VANCOUVER CANUCKS vs COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
When: 7:00 PM  ET, Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio

TV: 7:00 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: COLUMBUS , VANCOUVER

Oddsmakers currently have the VANCOUVER listed as 180-moneyline favorites versus the COLUMBUS, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

Elias Pettersson provided another highlight in his amazing rookie season last time out and the 20-year-old center looks to continue his latest scoring surge when the Vancouver Canucks visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. Pettersson became the sixth rookie in NHL history to record two five-point games in a season as he scored once and set up four others in Vancouver’s 6-1 victory at St. Louis on Sunday.

“I don’t really know what to answer,” Pettersson told reporters when asked about posting 30 points in his first 26 NHL games – eight in the past three. “I’m just trying to create chances and points will come when you play good. That’s all I’m thinking of.” Pettersson’s performance, which earned him NHL First Star of the Week on Monday, and Brock Boeser’s hat trick Sunday gave the Canucks two straight wins after a 1-10-2 stretch and they will test themselves against the Blue Jackets, who sit second in the Metropolitan despite losing three of their last four contests. Columbus lost 9-6 last Tuesday against Calgary before falling 4-0 to Washington on Saturday in its last two home games, and plays the next five at Nationwide Arena. “I don’t see us doing the things necessary to win hockey games at crucial times. …,” Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno told reporters after Saturday’s setback. “. … We were flat in the first (period) and kind of got caught watching, and that’s unacceptable.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), FS Ohio (Columbus)

ABOUT THE CANUCKS (13-16-3): Boeser owns seven goals in his last seven games, sandwiched around a stint on injured reserve, and owns nine on the season to tie for third on the team. “It was nice,” Boeser told reporters after his second career hat trick Sunday. “Obviously, I’ve been battling through some injuries. I feel like I’ve been getting chances lately and our line has been playing solid hockey. It’s nice to get a few lucky bounces.” Boeser has been playing with Pettersson and newly-acquired Josh Leivo of late while Bo Horvat (28 points) centers another top line and boasts six points in his last five games.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (16-11-2): Right wing Cam Atkinson saw his 12-game point streak come to an end Saturday after scoring 13 times and setting up seven others during the run. Atkinson shares the team lead at 31 points with left wing Artemi Panarin, who recorded four of his team-best 24 assists in the past three contests, while center Pierre-Luc Dubois (25 points) has been kept off the scoresheet in three straight games. Defenseman Seth Jones is rounding into form after an early-season knee injury, registering seven points in his last six games to pull within two of 200 in his career.

OVERTIME

1. Columbus G Sergei Bobrovsky allowed 17 goals in his last four games and is 3-5-2 all-time against Vancouver.

2. Leivo has a goal, a plus-5 rating and eight shots on net in his first three games since coming over in a trade from Toronto.

3. The Canucks have earned at least a point in six straight meetings with the Blue Jackets (4-0-2).

PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 4, Canucks 3

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VANCOUVER CANUCKS vs MINNESOTA WILD
When: 8:00 PM  ET, Thursday, November 15, 2018
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota

TV: 8:05 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: MINNESOTA , VANCOUVER

Oddsmakers currently have the VANCOUVER listed as 230-moneyline favorites versus the MINNESOTA, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

The Minnesota Wild try returning to the form that saw them go 10-2-0 after a 1-2-2 start when they host the road-weary Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. Minnesota suffered its eighth straight loss to Washington, 5-2 on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game homestand, with Wild coach Bruce Boudreau telling reporters: “(We) weren’t as good as (we) were for the last 12 games. … We just weren’t sharp. … Some guys were not as good as I expected them to be.”

