Coming off a very successful 2023-2024 season as the Pacific Division winners with a 50-23-9 record, the Vancouver Canucks are having a seemingly rocky start to their 2024-2025 season, currently holding a 2-1-2 record, having more luck on the road than at home.

First Five Games Overview:

Game 1 10/09: The Canucks started their season with a home opener vs the Flames resulting in a 6-5 loss in OT despite holding a substantial lead for the first period of the game. Despite a strong offensive start, the defence struggled to keep the Flame's offense at bay. Boeser had a noteworthy performance with 2 goals, as well as Hughes with an impressive open net block, followed by an assist to Miller's game-tying goal.

Game 2 10/11: In their second home game for the season, the Canucks faced their second loss to the Flyers in a Shootout. Starting strong yet again with the first goal of the game, the game showcases the Canucks challenges in finishing games strong and their inability to transform key opportunities into goals. Lankinen had a strong performance for his first time in the Canucks net with a .935 SV%.

Game 3 10/15: The Canucks started off their road trip of the season with a 4-1 loss against the Lightning, resulting in a 0-3 record. Despite final Shots on Goal, both being 27, Tampa's strong offense often left the Canucks defence overwhelmed; their loss was further exacerbated by the Canucks offense's inability to break through Tampa's defence.

Game 4 10/17: Coming off 3 out of 3 losses, the Canucks fought hard against the Stanley Cup Champions, finally seizing a 3-2 win in OT. In their third OT out of four games of the season, Miller, assisted by Hughes and Boeser, managed to capitalise on the Panther's defence and score the winning goal around 2 minutes and 10 seconds in.

Game 5 10/19: Gaining their first shutout of the season, the Canucks faced the Flyers in Philadelphia, this time winning 3-0. With another outstanding performance in net from Lankinen alongside a solid offensive core, the Canucks were able to capitalise the puck, outshooting the Flyers 32-26 on Myers' special 1000th NHL career game night.

With 3 OT/shootout losses and one shutout win, the Canucks season thus far showcases inconsistent results. Despite this, the results also show us that the Canucks can compete in close games; however, moving forward, an improvement must be made, particularly in their defensive lines, to ensure more consistency for the season.

What's Happening Next and Who to Look Out For:

The Canucks are hungry for one last win tomorrow at the last stop of their road trip against the Chicago Blackhawks, starting at 8:15 ET for the NHL's Frozen Frenzy.

Entering his second year of captaincy, Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes has had an impressive yet expected start to the season with a 1g-3a-4p record. Following a career-high season of 92 points, Hughes continues to set new career-high records and isn't likely to stop anytime soon.

Despite a rough start to the season with a 0g-1a-1p record, Elias Pettersson is another player to keep an eye on this season. With his first few games leaving many Canucks fans disappointed, a player of his calibre has room to grow throughout the season. Improving his two-way game and capitalising on power play opportunities will hopefully help Pettersson see another high-scoring season, helping the Canucks find themselves in another playoff season.

As Always… Go Canucks Go!

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