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Canucks Game Day: Lankinen gets the nod vs. Red Wings
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Photo credit: © Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Jeff Paterson
Jan 8, 2026, 13:47 ESTUpdated: Jan 8, 2026, 14:29 EST
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The Vancouver Canucks (16-21-5) play the second game of a six-game road trip when they roll into Motown to face the Detroit Red Wings (25-15-4) at Little Caesars Arena. Tonight’s game is set for a 4 pm PT faceoff.
The Canucks are looking to snap out of a season-high four-game funk, having gone 0-2-2 since their last win. 

What we know

The team held an optional skate this morning. Following practice on Wednesday, head coach Adam Foote warned not to read too much into his line combinations. So perhaps there will be changes to how the team skates. The Canucks had Elias Pettersson between Evander Kane and Brock Boeser, Aatu Räty at centre with Jake DeBrusk and Drew O’Connor, Max Sasson in the middle with Liam Öhgren and Linus Karlsson, while David Kämpf was on a line with Kiefer Sherwood and Nils Höglander. Arshdeep Bains was once again the extra healthy forward.
Kevin Lankinen will get the start in goal tonight. He stopped 17 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins in his last outing, but has delivered points in three straight starts (2-0-1). Lankinen got his only hook of the season after allowing three goals on 14 Detroit shots in 40 minutes of work last month.
The Canucks fell behind 4-0 on Tuesday in Buffalo before ultimately dropping a 5-3 decision to the Sabres. Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson and Liam Öhgren scored third period goals to close the gap to 4-3. DeBrusk has two goals and two assists in four games since being a healthy scratch last week, while Pettersson has scored in back-to-back games and has three goals in his last five outings. DeBrusk and Pettersson now share second spot in Canucks goal scoring with 11 on the season.
Vancouver has just one victory in their last seven games (1-4-2). Their lone win in that span was a 3-2 shootout victory over the Seattle Kraken on December 29th. The team’s last regulation win came against the New York Islanders on December 17th. The team has surrendered the first goal in seven of its last eight games. The last two times the Canucks have opened the scoring (against the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders), David Kämpf has done the honours.

The Opponent

The Red Wings have been idle since a 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Monday night. James van Riemsdyk had a goal and two assists to lead the offensive charge, while Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Andrew Copp and Michael Rasmussen also scored. The Rasmussen goal was the team’s first short-handed marker of the season. John Gibson made 34 saves in the victory and will get the start again tonight. He was sensational, making 39 saves when the Red Wings blanked the Canucks 4-0 on December 8th at Rogers Arena. 
Larkin and Alex DeBrincat share the team lead with 22 goals apiece, while Lucas Raymond tops all Detroit scorers with 45 points. Those three are a big part of the Wings’ power play, which sits sixth in the NHL at 24.8%. DeBrincat leads the team and is tied for third in the league with 10 power play goals, along with the Canucks Jake DeBrusk.
With 25 wins, the Wings trail only Colorado, Carolina, Tampa Bay and Dallas for overall victories this season. Detroit has just four outright losses in its last 19 games (12-4-3) and is second in the NHL in points since December 1st. The Wings sit third in the Atlantic Division but are just a single point out of top spot in the Eastern Conference. They are looking to make a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Patrick Kane is two goals shy of 500 for his career. At 37, the first overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft has six goals and 24 points in 29 games this season. He is seven points behind Mike Modano for the top spot in all-time scoring by an American-born player. 

News and notes

Tonight, the Red Wings will be looking for their 100th all-time victory over the Canucks. They are 99-60-18-8 lifetime against Vancouver, including a 56-22-8-6 record at home.
Jake DeBrusk scored the overtime winner to cap a hat-trick in the Canucks lone visit to Detroit last season.
The referees for tonight’s game are Jean Hebert and Beau Halkidis.
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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