Minnesota (5-1-2 at Xcel Energy Center), which was the last team to lose in regulation at home, welcomes a Vancouver club that has struggled through the Eastern Conference portion of its second six-game road trip of 2018-19. The Canucks are coming off a 5-2 loss against the New York Islanders on Tuesday, falling to 1-2-2 on the trek with their third straight setback. “It’s been a grind a little bit, but it’s not an excuse,” Vancouver coach Travis Green told reporters. “In the NHL nowadays, you’ve got to be able to win on the road. We get home in a few days. We’ve got one more game and we’re going to finish this trip off with a win.” The Canucks have won four of the last five meetings with the Wild, including a 5-2 victory Oct. 29 in Vancouver with rookie sensation Elias Pettersson scoring a pair of goals and Jacob Markstrom stopping 37 shots.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), FS North (Minnesota)

ABOUT THE CANUCKS (10-8-2): Pettersson (club-most 10 goals), who is tied for the team lead in points (17) with Bo Horvat (nine goals), has been kept off the scoresheet for the last three games. Loui Eriksson has scored all four of his goals this season in November and also owns four of his eight assists in those six games. Markstrom (7-5-2, 3.28 goals-against average, .896 save percentage) is in line to make his 10th straight start although backup Richard Bachman might make his first appearance this season with Markstrom playing back-to-back nights Monday and Tuesday.

ABOUT THE WILD (11-5-2): Mikael Granlund (team highs of 10 goals, 18 points) had his three-game goal streak snapped Tuesday. Zach Parise (seven goals, 16 points) scored his 340th career goal Sunday against St. Louis to tie Dave Christian for the most in NHL history among Minnesota-born players. Devan Dubnyk (8-4-2, 2.34, .927) allowed more than three goals Tuesday for only the fourth time this season.

OVERTIME

1. The Wild boasts the No. 4 penalty-killing unit in the NHL at 85.7 percent after going 8-for-9 in the last five games.

2. Vancouver RW Brock Boeser (four goals, 11 points in 13 games), the 2018 Calder Trophy runner-up, has missed the last five games as he continues to recover from a groin injury.

3. Minnesota is 5-2-1 versus the Pacific Division this season while the Canucks are 3-1-0 against the Central.

PREDICTION: Wild 3, Canucks 2

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VANCOUVER CANUCKS vs NY RANGERS
When: 7:00 PM  ET, Monday, November 12, 2018
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

TV: 7:05 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: NY RANGERS , VANCOUVER

Oddsmakers currently have the VANCOUVER listed as 110-moneyline favorites versus the NY RANGERS, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

The New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks ventured into shootouts in their last outing to push their respective point streaks to six games heading into Monday’s matchup at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers improved to 5-0-1 on their run with a 5-4 victory at Columbus on Saturday while the visiting Canucks are 4-0-2 after seeing a late two-goal lead in the third period go by the boards in a 4-3 setback at Buffalo.

New York’s Jimmy Vesey, who had two goals in two games versus Vancouver last season, posted his second multi-point performance in four outings after registering an assist before scoring the game-tying goal against the Blue Jackets. The 25-year-old Vesey, who also netted the winner in the fifth round of the shootout, has six points (three goals, three assists) in his last five games. While the Rangers improved to 4-0 in shootouts, the Canucks enter Monday’s tilt with their tail between their legs after allowing a pair of goals 40 seconds apart late in the third period. “That’s not good when you’re up 3-1 with under five to go, you need to close it out. It’s as simple as that,” said Vancouver defenseman Erik Gudbranson, who scored early in the third period to push his career-high point streak to five games (two goals, four assists).

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), MSG (New York)

ABOUT THE CANUCKS (10-6-2): Loui Eriksson is riding a four-game point streak after scoring and setting up a goal against the Sabres while flashy rookie Elias Pettersson has seven points (three goals, four assists) in his last four. Jake Virtanen also scored a goal for the second straight contest for the Canucks, who will need to rid the sour taste in their mouths before squaring up with the Rangers. “A lot of the guys are playing well. We’re playing some good hockey,” fellow forward Bo Horvat told reporters. “It’s unfortunate to give up that point. I thought we had a pretty solid game for 55 minutes; it’s just a matter of closing it out.”

