of the water leading to a Pacific Division title and an eventual Second Round Game 7 knockout at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers. The first two home games did not go as planned however, with the team mustering two points from a pair of losses, each requiring more than 60 minutes to reach a conclusion. Circumstances appeared to be improving as after a successful road trip that saw the team return home with six out of a possible eight points, the Vancouver Canucks were primed to kick off a three-game home stand. This week at home would have them host a trio of Eastern Conference foes facing the Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, and New Jersey Devils. Three games that were sure to test the team, with Carolina and New Jersey being two of the harder matchups early on in the season. The team approached this week’s games like a budding student who had just spent weeks preparing for a large exam looming in the near future. Expectations were high, and fans were eager to see firsthand the success that had been building.

These hopes were not misguided, when the team flew east, they were still learning who they were as a team for the 2024-25 season. This was evident in Tampa Bay as they struggled right off the bat against the Lightning. It was a slow, sloppy start leading to a Nikita Kucherov goal scored 3:55 into the first period. While one could easily attribute the Lightning’s strong start to the mixtures of emotions caused by it being the team’s home opener and the fact, they had just endured two large hurricanes, the Canucks simply did not play an effective style of hockey to start the game. Tampa’s scoring would be shared throughout the game, this early deficit made it difficult for Vancouver to recover as the game expired. Like any good student they review their mistakes, put in the effort to improve their faults. The games to follow in Florida, Philadelphia, and Chicago saw a much more dynamic Canucks team in all aspects of the game. They outscored their opposition 12-5 over the remainder of the road-trip, and netminder Kevin Lankinen instilled confidence heading home.

Saturday would arrive with the Canucks first opportunity to prove to fans and everyone watching on Hockey Night in Canada that the initial three losses to start the season were nothing but a fluke. However, when the test was handed out, all of the team’s hard work studying had gone out the window. Former Canuck Anthony Beauvillier would tip in a goal in the first period (7:48) and Bryan Rust scored a wraparound to kick off the second frame (1:56). Both Penguins goals coming off the rush or within moments of gaining Vancouver’s zone. These mishaps would be soon forgotten as the Canucks put together a miraculous minute and five seconds, scoring three goals to take the lead. Rookie Arshdeep Bains would eventually score his first career goal called on HNIC Punjabi and in front of his family and hometown crowd to put the Canucks up 4-2 in the third. However, Evgeni Malkin did his best to drag his team back into the fight with another goal off the rush being surrendered by a patchy Canucks defense. Pittsburgh proved to be a subject that the Canucks struggled with but were able to just overcome in the end.

The gaping hole in the Canucks defensive structure would be exposed by the Hurricanes on Monday night when the Canucks were stumped once again how to solve attacks on the rush. It was evident from puck drop that Vancouver were lost with Hurricanes skaters buzzing into their zone relentlessly. Carolina proved to be a problem the Canucks could not solve. The ‘Canes scored three goals off the rush during regulation, but the Canucks appeared to negate their costly errors with third period heroics from Pius Suter and Quinn Hughes (and questionable decision-making from Pytor Kochetkov). Vancouver salvaged a point but did not receive full marks against a team whom they swept the season series against in 2023 – 24.

Wednesday evening brought many oddities as the Devils arrived in Vancouver. First, fans and players alike were treated to a 7:40PM Pacific start time, meaning most NJD fans were already asleep before their team had taken a stranglehold on the game. Second, a much-anticipated phenomenon took place, regardless of national TV restrictions. The much anticipated ‘Hughesapalooza’, saw the only trio of brothers all drafted in the first-round battle it out at Rogers Arena. It was not the celebration most Vancouver fans were hoping for as the younger Hughes siblings, Jack and Luke, got to walk out with family bragging rights. Their team once again baffled Vancouvers defensive structure putting six past rookie goaltender, Arturs Silovs. It would seem the Halloween sugar-crash arrived early as the Canucks were simply lifeless through 60 minutes last night. Surrendering four goals off the rush again, the Canucks allowed six goals against from six different Devils on the night before Halloween. Amongst those goal-scorers was Nico Hischier, fellow 2017 first round draft pick with struggling Canucks forward Elias Pettersson. Hischier extended his league leading goal total to 10 where Pettersson stills sits with the lone goal scored against the Penguins. Now as the Canucks leave home to start November, the team has a lot of questions going into their Saturday night matchup with the San Jose Sharks.

The Canucks walked into this homestand with confidence higher than it had been all season. However, all their hard work and extra practice would not prove to be fruitful. They were put to the test in front of their home fans and that would only see them score 50% of the points possible. While by most teachers’ standards, the Canucks still passed this test, but in the eyes of Vancouverites as well as management, this was surely a letdown. There are many factors that attributed to the disappointing marks Vancouver received as they wrap up the first month of the season. Whether it the lack of consistency from any of the Canucks top players not named Quinn or Conor, the quality concerns in the bottom 4 defensive pairings, or the inexperience of Silovs, the Canucks have a lot to review before their next test at home when they face division rivals and playoff opponent, the Edmonton Oilers.