The Vancouver Canucks (9-10-2) open a two-game homestand with a visit from the Dallas Stars (12-5-3). Puck drop for tonight’s game at Rogers Arena is at 7 pm.

It’s a battle of two of the NHL’s 3 Stars of the Week – Jason Robertson of the Stars and Quinn Hughes of the Canucks.

What we know

Jeff Paterson

@patersonjeff

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optional skate for #Canucks this morning after full practice yesterday

6:30 PM · Nov 20, 2025

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After a full practice on Wednesday, the Canucks held an optional skate at Rogers Arena on Thursday morning. Teddy Blueger, in a non-contact jersey, was a full participant. He will skate with the group moving forward, and according to head coach Adam Foote, is likely to travel with the team on its next road trip. There is no firm timeline for his return to game action.

As for tonight, Conor Garland gets back in action after missing Monday’s 8-5 loss against the Florida Panthers. He’s expected to lineup with newcomer David Kämpf and Brock Boeser. This will be Kämpf’s first home game with the Canucks. He logged 14:08 in his debut on Monday in Florida and won 11 of 15 faceoffs. Look for Elias Pettersson to centre the team’s top line with Evander Kane and Kiefer Sherwood. Jake DeBrusk and Drew O’Connor will flank Aatu Räty, while Lukas Reichel is shuffled to the wing on a line with Max Sasson and Linus Karlsson.

Based on Wednesday’s practice, Mackenzie MacEachern and Arshdeep Bains appear to be the extra forwards. With only 11 healthy skaters participating in the optional, the team did not run any line rushes this morning.

Kevin Lankinen returns to the net after backing up Jiri Patera on Monday night. Lankinen made 28 saves in a 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in his last outing on Sunday. The Finn has started five and appeared in six of the team’s last seven games.

Quinn Hughes has 10 assists in his last three games (three vs. Winnipeg, four at Tampa Bay and three in Florida). Elias Pettersson has four straight multipoint games, including a pair of goals on Monday against the Panthers. Drew O’Connor, Jake DeBrusk and Filip Hronek had the other Vancouver goals. DeBrusk has scored in back-to-back games and five of the team’s last six outings.

Jeff Paterson

@patersonjeff

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although still in red (non contact) jersey, #Canucks Blueger has been an active participant in all drills this morning

Watch on X

6:37 PM · Nov 20, 2025

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The Opponent

The Stars arrive in town on the heels of a 3-2 home loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday night. The red-hot Jason Robertson scored both Dallas goals. The Arcadia, CA native now has eight goals in his last four games and 12 points in his last five. He has scored seven of his team’s last 11 goals. Robertson shares the team lead for goals with Wyatt Johnston. Both have 11 on the season. Mikko Rantanen leads the club with 27 points.

The Stars saw their five-game win streak snapped by the Isles. Still, Dallas is 9-2-3 in its last 14 games. A big part of the team’s success is its second-best power play at 31.9%. The Stars have scored a league-best 22 goals with the man-advantage. Wyatt Johnston leads the league with eight on his own, one ahead of the Canucks Jake DeBrusk.

Victoria’s Jamie Benn made his season debut on Tuesday after missing the first six weeks of the season due to a collapsed lung. The Stars veteran captain played 9:46, took a penalty, had one shot and registered four hits.

Only two teams in the league get more production from their blueline than the Stars. However, Thomas Harley, who has 1+9=10, is out of the lineup with a lower-body injury.

Dallas is 6-1-2 on the road this season. The lone regulation loss came against the St. Louis Blues on October 18th. The Stars are 4-0-2 since then.

Jake Oettinger is expected to get the start in goal. He made 19 saves in Tuesday’s loss to the Islanders and is 8-4-1 on the season with a 2.77 GAA and a .898 save percentage. Back-up Casey DeSmith is having a fine season. He has won three straight starts and is 4-1-1 with the lone regulation loss coming against the Canucks.

News and notes

The Canucks defeated Dallas 5-3 in the Lone Star State on October 16th. Five different scorers found the back of the net that night. The teams will meet one more time this season on March 2nd in Vancouver.

The Canucks will wear their black skate jerseys tonight and again on Sunday vs Calgary.

The on-ice officials for tonight’s game are Chris Schlenker and Morgan MacPhee.

What was said

Adam Foote on paying special attention to Jason Robertson tonight: “Well, he’s a good player with time and space and room. They’ve got a good neutral zone. We went over it this morning where they’re trying to spring guys on entries and get a little bit more space. And we have to be aware of it and play it strong as a unit. I believe (Roope) Hintz with his speed creates a lot that stuff for a lot of people on that team.”

Aatu Räty on tidying up defensive issues against the Stars: “I think we’ve had some good video meetings and a good practice yesterday. We worked on a bunch of stuff. It’s a lot of communication and kind of sorting out who’s playing who. It’s been so good to have a day off and a practice day.”

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