ABOUT THE RANGERS (8-7-2): Mika Zibanejad scored against Columbus to extend his point streak to four games (two goals, three assists) and give him 14 of his team-leading 15 points in the last 13 contests. Fellow forward Pavel Buchnevich collected a goal and an assist versus the Blue Jackets to push his point streak to three games, during which he has two of each. Chris Kreider netted his club-best eighth goal Saturday and Kevin Hayes set up a pair of tallies to push his assist streak to a career high-tying three games.

OVERTIME

1. Vancouver G Jacob Markstrom owns a 3-1-1 career mark in six encounters versus New York despite sporting a 3.59 goals-against average and .881 save percentage.

2. Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist’s 436 wins are one shy of tying Hall of Famer Jacques Plante for seventh place on the NHL’s all-time wins list.

3. New York owns a 9-2-1 mark in its last 12 contests versus Vancouver.

PREDICTION: Rangers 3, Canucks 2

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VANCOUVER CANUCKS vs BOSTON BRUINS
When: 7:00 PM  ET, Thursday, November 8, 2018
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

TV: 7:05 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: BOSTON , VANCOUVER

Oddsmakers currently have the VANCOUVER listed as 205-moneyline favorites versus the BOSTON, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

The Boston Bruins remain, for the most part, a one-line team and that’s something that coach Bruce Cassidy expects to change when his club continues a four-game homestand against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. Boston ended a two-game slide with a 2-1 overtime win over Dallas on Monday night but has produced only five goals in the past four games.

David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand each scored on the power play Monday, giving Boston’s No. 1 unit 22 of the team’s 37 goals, but Cassidy saw signs of offense coming from other lines. “Three posts, a goal we scored that … got waved off,” noted Cassidy. “It’s coming. That’s the way I look at it and usually it takes a game or two before the floodgates open.” The Canucks opened their six-game road trip with a 3-2 shootout loss at Detroit after squandering a two-goal lead but they extended their point streak to four games (3-0-1). Vancouver edged the visiting Bruins 2-1 in overtime on Oct. 20 despite the absence of rookie sensation Elias Pettersson, who has made history in his first season.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), NESN (Boston)

ABOUT THE CANUCKS (9-6-1): Pettersson sat out the first matchup due to a concussion that sidelined him for six contests, but he scored against Detroit to become the fifth player in league history to notch 10 goals in his first 10 career games. The 2017 No. 5 overall pick had a five-point game in Friday’s 7-6 win over Colorado to give him 16 points — most among league rookies. “There’s some guys that you can tell are wired for success, and I feel like he is,” Canucks coach Travis Green said. “He talks like he is, and he’s been very humble still and not getting too far ahead of himself.”

ABOUT THE BRUINS (8-4-2): Tuukka Rask allowed four goals in his last three starts after a rocky beginning to the season, but he understands why Cassidy is giving the nod to backup netminder Jaroslav Halak against Vancouver. Halak has earned the confidence of the team by posting league-leading marks in goals-against average (1.45) and save percentage (.952). “The schedule hasn’t been crazy and Jaro has played unbelievable, that’s how it goes,” Rask said. “If you’re a hot goalie like that then you’ve got to let him play, I totally get it, it hasn’t affected me mentally really that much.”

OVERTIME

1. Pastrnak had an NHL-best 12 goals in 14 games through Tuesday’s action.

2. Canucks F Brock Boeser missed Tuesday’s game due to a groin injury and is day-to-day.

3. Boston ranks fifth in the league on the power play, converting 13 of 44 chances (29.5 percent).

PREDICTION: Bruins 4, Canucks 2

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VANCOUVER CANUCKS vs DETROIT RED WINGS
When: 7:30 PM  ET, Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan

TV: 7:35 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: DETROIT , VANCOUVER

Oddsmakers currently have the VANCOUVER listed as -115-moneyline favorites versus the DETROIT, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

The Sedin twins were the face of the Canucks franchise for 18 seasons before retiring but starstruck Vancouver fans aren’t seeing double anymore thanks to 19-year-old rookie Elias Pettersson. The fifth overall pick in the 2017 draft hopes to continue his fast start – nine goals in nine games – when the Canucks kick off their second six-game road trip of the season Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings.

