The Canucks leading scorer Conor Garland returns to the line-up on Wednesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, having sat out since being injured in last Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to the New York Rangers.
The shift disturbing workaholic will provide a needed boost to a roster that desperately needs it, and give the Blackhawks a key element to be concerned about defensively.
Aside from a little early season road winning streak, one that saw the Canucks reel off three wins in four nights between October 16th and 19th, Vancouver has struggled to find any consistency. The team has alternated between losses and wins over its last half dozen games.
Obviously part of this has to do with health. The line-up is shorthanded and ever-changing. Even with Garland’s return, the club’s injured list includes six other players, all of them long term.
The most glaring absence is that of Filip Chytil from the 2nd center position. While his history of concussions is coming back to haunt Canucks management, on a more basic level it puts more pressure on Elias Pettersson and the top line to perform offensively. The depth up front simply isn’t there, especially with three other forwards off the active roster. That would be Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Nils Hoglander and another center and key penalty killer Teddy Blueger.
Like Vancouver, Chicago has started the season thus far with a .500 record, much improved over recent seasons. Part of that is the accelerated maturity and NHL acclimation for North Vancouver’s Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks 1st-overall pick in the 2023 draft. He has 16 points in 13 games played.
In his last visit to Rogers Arena on March 15, 2025, Bedard finished pointless, with two shots on goal, and a minus-2 rating in a 6-2 loss to his hometown club.
Earlier Canucks:
— J.T. Miller Returns To Face Canucks
