The Vancouver Canucks look to keep rolling on the road when they visit the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
The Canucks are 4-1-0 in their first five away games, including four consecutive wins away from home. A victory on Tuesday would tie the fifth-longest road winning streak in franchise history.
Extending that streak required a dramatic finish in Saturday’s 3-2 road win over the San Jose Sharks. With his first Canucks goal, Jake DeBrusk broke a 1-1 tie at 15:38 of the third, but San Jose’s Mikael Granlund found the late equalizer three minutes later. That set the stage for an even later game-winner, as Vancouver forward Pius Suter scored with just 26 seconds left in regulation.
“Putting ourselves in position to be up one with five minutes left and letting one in there, it’s not a good feeling,” DeBrusk said. “But the next line that went out there did an amazing job of just getting the puck in deep. (Conor Garland) made a great play, and Sutes finished it.”
Suter also scored in the second period, giving the forward four goals in his last five games.
Goaltender Kevin Lankinen stopped 21 of 23 shots in yet another strong performance. He is 5-0-2 with a .919 save percentage and a 2.25 goals-against average over seven starts and appears likely to start Tuesday unless the Canucks turn to Arturs Silovs against the misfiring Ducks offense.
Anaheim entered Monday last in the NHL in goals (24) and was averaging just 2.18 goals per game over 11 contests. The Ducks outshot the Chicago Blackhawks 40-29 on Sunday but again had trouble scoring in a 4-2 home loss.
Chicago scored on both of its power-play chances, adding to the misery for a struggling Ducks penalty-kill unit. Entering Monday, Anaheim had killed just 72.4 percent of penalties, while its 13.9 percent power-play percentage was also near the bottom of the league.
Forward Ross Johnston feels the Ducks can spark the offense with some “ugly hockey, and by ugly I mean just keeping it simple.”
“(Skating in) straight lines, getting the puck in deep, and getting our chances by throwing pucks at the goalie’s feet. … When those bounces start going in, I think your confidence grows and then the skill plays start happening,” Johnston said.
The Ducks’ lack of scoring has undermined an outstanding performance by goaltender Lukas Dostal, who entered this week with a 2.22 GAA and .937 save percentage. Dostal has started nine of Anaheim’s 11 games and will likely be called on against Vancouver.
Troy Terry leads Anaheim with nine points (five goals, four assists) and is the only Ducks skater with more than six points.
Vancouver’s offense has also yet to start clicking as the team is averaging a modest three goals per game. The Canucks are benefiting from a more balanced scoring attack, as nine players have collected at least five points over the club’s 10 games.
The Canucks went 7-0-0 against the Ducks in the last two seasons. Vancouver is unbeaten (4-0-0) in its last four trips to Anaheim and hasn’t lost a road game to the Ducks since Nov. 14, 2021.