Pettersson, who like Henrik and Daniel Sedin hails from Sweden, became the youngest Vancouver player to record five points in a game when he had two goals and three assists in Friday’s 7-6 overtime victory over Colorado. “We knew he was supposed to be a pretty good player. And he’s been all of that,” Canucks coach Travis Green told reporters about the 6-2, 165-pound Pettersson, who was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week on Monday and has 15 points despite missing six games with a concussion. Pettersson needed only 23 shots to become the 16th player in NHL history with at least nine goals in his first nine games and only the sixth after the league’s inaugural season. Detroit is coming off a 4-3 loss to Edmonton on Saturday that snapped a three-game winning streak after a 1-7-2 start.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), FS Detroit

ABOUT THE CANUCKS (9-6-0): Brock Boeser, a Calder Trophy finalist after scoring 29 goals in 62 games last season, had two goals and two assists Friday and owns four goals along with 11 points in 2018-19 while skating on a line with Pettersson. Defenseman Christopher Tanev (minus-4, 21:27 ice time per game) has missed the last five contests with a hip bone bruise but made the trip and could play Tuesday. Jacob Markstrom (6-3-0, 3.27 goals-against average, .899 save percentage) has allowed five or more goals in four games this season, winning for the first time in such contests Friday, and a total of nine in the other five contests.

ABOUT THE RED WINGS (4-8-2): Dylan Larkin leads the team with six goals and 15 points after scoring twice and recording six assists during a four-game point streak. The Red Wings are thin up front as Frans Nielsen and Andreas Athanasiou missed their third straight games Saturday with undisclosed injuries while Thomas Vanek (lower body) has been out for two contests. Tyler Bertuzzi (five goals) has scored in three of his last four games while 11 of Gustav Nyquist’s 12 points are assists.

OVERTIME

1. Pettersson set a Vancouver record for points in a regular-season game by a rookie Saturday and eclipsed the previous mark for youngest to score five points in franchise history set by 20-year-old Trevor Linden in the 1990-91 season.

2. Detroit D Jonathan Ericsson, who missed the first seven games of the season with an upper-body injury, did not play Saturday (undisclosed).

3. The Red Wings have won three of the last four meetings with the road team winning the past three encounters.

PREDICTION: Canucks 3, Red Wings 2

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COLORADO AVALANCHE vs VANCOUVER CANUCKS
When: 10:00 PM  ET, Friday, November 2, 2018
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia

TV: 10:05 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: VANCOUVER , COLORADO

Oddsmakers currently have the COLORADO listed as -120-moneyline favorites versus the VANCOUVER, while the game’s total is sitting at 6.

The Vancouver Canucks hope to conclude their four-game homestand with a third straight victory when they host the Colorado Avalanche on Friday. Vancouver, which will embark on a six-game road trip following the contest, were blanked by Pittsburgh in the opener of its string at Rogers Arena before defeating Minnesota and Chicago.

Jake Virtanen is heating up for the Canucks as he has scored three goals in his last two games, including two Wednesday for his first career multi-tally performance in the 4-2 victory over the Blackhawks. The 22-year-old right wing is halfway toward matching his career high in goals as he has recorded five in 14 games after registering 10 in 75 contests last season. Colorado looks to salvage the finale of its three-game road trip after self-destructing in Thursday’s 6-5 loss at Calgary. The Avalanche, who began the trek Saturday with a one-goal setback in Minnesota, carried a 4-1 lead into the third period but surrendered five consecutive tallies en route to the defeat.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, NHL Network; Altitude (Colorado), Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver)

ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (7-4-2): Colorado was staked to a 2-0 lead Thursday by a pair of youngsters as Vladislav Kamenev and Sheldon Dries each scored his first career goal. The 22-year-old Kamenev set up a tally versus the Wild for his first point in 12 NHL contests while the 24-year-old Dries, who also notched an assist against the Flames, made his league debut in the season opener and appeared in three additional games without recording a point before being sent to the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles. Colin Wilson joined Dries on Thursday with a goal and an assist after being kept off the scoresheet in eight consecutive contests.

