After a five-game road trip and holiday break, the new-look Vancouver Canucks (15–18–3) are back in town to take on the San Jose Sharks (17–17–3). Prior to the break, Vancouver suffered a 5–2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in their first game against former Head Coach Rick Tocchet. San Jose entered the holiday break with a string of losses, with their most recent being against the Vegas Golden Knights by a score of 7–2.
This will be the first time that new players Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, and Liam Öhgren play in front of a home crowd as members of the Canucks. As well, this will be the first time Vancouver fans will watch their team without Quinn Hughes being a member of the organization since he made his debut back in 2019. Off the ice, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of reception the team ends up getting after making their biggest organizational move in a long time.
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Prior to their most recent loss to the Flyers, the Canucks were on an impressive run of four straight wins, a good chunk in part due to a slightly tidier system and great goaltending from both Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen. For fans who want the team to bounce-back and make a push for the post-season, tonight’s game will mark the start of a potential comeback. For those who believe in committing to the rebuild (which feels like most fans), tonight will be about setting that precedent.
Players To Watch:
Zeev Buium
Canucks fans have yet to see Buium play in person as a player on their team, as the defenceman was acquired on the day that Vancouver departed for their five-game road trip. Since making his Canucks debut, he has a goal and two assists in five games while playing on a pairing with Tyler Myers. Touted as the heir apparent of Hughes’ place on the team, Buium is a dynamic offensive-defenceman who can contribute greatly to his team’s production. Fans will want to keep an eye specifically on him as a peek at what the future holds for Vancouver’s blueline.
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Macklin Celebrini
Celebrini has been the biggest story in the Sharks’ season thus far, as he’s consistently remained near the top of the NHL in points since the beginning. He’s currently only trailing Connor McDavid (67) and Nathan MacKinnon (61), all while only being 19 years old. Many will already be paying attention to Celebrini solely due to the fact that he’s from North Vancouver and is noted to have been a Canucks fan before being drafted. Tonight will mark the third time he’ll play in Vancouver at the NHL level.
Apr 14, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Drew O’Connor (18) handles the puck against the San Jose Sharks in overtime at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Vancouver Canucks (15–18–3):
Points:
Elias Pettersson: 8–14–22
Kiefer Sherwood: 16–4–20
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Conor Garland: 7–13–20
Filip Hronek: 2–18–20
Evander Kane: 6–12–18
Goaltenders:
Thatcher Demko: 8–6–0
Kevin Lankinen: 5–10–3
Nikita Tolopilo: 2–1–0
Jiří Patera: 0–1–0
San Jose Sharks (17–17–3):
Points:
Macklin Celebrini: 19–36–55
Will Smith: 12–17–29
Tyler Toffoli: 10–15–25
Alexander Wennberg: 7–16–23
William Eklund: 8–14–22
Goaltenders:
Yaroslav Askarov: 12–10–1
Alex Nedeljkovic: 5–7–2
Game Information:
Start time: 7:00 pm PT
Venue: Rogers Arena
Television: Sportsnet Radio: Sportsnet 650
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