Canucks Next Game: Wingin' it with Troy from Richmond

You mean Stecher? You betcha, as former Canucks blueliner and Richmond native returns to Rogers Arena with his Detroit Red Wings

Former Canuck and Richmond native Troy Stecher, in action against the Calgary Flames last weekend, should get a warm reception from Vancouver fans on Thursday night. Photo by Sergei Belski /USA TODAY Sports files

DETROIT RED WINGS

24-29-7, 5th in Atlantic Division

at VANCOUVER CANUCKS

30-24-7, 5th in Pacific Division

thursday7 p.m., Rogers Arena.

TV: Sportsnet. Radio: Sportsnet 650 AM.

WHY WATCH

The Vancouver Canucks have been scoring goals by the bucketful and the Detroit Red Wings have been giving them up by the bucketful. In other words, this one could be a barn-burner, even without the dynamic of Troy Stecher (and Olli Juolevi) being set to make their Vancouver returns. Of course, now that we’ve created an expectation for goals, watch this turn into a 1-0 goalies duel.

LEADER POINTS

RED WINGS

1. Dylan Larkin GP 55 G 27 A 31 PTS 58 (-3)

2. Tyler Bertuzzi GP 50 W 24 A 24 PTS 48 (+4)

3. Lucas Raymond GP 60 G 19 A 27 PTS 46 (-10)

CANUCKS

1. JT Miller GP 59 W 24 A 49 PTS 73 (+10)

2. Quinn Hughes GP 57 W 5 A 44 PTS 49 (+12)

3. Elias Pettersson GP 59 W 18 A 24 PTS 42 (+1)

SPECIAL TEAMS

RED WINGS: PP 20.5% (16th) PK 72.7% (31st)

CANUCKS: PP 17.8% (27th) PK 71.1% (32nd)

THREE THINGS ABOUT THE RED WINGS

• hometown boy: There are few people in recent memory who loved being a Vancouver Canuck as much as Troy Stecher. But he was let go in the wave of cost-cutting that lead up to the 2020-21 season, when ownership looked to cut expenses down as much as possible and even depth defensemen looking for relatively cheap deals were turned aside. He’s now a Red Wing, trying to carve out a role on a team that’s still focused on the future. There’s little doubt that the fan favorite from Richmond will draw a loud reception when he hits the ice Thursday night.

• Bleeding goals against: Only one team in the NHL has struggled more with keeping the puck out of the net than Detroit: The woeful Montreal Canadiens. Detroit picked up Alex Nedeljkovic from Carolina in the off-season and had high hopes for him after he was a Calder trophy finalist. He was never going to repeat the .932 save percentage he posted in 23 games last season with the Hurricanes, but clearly the Red Wings saw enough in him that they thought he’d be better than the mediocre .900 goalie he’s been in Motown. The Red Wings as a whole have given up 4.85 goals against during their last 20 games. They’ve also killed just 58.8 per cent of their penalties in that stretch.

• No vax, no Canada: Tyler Bertuzzi remains the only unvaccinated player in the NHL and as a result isn’t on this road trip. The Red Wings were accepting of this situation from the start of the season and as a result Bertuzzi, nephew of former Canuck Todd and originally from Sudbury, Ont., hasn’t played a road game in Canada in 2021-22. Even after getting COVID-19 earlier this season, he insisted he wouldn’t get vaccinated. As a result, the Wings are without their second leading scorer.

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