ABOUT THE CANUCKS (8-6-0): Brendan Gaunce made an impact in his season debut Wednesday, scoring what proved to be the game-winning goal while also notching an assist. The 24-year-old center, who was the 26th overall pick in the 2012 draft, registered five tallies and seven assists in his first 114 NHL contests. Elias Pettersson, a 19-year-old Swedish center who was drafted fifth overall in 2017, was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for October after collecting seven goals and three assists in eight games.

OVERTIME

1. Canucks RW Brock Boeser is off to a slow start with two goals after netting 29 last season, but both have been game-winners.

2. Colorado RW Mikko Rantanen, who leads the league with 21 points, was named the NHL’s First Star of the Month for October after notching five goals and 16 assists in 12 contests.

3. Vancouver recalled Jalen Chatfield from Utica of the AHL and assigned fellow D Guillaume Brisebois to the Comets.

PREDICTION: Canucks 3, Avalanche 2

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PITTSBURGH PINGUINS vs VANCOUVER CANUCKS
When: 10:00 PM  ET, Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia

TV: 10:05 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: VANCOUVER , PITTSBURGH

Oddsmakers currently have the VANCOUVER listed as -247 moneyline favorites versus thePITTSBURGH, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

Elias Pettersson has established himself as an extremely early favorite for the Calder Trophy with the season’s first month coming to a close, and for good reason. With an NHL rookie-best total in goals (seven) and points (10) despite missing six games due to a concussion, Pettersson aims to continue his torrid streak on Wednesday as the Vancouver Canucks host the Chicago Blackhawks.

Pettersson, who is the 21st player in NHL history to score at least seven goals in his first seven contests, tallied in both the second and third period of Monday’s 5-2 win over Minnesota. “He’s got a really good mind for the game, his details are sharp,” Canucks coach Travis Green told reporters of the 19-year-old Swede, who was the fifth overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft. While Vancouver snapped a two-game skid to improve to 1-1-0 on its four-game homestand, Chicago has dropped a pair of contests heading into the opener of a three-game trek through the Pacific Northwest. Patrick Kane extended his point streak to six games for the Blackhawks with an assist on defenseman Brent Seabrook’s 5-on-3 goal in the first period of Sunday’s 2-1 overtime loss against Edmonton.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, NHL Network, WGN (Chicago), Sportsnet, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet360 (Vancouver)

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (6-3-3): Corey Crawford allowed one goal in three successive starts before getting gashed for six on Saturday in a 7-3 setback at St. Louis. The two-time Stanley Cup winner missed all three contests versus Vancouver last season due to a concussion which had effects that lingered for nearly 10 months, and he is not interested in talking about that anymore. “Is there a point?” Crawford asked Tuesday, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s done. It’s over. It’s almost a year ago. It’s way, way past now, and I don’t really care, to be honest.”

ABOUT THE CANUCKS (7-6-0): Forward Brandon Sutter is expected to miss four-to-six weeks with a separated shoulder sustained during the second period of Monday’s game versus the Wild. While Green elected against getting into specifics and said that Sutter’s recovery time would not be days but “more like weeks,” Vancouver recalled forwards Darren Archibald and Brendan Gaunce from Utica of the American Hockey League. Archibald scored a goal in Thursday’s tilt versus Arizona in his lone Canucks appearance this season and is expected to contribute on the penalty kill.

OVERTIME

1. Chicago C Marcus Kruger (team-leading 14 penalty minutes) did not skate with any of the four lines during Tuesday’s practice and is likely to be a scratch versus Vancouver.

