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Scenes from morning skate: Lankinen starts; LaBate, Aman & Joseph all make season debuts for Canucks vs. Penguins
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Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Jeff Paterson
Oct 21, 2025, 14:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 21, 2025, 15:42 EDT
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The injury-riddled Vancouver Canucks (4-2) shoot for a fourth straight win when they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins (4-2) at PPG Paints Arena. Faceoff is set for 4 pm Pacific time.
Adam Foote will be forced to use a patchwork lineup in an effort to spoil the Arty Party as the Canucks face former teammate and Calder Cup Playoff MVP Arturs Silovs. 

What we know

The Canucks had a number of new faces on the ice with them at Tuesday’s morning skate. Joseph LaBate, Nils Aman and Tom Willander all took part after being recalled from Abbotsford on Monday. LaBate and Aman look like they’ll draw into the lineup while Willander’s NHL debut will have to wait. However, P-O Joseph is expected to make his first appearance as a Canuck after starting the season on the injured list. 
LaBate will wear a Canucks jersey for the first time in eight and a half years having last played for the organization in March of 2017. He was a fourth round pick of the Canucks under Mike Gillis in 2011. The 32-year-old got into six games with Columbus last season. He is still looking for his first NHL goal. 
Aman appeared in 19 games for the Canucks last season, scoring once and added five assists. Joseph will face his former team. He suited up for 24 games as a Penguin last season before signing with the Canucks as a free agent in July.
The Canucks are making all of the changes because Filip Chytil, Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Teddy Blueger were all injured in Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals. Plus, Brock Boeser will miss a second straight game due to personal reasons. Aatu RĂ€ty will draw back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch on Sunday.
Kevin Lankinen makes his second start of the road trip and third of the season. He was sharp making 31 saves in a 3-2 shootout victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.
The Canucks have had 10 different goal scorers on their three game win streak. Max Sasson is the only skater to find the back of the net more than once on the road trip.

The Opponent

The Penguins are back home following a successful California road trip which saw them take two of three games, finishing with a 3-0 victory in San Jose on Saturday night. Sidney Crosby, Anthony Mantha and Evgeni Malkin scored the Pittsburgh goals. Crosby and Malkin have each scored in back-to-back games. 
Thirty-nine year old Malkin is off to a hot start with a team-leading nine points (2+7) while Crosby is second in team scoring with three goals and four assists. Newcomer Justin Brazeau leads the club with four goals.
In 24 career games against the Canucks, Malkin has 13+17=30 while Crosby has 12+14=26 in 25 games versus Vancouver. 
Tristan Jarry made 31 saves for his first shutout of the season on Saturday, but will give way to Arturs Silovs in goal tonight. Silovs is 2-1 on the season with a 2.67 goals against average (GAA) and a .908% save percentage. He shutout the New York Rangers on opening night. Silovs won two games all of last season with the NHL Canucks (both against Chicago) before getting on a roll in the AHL playoffs.
The Penguins lineup includes a pair of rookies with strong ties to BC. Coquitlam’s Ben Kindel was the 11th overall pick in the 2025 Draft, and is the son of local soccer stars Steve Kindel and Sara Maglio. The 2007-born Kindel is the second-youngest player in the league behind the New York Islanders’ Matthew Schaefer.
Meanwhile, defenceman Harrison Brunicke was a 2024 second round pick from the Kamloops Blazers, and is the first skater in NHL history born in South Africa. Both players have already scored their first NHL goals this season.

News and notes

The Canucks and Penguins split their two-game season series last year with each collecting a one-goal win on home ice. Pittsburgh will be in Vancouver on January 25th.
TJ Luxmore and Brandon Blandina will be the on-ice officials for tonight’s game. 
Don’t forget to join Rink Wide Vancouver for full postgame coverage after this game – and every game. The livestream starts moments after the final buzzer. Rink Wide is the place for full postgame analysis and discussion. Join the live YouTube chat with your thoughts on the hockey game.
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