The Vancouver Canucks continue their three-game homestand as the Detroit Red Wings arrive for a Thursday night matchup at Rogers Arena.
This will be the first matchup of the season between the Canucks and Red Wings, who will play in Detroit for their second and final game of the season at the end of November.
Elias Pettersson picked up an assist on Tuesday and remains a point-per-game player through 11 games. He now has three goals and eight assists for 11 points.
Jonathan Lekkerimäki scored the first power play goal of his NHL career on Tuesday, and we are sure to see a lot more of those as his career progresses. Lekkerimäki has produced early on in the season, scoring three goals and adding four assists.
Quick Hits on the Competition
The Red Wings come into Thursday’s game with a 3-3-3 record.
Thursday’s game is the second stop on a Pacific Division road trip that takes them to Calgary on Saturday and Edmonton on Monday.
Alex DeBrincat leads the Red Wings offensively. He has six goals and five assists in nine games this season, including four in his last four.
John Gibson has started six of the Red Wings’ nine games this season, and backup netminder Daniil Tarasov started on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken.
Viktor Arvidsson is in his first season with the Red Wings and has four goals in his first nine games with his new club. Arvidsson has been on four different teams in the last four years: the Los Angeles Kings (2023-24), Edmonton Oilers (2024-25), and Boston Bruins (2025-26).
Moritz Seider leads the defence corps. He is averaging 26:02 of ice time per game.
The Story: Marco Rossi Returns
Marco Rossi missed the last couple of games due to illness, but returned to practice on Wednesday and was happy to be back with the group. Head Coach Manny Malhotra has to be happy too, as Rossi’s return gives him a big boost down the middle of his lineup.
“It does a lot in terms of slotting guys where they need to be and putting guys in the right position,” said Malhotra. “It definitely helps, just being able to change the lineup, change the chemistry a little bit of lines and just more so putting guys where they should be playing.”
Malhotra spoke about what he has seen from Rossi this season. He wants more production from his top-six, but sees it coming from the team being tenacious on pucks and winning battles during their forechecks.
Those things will give Rossi more opportunities to create offence, rather than being a perimeter player waiting for something to happen.
Rossi spoke to the media about returning from his illness, and he is simply excited to be back with the group.
“It feels good. It sucks when you are not out there,” said Rossi. “Maybe it was a hard practice for me, but I think that’s what I needed.”
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Brock Boeser: 1g-3a-4p
Linus Karlsson: 2g-1a-3p
Jonathan Lekkerimäki: 1g-2a-3p
Jake DeBrusk: 1g-2a-3p
Elias Pettersson: 1g-2a-3p
When and Where to Watch
Thursday’s game starts at 7:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on KiSS West Coast.