Canucks Close Homestand Against Golden Knights on Back-to-Back

The Vancouver Canucks wrap up their homestand Sunday, Oct. 4, against the Vegas Golden Knights, the second game of a back-to-back at Rogers Arena. Puck drop is 6 p.m. PT (9 p.m. ET), on Sportsnet and on KISS West Coast radio with Brendan Batchelor.

Adin Hill is set for his first start of the season for Vegas, according to NHL.com. The club is expected to keep the rest of its lineup intact after Friday’s 4-3 loss to Anaheim. Kevin Lankinen is the projected starter for Vancouver, which did not hold a morning skate after Saturday’s win. Leevi Merilainen stopped 23 shots in that game, his first start for the Canucks.

Jake DeBrusk remains questionable with an illness after missing Saturday’s game. Vancouver also lists Thatcher Demko (hip) and Filip Chytil (shoulder) as injured.

Saturday went Vancouver's way, a 4-1 win in which defenceman Elias Pettersson scored the first game-winning goal of his career. He credited teammate Tom Willander for the nudge.

"Tom said before the shift to be active, so I just tried to jump down on the play, and it was a great pass by Öhgy, and it went in, so it was nice," Pettersson said.

Willander said the effort level in the room feels different. "I think you can feel in the group that these hard individual efforts are coming from a place of doing it for each other, which I feel is a bit different than it was before," he said.

Veteran defenceman Luke Schenn was one of the players leading that push. Head coach Manny Malhotra pointed to his consistency. "It's valuable for a defenceman to be physical and kill plays and know that he has that presence on the ice," Malhotra said. "It makes his teammates around him that much taller."

The Canucks are 2-1-0 under Malhotra. Vegas is 1-1-0 and on the road for the first time this season.