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10 statistics that stand out from the first 10 Canucks games

Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

By Jeff Paterson

Oct 18, 2026, 18:09 EDT

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It’s still early in the 2026-27 Vancouver Canucks season and early, too, in the organization’s stated rebuild. But 10 games give us all a limited sample size to start following emerging storylines. With that in mind, here are 10 statistics that jump out through 10 games for the Canucks.

1) Third periods were the undoing for the Canucks on their 0-5-1 road trip. The hockey club was outscored 9-1 in the final periods of the six games out on the road, and the lone goal was Jake DeBrusk rounding out the scoring in a lopsided 7-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. That was the first game of the road trip. The Canucks have not scored a third period goal in the past five games despite being in the battle in the previous four. They were down 3-2 to the New York Rangers going into the third and lost 6-3. They were tied 2-2 with the Islanders and lost 3-2. They were up 2-0 on the Florida Panthers before falling 3-2 in overtime, and they were tied 2-2 with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday but ultimately dropped a 4-2 decision. If you add in Florida’s overtime winner last Thursday, the Canucks were outscored 10-1 after the second period in the six games on the trip. Add in the October 4th home game against the Vegas Golden Knights prior to hitting the road, and the Canucks have just one goal in their last seven third periods.

2) Saturday’s loss saw a tired Canucks team establish a season-low for shots on goal with just 14. That eclipsed the 18 they mustered in the previous game in South Florida. This is all part of a troubling trend that has seen the Canucks crest the 23-shot mark only twice in a game when they managed 26 shots against both the New York Islanders and the Calgary Flames. On the season, the Canucks are averaging a league-low 21.1 shots per game and just 16.3 per outing at 5-on-5. Jake DeBrusk leads the club with 20 shots through 10 games while Linus Karlsson is one back and centres Elias Pettersson and Marco Rossi are tied with 16. Those four are the only players averaging more than 1.5 shots per game.

3) Leevi Meriläinen has been a bright spot in the early stages of this season. In 225 minutes at 5-on-5, the 24-year-old Finn has allowed just five goals, stopping 121 of the 126 shots he has faced. That is a 5-on-5 save percentage of .960. According to Natural Stat Trick, he has posted a league-high 7.41 goals saved above expected and turned aside 28 of the 29 high-danger shots he has faced at 5-on-5.

4) The penalty kill got off to a dismal start on the road trip allowing three power play goals in consecutive losses in Carolina and New Jersey. It stabilized as the trip went along, but was beaten the only time the Canucks were shorthanded in Tampa Bay on Saturday. So through 10 games, the PK has allowed 13 goals on 31 attempts and sits at 58.2%. As it was last season, the club’s PK sits dead last in the league. Quite remarkably, the Canucks kill was just seven for 15 on the road trip (46.7%) and on the road for the season is 52.6%.

5) The Canucks finished their road trip with four straight two-goal performances. They have been held to two goals in six of their last seven games. The only game they didn’t score two, they scored once (in New Jersey). Add it up, and it’s 13 goals in the past seven games (1.86 per game) after exploding out of the gate with 17 goals in the team’s first three contests (5.67). Paul Cotter and Marco Rossi each scored three goals in the first two games of the season. Cotter has one since, and Rossi has not found the back of the net since the second game of the season.

6) All three of centre Elias Pettersson’s goals this season have come on the power play. That’s a double-edged sword. Pettersson scored just four goals with the man-advantage in 74 games last season. So the fact that he’s shooting and scoring on the power play is an encouraging sign. As is his overall production with a team-leading 10 points through the team’s first 10 games. Overall, it’s been a solid start under trying circumstances for the veteran centre. But with all his goals coming with the man advantage, it leaves plenty of room for improvement at even strength, where Pettersson has not scored since a January 13th game at the Ottawa Senators.

7) We were all warned at the outset of the schedule that wins and losses really didn’t matter for a rebuilding Canucks team. We were cautioned that there were a series of far more important markers to be used to fairly and accurately gauge the progress of this hockey club. And while the Canucks have been close in some games, the reality is it’s a bottom-line business, and competitive players want to win, and win regularly. That clearly hasn’t happened in the early stages of this season. The Canucks have two victories on the season, but just one since opening night. And that most recent win – 4-1 over the Calgary Flames on October 3rd – stands alone as the team’s only regulation win of the season so far. That means nine of the club’s first 10 opponents have taken at least one standings point off the Canucks. No one wants to be the free spot on the bingo card.

8) Jonathan Lekkerimäki has two goals and six points in his first 10 games of the season. It’s early, but that’s a 17-goal and 50-point pace. Obviously, there is a lot of ground to cover over the course of the season, so the 22-year-old will have his work cut out for him to maintain that pace. But his shot rate is encouraging. Lekkerimäki managed just 10 shots in the 13 NHL games he played last season. He already has 13 shots through 10 games this season. And he’s doing it in limited ice time, averaging 14:04 minutes and rising above 17 minutes only twice in the first 10 outings. Beyond the counting stats, Lekkerimäki is showing signs of growth in other areas of his game, and the Canucks have managed to outscore opponents 8-7 in his minutes at 5-on-5.

9) While there have been a couple of brutal starts to games this season (down 4-0 in the first period and 5-0 overall in the home opener against Edmonton and trailing Carolina 4-0 early in the second period), the Canucks have actually managed to score first in half of their games this season. And statistically, that should lead to more success on the scoreboard. Unfortunately, that part of the process remains a work in progress (1-3-1). The Canucks have been outscored 14-7 in first periods, 17-10 in second periods and 13-12 in the third. They are 1-1 in overtime after a win in Edmonton and a loss in Florida.

10) As you’d expect with a struggling team, the Canucks have trailed considerably more than they have led so far this season. They have held a lead for 129:05 of their 603 minutes of game action. On the other hand, they have trailed for 313:40. That leaves 161:37 where they have found themselves in tied hockey games. The Canucks erased a 2-0 deficit on Long Island last Tuesday, but they have let a three-goal lead get away in Edmonton on opening night and have been unable to build on 2-0 leads in each of the past two games.