2. The Canucks outscored the Blackhawks 14-6 en route to winning all three games last season.

3. Kane, who has collected six goals and four assists during his point streak, has failed to dent the scoresheet on just one occasion in 12 games this season.

PREDICTION: Canucks 4, Blackhawks 2

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VANCOUVER vs CALGARY
When: 10:00 PM  ET, Saturday, December 9, 2017
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta

TV: 10:05 PM
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: CALGARY , VANCOUVER

Oddsmakers currently have the VANCOUVER listed as 145-moneyline favorites versus the CALGARY, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

CALGARY, Alberta — The Vancouver Canucks have a huge gap to fill for at least the next month.

They began life on Thursday without top center Bo Horvat, who is out with a broken foot. He was injured Tuesday in a win over Carolina and watched the Canucks lose meekly 4-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers two days later.

The Canucks (14-11-4) are in action again Saturday evening when they visit the Calgary Flames.

“When you lose top guys in your lineup someone else has to step up,” Canucks coach Travis Green told reporters in Vancouver.

“And a lot of times it’s by committee. You can’t expect one person to become Bo Horvat.”

Horvat has 10 goals and 10 assists in 28 games and is second on the team behind rookie winger Brock Boeser.

The Canucks made a move late Thursday night to fill the roster spot, though it certainly won’t replace the offense Horvat supplies.

They acquired forward Nic Dowd from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for the third Subban brother, Jordan, a defensive prospect who is in the American Hockey League.

Dowd, a 27-year-old from Huntsville, Ala., has one assist in 16 games with the Kings this season. His first full NHL season of 2016-17 saw him register six goals and 22 points in 70 games.

The loss to Philadelphia derailed a nice run by the Canucks, who were looking for their fourth straight win.

“Home, road — whatever. If there’s two points up for grabs, we need to show up and give it everything we have. We had a good practice today and we’ll be ready for Calgary,” said Canucks defenseman Michael del Zotto on Friday.

The Flames (15-12-2) return home after a successful two-game trip where they lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a shootout on Wednesday and beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in overtime on Thursday.

The win over Montreal snapped a three-game losing streak that also included a loss to Philadelphia on Monday.

Calgary’s head coach Glen Gulutzan preached patience after the Montreal game.

“You can’t ride the waves too high or too low, you’ve got to stick with your game and at the end of the day you can get there if you keep that perspective,” he said.

The Flames will have pesky sophomore Matthew Tkachuk back in the lineup. The winger sat out a one-game suspension for a spearing incident in Toronto, his second spearing suspension of the season.

What’s unknown is the status of Jaromir Jagr, who has missed the past two contests with a lower-body injury. The 45-year-old has missed 12 of the Flames’ first 29 games and has one goal and six assists in what is looking more and more like his 25th and final NHL season.

This is the third meeting of the season for the Flames and Canucks. Calgary won 5-2 in Vancouver on Oct. 14 and the Canucks returned the favor with a 5-3 victory in Calgary on Nov. 7.

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VANCOUVER vs NASHVILLE
When: 8:00 PM  ET, Thursday, November 30, 2017
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), FSN Tennessee
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: Predators 3, Canucks 2

Oddsmakers currently have the VANCOUVER listed as 170-moneyline favorites versus the NASHVILLE, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — If the Nashville Predators wish November had another 30 days, it is understandable.

After a mediocre October left some questioning if last spring’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals screamed fluke, Nashville enters a Thursday night home game against the Vancouver Canucks 10-2-1 in November, tying a franchise record for most points in the month.

OVERTIME

1. Predators F Filip Forsberg is the only player in the NHL to score in every home game, collecting eight goals and nine assists.

2. Canucks LW Daniel Sedin has been held off the scoresheet the past two games to remain two points shy of 1,000.

3. Predators G Pekka Rinne has won five straight starts but is 11-9-2 overall against Vancouver.

The Predators have gone from being a .500 team to one that is 15-6-3 with points in 11 of the past 12 games. They are winning games in all sorts of ways, prevailing in shootouts, blowouts and defensive-minded contests.

