Wednesday October 31 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks - 7 p.m. - Sportsnet, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet 650
Vancouver Canucks: 13 GP, 7-6-0, 14 pts, third in Pacific Division
Chicago Blackhawks: 12 GP, 6-3-3, 15 pts, fifth in Central Division
On Halloween night, the Vancouver Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks have the spotlight all to themselves.
Tonight's game at Rogers Arena is the only one on the NHL schedule.
Just like with Boston, a little old-school hate always simmers when the Blackhawks come to town. Duncan Keith will still earn his share of boos, never forgiven for the 2012 elbow to the head of Daniel Sedin that earned him a five-game suspension and effectively torpedoed the Canucks' chances of following up their trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011 with another long playoff run.
But we have some new storylines, as well. Tonight's national broadcast across all the Sportsnet channels will give more Canadians an opportunity to tune in and see what Elias Pettersson gets up to after his highlight-reel two-goal performance against Minnesota on Monday.
The team's lines will get a minor shakeup after Brandon Sutter joined the ranks of the walking wounded thanks to a shoulder injury against the Wild. As we heard on Tuesday, Darren Archibald and Brendan Gaunce have been recalled from Utica and both are on the ice for Wednesday's morning skate, while Chris Tanev has been placed on injured reserve.
Looks like Gaunce will slot straight into Sutter's spot, while everything else remains the same.
Here's the latest no-news update on Sutter:
...and Tanev, who at least sounds like the won't be out long term...
On Tuesday, the Canucks used their day off to hold a team Halloween event. Do you think Bo Horvat's costume is an olive branch to the gamers on the team, or is it just ironic?
A couple of other shots:
As for the Blackhawks, they're not done yet. Their stars are playing well, and they've ridden an influx of youth and the return of Corey Crawford to a hotter-than-expected start.
Since he returned to the lineup on October 18 from a concussion that kept him out of action for nearly 10 months, Crawford is a solid 3-2-0 with a .919 save percentage and 2.44 goals-against average. He'll get the start tonight against the Canucks after getting torched for six by the St. Louis Blues in his previous outing, on the road last Saturday.
Up front, Patrick Kane is tied with David Pastrnak for the lead in the Rocket Richard race, with 11 goals in his first 12 games, and Jonathan Toews has rediscovered his offensive touch, with 11 points in 12 games.
Toews' success has come with two small, somewhat under-the-radar linemates. On the left side, 5'7" Alex DeBrincat finished third in rookie scoring behind Kyle Connor and Brock Boeser with 28 goals last season after being selected 39th overall by the Blackhawks in 2016. This year, he has eight goals and 14 points in 12 games to date.
Toews' right winger is undrafted 23-year-old Czech Dominik Kahun, who spent four seasons playing in Germany before signing a free-agent contract with the Blackhawks last May. Taking full advantage of the opportunity he has been given, 5'9" Kahun has one goal and six assists in his first 12 NHL games and is locked in a five-way tie in the rookie scoring race, behind leader Elias Pettersson.
On the blue line, Henri Jokiharju also has seven points in his first 12 NHL games. Paired with Duncan Keith, the 29th-overall pick from 2017 is third in ice time among Chicago defenseman behind Keith and Erik Gustafsson, averaging 21:09 per game. The Hawks' only significant injury is on defense—Connor Murphy is has been sidelined long term with a back issue.
As for Gustav Forsling, the defenseman acquired by the Blackhawks in a trade with the Canucks back in 2015, the now 22-year-old was assigned to the AHL Rockford Icehogs last week after spending the first eight games of the new season on injured reserve with a wrist issue.
One area where the Blackhawks have struggled this season is on the power play. They're tied with Vegas (another surprise) for last overall in the league, with a success rate of just 12.2 percent.
That gets you up to date. Enjoy the game!!
🎃
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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