Our Picks
Barstool BushChronicling the Barstool Universe

Vancouver Canucks at San Jose Sharks

Thu Oct 297:00 PM PTESPN+San Jose, CA
By JR·2 min read
Canucks(3-10-1)
Sharks(6-6-1)
Thursday 10/297:00 PM

TLDR: Vancouver finally has a win to talk about after a 10-game winless run, and it came the hard way: down 3 goals in Anaheim, then 4 in the 3rd period to steal it. Next up is Thursday's stop in San Jose, where a Sharks team that has been more fun than its record suggests waits after a long road swing.

FRI 10/30, 7:00 PMESPN+
Canucks
(3-10-1)
WLLLL
Sharks
(6-6-1)
LLWWL

Vancouver arrives in San Jose a game removed from snapping a 10-game winless run with an overtime comeback in Anaheim, but it's still 3-10-1, still without Thatcher Demko, and still giving up goals in bunches. San Jose is home after a 2-3 road trip that included Celebrini's overtime winner in Montreal and a 6-goal night in Ottawa, though Wennberg and Chernyshov are both out. It probably comes down to whether Vancouver can keep San Jose's top line in check without its top goalie.

Vancouver Canucks
  • Scored 4 in a 3rd period to beat Anaheim
  • Lekkerimaki and Boeser both producing right now
  • Hronek's OT winner came on the power play
  • Allowed 4+ goals in each of last 5 games
  • Demko on IR, not expected back before Christmas
  • 3-10-1, a 10-game winless run just ended
San Jose Sharks
  • Celebrini drove 2 road wins on the trip
  • Six-goal night in Ottawa, first regulation win
  • Home after a 5-game road swing
  • Wennberg out down the middle
  • Chernyshov week-to-week with upper-body injury
  • Blew a 3rd-period game to Boston to end the trip

Start with the Canucks, because their week has been the stranger one. Before Anaheim, Vancouver had gone 10 straight without a win, a stretch going back to early October. Then the 3rd period at Honda Center happened. Jonathan Lekkerimaki scored twice, Brock Boeser had 3 points, and Filip Hronek ended it on the power play at 4:49 of overtime. One win doesn't fix a 3-10-1 start. It does give a dressing room something to play from besides the standings.

The problem is the goals going the other way. Over the 4 losses before Anaheim, the Canucks gave up 4, 6, 5 and 4, and then let the Ducks put up 5 more in a game they won. Thatcher Demko is still on injured reserve with the hip, and Henrik Sedin's hope is only that he's back before Christmas. So whoever starts in net Thursday is protecting the same leaky structure that has cost Vancouver most of October. Elias Pettersson has chipped in on the power play, scoring his 4th of the season against Detroit, but the scoring hasn't been what's sinking this team.

San Jose is coming home from a 5-game road trip that went 2-3. The good part of the trip was very good: Macklin Celebrini scored twice against Montreal, the 2nd one the overtime winner on the power play, and then the Sharks scored 6 in Ottawa for their first regulation win of the season, with Collin Graf and Jacob Trouba each getting a goal and an assist. The trip finished with Boston coming back on them in the 3rd period, a 6-4 loss, which was their last game as of Wednesday. At 6-5-1, the Sharks are a lot further along than Vancouver.

Vancouver Canucks
(3-10-1)
10/28W@Ducks6-5
10/26LvsWild2-4
10/23LvsRed Wings2-5
10/21LvsHurricanes3-6
10/17L@Lightning2-4
San Jose Sharks
(6-6-1)
10/28LvsSabres0-2
10/24L@Bruins4-6
10/22W@Senators6-2
10/20W@Canadiens4-3
10/19L@Maple Leafs1-3

San Jose's forward depth is the thing to watch. Alexander Wennberg is out at center, and Igor Chernyshov is listed week-to-week with an upper-body injury, so 2 regulars are missing from the middle six. That puts more on Celebrini's line to drive play, and lineup spots open up for the depth guys behind them. Quentin Musty and goalie Kyle Keyser are still on non-roster IR from the start of the season.

It's a West Coast trip for Vancouver, with a day between Anaheim and puck drop at 7:00 PM PT. The Sharks' schedule is the main reason to watch this one: they're playing at home after a long trip east, and the Los Tiburones game is coming Saturday. If San Jose's top line looks like it did in Montreal and Ottawa, the Canucks' defense is exactly what it can take advantage of. If Vancouver's young forwards carry over that 3rd period in Anaheim, it gets interesting.

Canucks vs. Sharks: Polymarket Odds & Prediction (Oct. 29) — Canucks Finally Win, Now Try to Stack Another in San Jose