The Vancouver Canucks are going going, back back to Cali Cali for a trio of games against the California teams over the upcoming six days.

San Jose is the first stop, and the Sharks are the first opponent as the Canucks look to get back to their winning ways and build on their solid record in the opening portion of the regular season.

The Sharks are in the middle of a five-game homestand and are on a three-game winning streak ahead of Saturday night’s tilt. After losing their first nine games of the season, something clicked with the Sharks, and they won over Utah, Los Angeles, and Chicago in their last three outings.

Will Smith picked up his first two NHL goals in the Sharks’ 3-2 win over the Blackhawks on Halloween night. The 19-year-old rookie is one of the most dangerous U20 players in the world and is the centre on the Sharks’ third line. He also sees time on the second power play unit.

Vancouver’s own, and this past summer’s first overall pick, Macklin Celebrini has resumed team activities but will not be in the lineup on Saturday night when the Canucks roll through the SAP Center. Celebrini has been out of the lineup with a lower-body injury since the first game of the season.

Fun Fact: Macklin’s older brother Aiden is a 2023 draft pick of the Canucks and is in his second year with Boston University.

The Canucks are hitting the road after a homestand that saw them put up a 1-1-1 record. They are 3-1-0 on the road this season and have outscored their opposition 13-9 in those four games.

We have seen the pairing of Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek get off to a great start this season. The Canucks’ top pairing has played 129 minutes together at five-on-five this season and they hold a 61.6% control of the shot share; being on the ice for 85 shots for and 53 shots against.

The Hughes-Hronek pairing has been on the ice for seven goals scored and only two against at five-on-five. On top of the goals scored, they are generating a ton of scoring chances. They have been on the ice for 73 scoring chances for and 41 against, which puts them fifth in the league for defence pairing with a 64% control of scoring chances.

Over his last six games, Hughes has totalled 58 shot attempts and is showing off why he was last year’s Norris Trophy winner. In his last six games, Hughes has been on the ice for 83 shots for and only 46 shots against at five-on-five.

Quick Hits on the Competition

• The Sharks are currently on a three-game winning streak and have not had a four-game winning streak since the beginning of the 2021-22 season.

• Mikael Granlund leads the team with 13 points through 12 games. He has picked up seven of those points on the power play and is averaging 21:23 of ice time per game through the first dozen outings.

• Fabian Zetterlund and former Canuck Tyler Toffoli are tied for the team lead in goals with six apiece.

• It has been a near-even split between the pipes so far this season with Mackenzie Blackwood getting seven starts and Vitek Vanecek starting in five of his own. Both goalies have a save percentage under .900% and their goals-against averages are between 3.6 and 3.65.

• The Sharks have picked up a point in all four of their games that they have scored first in. They hold a 2-0-2 record when scoring first but a 1-7-0 record when the opponent scores the first goal of the game.

• First periods have been difficult for the Sharks so far this season, so a quick start is important for the Canucks. The Sharks have been outscored 19-5 in the opening frame through 12 games.

• Second periods have been the best for the Sharks this season, scoring 13 and allowing 10

The Story: Back to the Fundamentals

Head coach Rick Tocchet wants to see his team focus on the basics of the game to maintain the standard they set as a team last season.

“Usually, when we have a stinker, this team does a really good job whenever we practice [afterwards], and it usually helps our game,” Tocchet said. “It’s a little bit on me. I think the practices have to be a little bit more fundamental and driven, more detailed than ever. That’s more on me, I’ve got to make sure I steer that ship more in the fundamental department.”

The head coach skated his players more than we typically see in practice, and he equates that to just wanting to get the legs going and ultimately just back to the fundamentals of how he wants practice to be hard work.

Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games

J.T. Miller: 2g-4a-6p
Brock Boeser: 3g-2a-5p
Kiefer Sherwood: 2g-2a-4p
Conor Garland: 1g-3a-4p
Quinn Hughes: 1g-3a-4p

When and Where to Watch

Saturday night’s game is a 7:00 p.m. PT start time and can be viewed on Sportsnet for Hockey Night in Canada. If you are looking for the radio broadcast, you will find Brendan Batchelor on the call with Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.