Early look The full preview opens on Saturday 24 October, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Vancouver Canucks at Anaheim Ducks: game preview

Puck drop27 Oct · 10:00 PM ET
VenueHonda Center
All-time meetings140 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Thirty-four points apart last season

Vancouver finished last season 32nd in the league on 58 points. Anaheim finished 18th on 92, and the 2025-26 season series went VAN 3-1-0.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 141

Across 140 completed games, Vancouver lead the head-to-head 74-54-12.

All-time record74-54-12Vancouver's record in the series
Meetings played140This is number 141
2025-26 seriesVAN 3-1-0
Last 54-1Vancouver
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
12 Apr 2026VAN 4 – ANA 3 OT——VAN
24 Mar 2026ANA 5 – VAN 3——ANA
29 Jan 2026ANA 0 – VAN 2——VAN
26 Nov 2025VAN 5 – ANA 4——VAN
5 Apr 2025ANA 2 – VAN 6——VAN
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateVancouverAnaheim
26 Nov 202510-12-2 · 22 pts29th14-8-1 · 29 pts7th
29 Jan 202617-30-5 · 39 pts32nd28-22-3 · 59 pts15th
24 Mar 202621-41-8 · 50 pts32nd40-27-4 · 84 pts14th
12 Apr 202624-48-8 · 56 pts32nd42-32-6 · 90 pts19th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 26 Nov 2025, Vancouver were 29th in the league and Anaheim 7th. By 12 Apr 2026 it was 32nd and 19th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Anaheim out-attempted Vancouver 268 to 228

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Vancouver Canucks

228 att · 110 on goal · 14 G · 12.7%
Crease19 att · 2 G
Slot85 att · 7 G
Wing78 att · 3 G
Point34 att · 0 G
Neutral zone12 att · 2 G

Anaheim Ducks

268 att · 135 on goal · 12 G · 8.9%
Crease25 att · 1 G
Slot108 att · 8 G
Wing95 att · 3 G
Point36 att · 0 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Anaheim have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

VancouverAnaheim
2.44xG for per game2.19
3.15xG against per game3.49
43.6%xG share38.6%
+9.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.6
−5.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.0

This season: 4 games for Vancouver, 2 for Anaheim. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Vancouver

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2723.1%
Power play · 2025-2621.8% · 14th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2768.8%
Penalty kill · 2025-2671.5% · 32nd
Faceoffs · 2026-2749.3% · 112/227
Drawn · 2026-2713 (3.25/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (4.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Anaheim

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2750.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.6% · 23rd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2785.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.4% · 27th
Faceoffs · 2026-2743.9% · 50/114
Drawn · 2026-276 (3.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-277 (3.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
47Paul Cotter44261.50
23Marco Rossi43141.00
91Leo Carlsson21452.50
61Cutter Gauthier22242.00
64Mikael Granlund21121.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
17Filip Hronek40551.25
5Tom Willander40330.75
67Tristan Luneau20110.50
47Noah Warren20110.50
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 25 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 24 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Vancouver crease

VAN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 24 Oct

Kevin Lankinen.8243 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx −6.4
Leevi Meriläinen.9432 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.0

No appearances against Anaheim in the last meetings.

Anaheim crease

ANA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 24 Oct

Lukas Dostal.9182 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +2.0

No appearances against Vancouver in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.9 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

12 Apr 20267 · VAN 4–3 ANA
24 Mar 20268 · ANA 5–3 VAN
29 Jan 20262 · ANA 0–2 VAN
26 Nov 20259 · VAN 5–4 ANA
5 Apr 20258 · ANA 2–6 VAN

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Vancouver4.754.502.633.85
Anaheim3.502.503.333.51

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.9Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

Vancouver · injuries

Akil ThomasUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct
Filip ChytilShoulderIRReturn8 Oct
Jack ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct
Mackenzie MacEachernUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Thatcher DemkoHipIRReturn21 Dec

Anaheim · injuries

Drew HellesonLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Ian MooreLower BodyIRReturn16 Oct
Troy TerryHipIRReturn21 Nov
27 Sep · VAN

Placed G Nikita Tolopilo on waivers.

25 Sep · VAN

Claimed G Leevi Merilainen off waivers from Ottawa. Placed F Filip Chytil on injured reserve. Assigned F Braeden Cootes to Abbotsford (AHL).

24 Sep · VAN

Assigned Fs Ty Mueller, Riley Patterson, Ilya Safonov and Chase Wouters, Ds Kirill Kudryavtsev and Sawyer Mynio to Abbotsford (AHL). Loaned F Ben Berard and D Isaac Belliveau to Abbotsford. Waived for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford F Trey Fix-Wolansky and Ds Cole Clayton and Jimmy Schuldt.

1 Oct · ANA

Signed D Tristan Luneau to a six-year contract extension.

30 Sep · ANA

Reassigned C Roger McQueen and C Cruz Lucius to San Diego (AHL). Recalled D Noah Warren, D Ian Mitchell and D Tristan Luneau from San Diego. Placed D Drew Helleson on injured reserve. Moved RW Troy Terry from the non-roster list to long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · ANA

Placed G Laurent Brossoit and D Travis Mitchell on waivers.

Injury report
#3Caleb MalhotraRound 1 · BrantfordC
#24Adam NovotnyRound 1 · PeterboroughLW
#33Brooks RogowskiRound 2 · OshawaC
#41Niklas Aaram-OlsenRound 2 · Orebro Jr.LW
Full draft
#15Nikita KlepovRound 1 · SaginawRW
#28Marcus NordmarkRound 1 · Djurgarden Jr.LW
#45Jayden KurtzRound 2 · RogersD
#50Mathis PrestonRound 2 · VancouverRW
Full draft

Updated after every final