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Canucks Game Day: Looking to close out lengthy road trip with a win vs. Lightning

Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

By Jeff Paterson

Oct 17, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 17, 2026, 01:05 EDT

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The Vancouver Canucks (2-6-1) wrap up their six-game road trip this afternoon when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (5-2) at Benchmark International Arena. Puck drop is set for 1 pm PT.

The Canucks have dropped six straight games (0-5-1), but picked up their first point of the road trip with a 3-2 overtime loss against the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

What we know

With no morning skate, it will be closer to game time before the Canucks’ lineup for this afternoon is known. Manny Malhotra liked much of what he saw from his group in the loss in Sunrise and could stick with the same 18 skaters he used on Thursday. However, Luke Schenn won a pair of Stanley Cups in Tampa Bay, and it’s possible this will be his final game there. The veteran blueliner could draw back in after sitting out against the Panthers. Schenn, Guillaume Brisebois and Arshdeep Bains were the healthy scratches two nights ago.

Malhotra definitely has a decision to make in goal. He could ride the hot hand of Leevi Meriläinen, who has been terrific for the hockey club since being plucked off waivers on the eve of the season. Meriläinen has stopped 71 of 77 shots in back-to-back starts against the New York Islanders and Florida. Or the coach could opt to go back to Kevin Lankinen, who has struggled this season and has not played since a 6-2 loss against the New York Rangers last Sunday. Lankinen is 1-5 this season with a 6.88 GAA and a .786 save percentage. The Canucks likely don’t want him to go more than a week without game action.

Defenceman Elias Pettersson had one of the Vancouver goals on Thursday and has scored in two of his last three games. With three goals in nine games, the 22-year-old has already matched the career-best three goals he scored in 70 games last season. He is the highest-scoring Elias Pettersson on the team and is just one goal behind team leader Paul Cotter.

Filip Chytil had an assist in 18:30 of ice time in his season debut against Florida. He was used as a penalty killer and started overtime along with Cotter and Filip Hronek.

The Canucks have been outscored 7-1 in third periods on the road trip and 8-1 including overtime. Thursday was the first time this season they had carried a lead to the third period. After opening the season with 17 goals and a pair of wins in their first three games, the Canucks have been held to two goals or fewer in each of the setbacks on a six-game skid. They have 11 goals in that time.

After giving up three power play goals in back-to-back games to open this road trip, the Canucks have killed off the last five penalties they’ve taken over the past two contests. The penalty kill is six-for-seven over the past three games.

The Opponent

The Lightning are coming off a 4-3 overtime win against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday. Victor Hedman’s first goal of the season 2:07 into OT sealed the victory. Brandon Hagel scored twice, while former Canuck Ilya Mikheyev also scored for Tampa. It was the 100th goal of his NHL career.

Hagel leads the club with six goals and 10 points while Nikita Kucherov has a goal and seven helpers. Those two play on the team’s top line with Anthony Cirelli. While Kucherov didn’t figure in the scoring on Thursday, he led Tampa Bay with eight shots and 12 individual shot attempts.

Lightning Insider

@Erik_Erlendsson

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Line combos at #GoBolts practice today 10/16: Hagel-Cirelli-Kucherov Goncalves-Point-Guentzel Mikheyev-Girgensons-Holmberg Geekie-James-Sabourin Gourde Moser-Carlson McDonagh-Cernak Hedman-Crozier D’Astous-Lilleberg Vasilevskiy Hildeby

4:08 PM · Oct 16, 2026

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Andrei Vasilevskiy has started six of Tampa’s seven games this season, posting a 4-2 record with a 2.53 GAA and an .886 save percentage. He stopped 24 of 27 Kraken shots in his last outing.

The Lightning are a perfect 4-0 on home ice, and the team’s only two losses on the season have both come against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

News and notes

The two teams each won 6-2 in the other team’s building last season. The Canucks scored five third period goals in their come-from-behind victory.

The Bolts will be in Vancouver on January 7th as part of a four-game Western road swing.

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