If the Vancouver Canucks are to get back on track following consecutive losses, they must do so amid an extended road stretch.
The Canucks begin a five-game road trek looking to avoid a third straight loss Thursday night and keep the undefeated Dallas Stars from opening with four straight victories for a second consecutive season.
Vancouver kicked off the season in grand fashion with a 5-1 home win over western Canadian rival Calgary at home, then was outscored by a combined 8-3 by Edmonton — on the road — and St. Louis. The Canucks are 0-for-7 on the power play this season, while embattled star Elias Pettersson has just one point in the team’s three games.
“We have a good group here,” Vancouver’s Kiefer Sherwood, who scored two of his team-leading three goals during Monday’s 5-2 loss to the Blues, told NHL.com.
“It’s obviously not the ideal start, but it’ll prove our character. We have a lot of good leaders in here, and a lot of world-class talent, so we’ve just got to put our head down and work and be ready from puck drop.”
That will be imperative during this stretch of five road games in eight days. Especially against the Stars, who have scored five goals in each of their first three contests.
Those wins came in impressive fashion over perennial Western Conference powers Winnipeg, Colorado and Minnesota. On Tuesday, Dallas’ Roope Hintz had a goal with two assists, while Wyatt Johnston and Esa Lindell recorded one of each during a 5-2 home-opening victory over the Wild.
“The biggest thing is just keep playing our game, keep staying on (the opponent),” Johnston, who has a goal in each 2025-26 contest, told NHL.com.
“You’ve got to win in all sorts of ways in this league, and at the end of the day, two points is two points.”
While the Stars are off to a strong start, they could be minus key veteran Matt Duchene, who scored Tuesday then exited late following a hard hit from Minnesota’s Jake Middleton. Duchene is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Jake Oettinger made 39 saves against the Wild after he allowed four goals in each of the first two games. It’s possible backup Casey DeSmith, who spent 2023-24 with Vancouver, makes his season debut against his former team Thursday.
Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko, who has stopped 51 of 54 shots faced while splitting his first two starts this season, is a stellar 8-1-1 with a 2.37 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in 10 career starts versus Dallas. However, he has allowed 11 goals in his last three starts against the Stars.
Teammate Kevin Lankinen, who made 31 saves against the Blues, has yielded at least three goals in each of his last five starts versus Dallas.
Hintz and teammates Mikko Rantanen and Thomas Harley share the Stars’ lead with five points apiece. Rantanen has recorded 16 goals with 16 assists in 21 games against the Canucks, while Harley has a point in three straight versus Vancouver.
–Field Level Media
