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Canucks vs. Hurricanes Game Day: Home is where the heart must always be

'We've been talking since Day 1 that coming here should be really tough for opponents. Right now, we're not happy with the results' — Elias (D-Petey) Pettersson

Published Oct 20, 2026  •  Last updated 8 hours ago  •  4 minute read

Logan Stankoven of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates his second goal against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 8 in Raleigh. The Kamloops native had a natural hat-trick in a 7-2 win. Photo by Jared C. Tilton /Getty Images

Where/When: Tuesday, 7 p.m., Rogers Arena
TV: Sportsnet Pacific, Radio: Kiss 104.9 FM

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The buzz: Beware the wounded beast.

It’s fair warning because the defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes had their seven-game win streak snapped Sunday — including a franchise-record five triumphs in a row on the road — in a 3-2 setback at Calgary.

The Hurricanes probably deserved a better fate with 36 shots but missed glorious scoring chances. They’ve also lost big productive forward Mark Jankowski, who was riding a six-game scoring streak, to a lower-body injury and the list of key players sidelined is now up to four.

“You’ve got to figure it out,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “This is the no-one-feels-sorry-for-you league. We created a ton of offence, three or four goalposts, and this game could have looked different. But I would have still felt the same way. We’re giving up too much (34 shots).”

What does all this mean for Tuesday?

The Hurricanes seldom lack motivation and the Canucks have an opportunity to show they can be harder to play against on home ice. It’s a key element of the roster rebuild because there’s showing up and losing and not showing up at all.

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The latter affects players and fans and can create apathy toward the product, even if patience in the rebuild process is imperative. However, a league-worst 9-27-5 record at Rogers Arena last season to set a franchise mark for futility simply can’t happen again. Wins must become more than just a rare occurrence.

A methodical 4-1 victory over the Flames on a gritty Oct. 3 night where the Canucks showed plenty of fight and bite at Rogers Arena — despite going 0-for-5 on the power play — was encouraging. And so was rallying from 5-0 and 8-2 deficits in a wild 9-7 loss to the Edmonton Oilers two nights earlier on home ice.

On Monday, the Canucks pushed the practice pace to nearly 90 minutes. Lots of instructions on maintaining the right directions during demanding drills, lots of pointing and some yelling.

The whiteboard got a workout and so did players in 3-on-3 battle drills. There was very little of that during the six-game, 10-day road trip where practice time was limited.

“It’s really good,” Canucks defenceman Zeev Buium said following the extended practice. “Getting to practise and compete against each other and harp on the little details. It’s easy to watch on video or talk about it, but it’s hard to execute and the more we practise and the preparation that goes into it, the better it is.

“And when it feels like you can’t get it wrong, that’s the point you want to get to. We’re still working toward that.”

It’s about getting to the point where the Canucks are harder to play against on home ice and harder to defeat. It’s a cornerstone of the rebuild and one the club must build upon.

“We’ve been talking since Day 1 that coming here should be really tough for opponents,” hard-hitting blueliner Elias Pettersson told Postmedia. “Right now, we’re not happy with the results, but we had a really good meeting this morning and our minds are in a better position.”

The history: The memory of a bad game can stick like gum on your shoe and it’s hard to remove. The Canucks were spanked 7-2 in Carolina on Oct. 8 to open a six-game road trip.

They gave up three goals in the opening 10 minutes, including a pair of power-play goals in a span of 2:14, and the Canes converted all three man-advantage opportunities. Kamloops native Logan Stankoven also struck for a natural hat trick.

The hope: The Canucks score early and find a way to sustain momentum, especially on home ice, and don’t crumble when the opposition responds. It’s a rite of passage in the rebuild to ensure effort is never a problem.

The fear: That first game back after a long and mind-zapping 0-5-1 trip. There can be rust and a lack of trust, but making amends for that ugly loss in Raleigh should be enough incentive to right the wrongs against the injury-plagued Canes and be competitive.

The top guns: Canucks: Elias Pettersson leads with 10 points (3-7) through 10 games while winger Paul Cotter is tops in goals with four and has seven points. Hurricanes: Sebastian Aho leads with 14 points (6-8) in 10 outings, Andrei Svechnikov has 11 points (6-5), including three power-play goals, and Jackson Blake eight points (1-7).

The wounded: Canucks: Thatcher Demko, hip surgery recovery, (IR); Marco Rossi (day-to-day) illness: Hurricanes: Mark Jankowski, lower body, day-to-day; Seth Jarvis, shoulder, day-to-day (IR); Taylor Hall (upper body) week-to-week; Jordan Staal, calf, month-to-month (IR).

The quote: “It’s the way we’re giving up points and goals. It continues to frustrate the group, but a lot of the things we see are fixable. They’re self-inflicted wounds.” — Manny Malhotra

The projected lineup:

DeBrusk-EP40-Karlsson
Cotter-Chytil-Boeser
Ohgren-O’Connor-Lekkerimaki
Bains-Sasson-Gallagher

EP25-Hronek
Oleksiak-Willander
Buium-Schenn

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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