Nashville’s 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday was a little bit of everything. The teams combined for 70 shots in a typically fast-paced contest, but the Predators prevailed behind Pekka Rinne’s 37 saves and their 18th power-play goal — Roman Josi’s slapper at 2:32 of the third period — in 11 home games.

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (15-6-3): Forward Austin Watson converted on the power play for only his third goal of the season and 12th of his career, but it was his play at the other end of the ice against Chicago that drew raves. Watson blocked three shots in the final seconds of Tuesday’s win to add to his game-high five hits. “It was unreal. We were celebrating on the bench like somebody just scored a hat trick,” Josi said. “It was unbelievable. That’s what makes him so valuable. He’s a true warrior.”

“I think we have a lot of confidence in our team right now,” Josi said. “I think we have a lot of depth. It’s been a really good month for sure, and we’d better keep it up. There’s still a lot of things we can do better, and we need to work on those things, too.”

No team in the league has taken more penalties than the Predators, but they reined themselves in for the most part against the Blackhawks, committing only three minors. And although they have allowed 11 third-period markers in their past seven games, they were able to find a better balance Tuesday night between all-out attacking and all-out turtling.

Of course, having Rinne as an eraser on the back end helps. Rinne’s age-35 season is starting as one of the best of his career, as he enters Thursday night with a 14-3-2 record, a 2.29 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage.

“I think the coaching staff does a great job of keeping us accountable,” Rinne said. “Every day, we work and go through our five-on-five game. There is always room for improvement. If we want to be one of the best teams, we have to do it consistently. There are no days off.”

Nashville’s variety of skills will be a tough test for a Vancouver team that is staggering to the end of a six-game road trip. After opening with wins in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh last week, the Canucks have dropped three straight, including a 5-2 verdict Tuesday night to the New York Islanders.

Vancouver (11-10-4) put itself in a hole by allowing three goals in the first period against the Islanders. It was the seventh loss in 10 games (3-5-2) for the Canucks, who got off to a surprisingly good start under first-year coach Travis Green before the current skid.

ABOUT THE CANUCKS (11-10-4): Bo Horvat scored for the fourth time in eight games to push his season total to 10 — halfway to his career-high 20 set in 2016-17 — but he’s unhappy with Vancouver’s regression on the road trip. The Canucks posted a pair of 5-2 wins at Philadelphia and Pittsburgh before losing three straight. “We’ve got to get back to frustrating teams rather than turning it into a track meet where you’re trading chances,” Horvat said after Tuesday’s 5-2 loss to the Islanders. “We need 20 guys.”

“We’ve got to go back to how we were playing earlier, frustrating teams and not turning it into a track meet where you’re trading chances,” Vancouver center Bo Horvat said. “We need 20 guys, we need everybody contributing.”

Vancouver might go back to Jacob Markstrom (6-8-3, 2.63, .909) in goal after Anders Nilsson (5-2-1, 2.63, .924) coughed up five goals on 36 shots Tuesday night. Nilsson had played well in seven previous starts.

This is the teams’ first meeting this season, and the Canucks’ only trip to Bridgestone Arena. The Predators play in Vancouver on Dec. 13 and March 2.

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WINNIPEG vs VANCOUVER
When: 10:00 PM  ET, Thursday, October 12, 2017
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia

TV: 10 p.m. ET, TSN3 (Winnipeg), Sportsnet Vancouver
LINE: 0
PREDICTION: Jets 4, Canucks 2

Oddsmakers currently have the WINNIPEG listed as -130-moneyline favorites versus the VANCOUVER, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.5.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Connor Hellebuyck is supposed to be a backup goaltender, but he is not playing like one.

Hellebuyck will make his second straight start Thursday as the Winnipeg Jets (1-2-0) visit the Vancouver Canucks (1-0-1) at Rogers Arena.

