The Vancouver Canucks aim to snap a two-game losing streak in Raleigh, NC, in a 10 a.m. PST contest against another of the NHL’s elite teams.
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VANCOUVER CANUCKS
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(16-17-3, 7th in Pacific Division)
in CAROLINA HURRICANES
(24-8-2, 2nd in Metropolitan Division)
Saturday, 10 a.m. PT, PNC Arena.
TV: sports net. Radio: Sportsnet 650 AM.
WHY SEE?
The Canucks have lost two in a row. They could have won Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. But they didn’t, mainly because their power play was quiet and their best players couldn’t bury chances with even force either. Carolina is one of the best in the league and one of the fastest teams going. The Hurricanes are another yardstick for the Canucks, who would like to become more of a contender and less of a pretender.
POINTS LEADERS
CANUCKS
1. JT Miller GP 36 G 11 A 25 PTS 36 (+1)
2. Quinn Hughes GP 35 W 2 A 26 PTS 28 (+9)
3. Conor Garland GP 34 W 10 A 14 PTS 24 (+8)
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HURRICANES
1. Sebastián Aho GP 31 W 15 A 22 PTS 37 (+12)
2. Teuvo Teravainen GP 34 W 10 A 17 PTS 27 (+13)
3. Andrei Svechnikov GP 31 W 12 A 14 PTS 26 (+10)
SPECIAL TEAMS
CANUCKS: PP 19.3% (16th) PK 69.2% (32nd)
HURRICANES: PP 23.8% (8th) PK 90.1% (1st)
THREE THINGS ABOUT HURRICANES
• Penalty power : The Canes may be one of the best teams in the league, but they are playing with a bit of fire in terms of discipline, having taken the fifth-most minors in the NHL. Good thing they have the best penalty unit in the league.
• Finish: It’s no secret that for much of the season the Canucks struggled to create chances. But on top of that, the Canucks have the second-worst team shooting percentage in the entire league, just 7.6 percent. Only the pitiful Montreal Canadiens have posted a worse mark. Carolina ranks ninth in the league with a very healthy 10.1 percent.
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• Opportunities: Carolina not only finishes well, but shoots a lot. They have an average of 63.6 shot attempts on the opponent’s goal per game. Only the Florida Panthers shoot more discus than the Hurricanes. At the other end of the ice, they allow the second-fewest shot attempts against each other in the league, just 50.7 per game, second only to the Boston Bruins.
Reference-theprovince.com