“It means a lot, but I’ve gotta be ready,” Hellebuyck said of his second start after Wednesday’s practice. “I’ve gotta bring my A game.”

Jets management did not feel that Hellebuyck brought his A game often enough last season as the starter, so the club signed 10-year veteran Steve Mason as a free agent July 1.

OVERTIME

1. The Canucks are 1-for-11 on the power play.

2. Scheifele, who finished seventh in the league in scoring last season, has five points in three games.

3. Canucks F Thomas Vanek, who scored against Ottawa, has 21 goals and 32 points in 41 contests versus Winnipeg.

But Mason, who played for the Philadelphia Flyers last season, allowed three goals on the first 10 shots he faced as a Jet in their season opener at home against Toronto — and was yanked early in the third period after giving up five in all.

Hellebuyck earned the start against Vancouver start after backstopping the Jets to a 5-2 win over the offensively explosive Oilers in Edmonton on Monday. But he is not putting too much stock in his 37-save effort against Connor McDavid and company.

“It’s just one game,” Hellebuyck said. “I see this as another chance for me to just go out there and continue showing what I can do, bringing my best and helping the team succeed.”

Big things have been expected of the Jets in recent seasons, but they have missed the playoffs in three of the past four years. The goaltender position will come under heavy scrutiny this season tries to live up to expectations.

After the Jets signed Mason, Hellebuyck, a 24-year-old Commerce, Mich., native, embarked on an intense offseason conditioning program. Although Hellebuyck declined to get into specifics about his program, he indicated that improvements in his biomechanics have helped him move quicker and feel better about his game.

“Just every day in practice, I feel like myself again,” said Hellebuyck, who went 26-19-4 last season. “I feel good and I feel confident. I can actually go out and play. I have the right foundation and I just need to continue working hard at it.”

Jets coach Paul Maurice said Hellebuyck has earned another start.

“I really liked his game (in Edmonton),” Maurice said. “It was good to get a win.”

Maurice downplayed his decision to sit Mason out again.

“It’s early in the season,” Maurice said. “We got off to a rocky start as a team (against Toronto), and we had a really good performance the other night. So I’m going with the same lineup — that’s all.”

Top defenseman Dustin Byfuglien will miss his second straight game with an undisclosed lower-body injury. Maurice said Byfuglien, who is with the team, is listed as day-to-day.

While the Jets goaltending might have questions, there is no doubt about their offensive firepower. The Canucks will attempt to hold the likes of Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, Blake Wheeler and Patrick Laine, among others, in check.

Ehlers had eight shots against the Oilers while producing four points. Scheifele and Wheeler had three points apiece.

“We know they have some highly skilled players, guys who can shoot the puck, guys who can play,” Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev said. “We will have to stay out of the (penalty) box against them. They have a good power play.”

As they pay close attention to defense, the Canucks will try to produce more offense. They have only managed one power-play goal on 11 extra-man chances thus far.

“It’s just (a matter of) execution, I feel,” Canucks captain Henrik Sedin said. “Somehow it feels good. We can create off the rush. It’s just that last play needs to be made.”

It remains to be seen how many games Henrik and his twin brother Daniel, two former NHL scoring champions, get to make during man-advantage opportunities and five-on-five.

Without making much of an announcement on the subject, new coach Travis Green has started limiting their ice time in an apparent attempt to keep the 36-year-olds fresh over the long haul.

“I think that’s what you’re going to see this season,” Henrik said. “There’s going to be different guys on the power play, different guys playing more minutes, guys in and out of the lineup. If you buy in, there isn’t going to be a problem.

“There are going to be lots of stories. Maybe that’s good for you guys, but that’s the way it is. We knew this was the way it was going to be.”

In past seasons, the Sedins have received the majority of playing time on most nights. But several other players received more minutes against the Senators.

“It’s a different feeling for us, but we know what’s going to happen,” Henrik said. “We’re going to get some power play time and we need to step up five-on-five.”

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