‹SUN NOV 29›
2 games
Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 26 November, 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 Boston Bruins: game preview

Puck drop29 Nov · 5:00 PM ET
VenueTD Garden
All-time meetings141 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Forty-two points apart last season

Vancouver finished last season 32nd in the league on 58 points. Boston finished 8th on 100.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 142

Across 141 completed games, Boston lead the head-to-head 93-34-14.

All-time record93-34-14Boston's record in the series
Meetings played141This is number 142
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Vancouver
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
3 Jan 2026BOS 3 – VAN 2 OT——BOS
20 Dec 2025VAN 5 – BOS 4 SO——VAN
14 Dec 2024BOS 5 – VAN 1——BOS
26 Nov 2024VAN 2 – BOS 0——VAN
24 Feb 2024BOS 2 – VAN 3 OT——VAN
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateVancouverBoston
20 Dec 202515-17-3 · 33 pts28th20-15-1 · 41 pts14th
3 Jan 202616-20-5 · 37 pts31st22-18-2 · 46 pts14th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 20 Dec 2025, Vancouver were 28th in the league and Boston 14th. By 3 Jan 2026 it was 31st and 14th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Boston out-attempted Vancouver 127 to 117

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

Vancouver Canucks

117 att · 57 on goal · 6 G · 10.5%
Crease9 att · 0 G
Slot37 att · 4 G
Wing45 att · 2 G
Point23 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

Boston Bruins

127 att · 65 on goal · 7 G · 10.8%
Crease17 att · 3 G
Slot43 att · 2 G
Wing40 att · 1 G
Point22 att · 1 G
Neutral zone5 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Boston 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.

VancouverBoston
2.44xG for per game2.87
3.15xG against per game3.13
43.6%xG share47.8%
+9.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals−2.5
−5.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.5

This season: 4 games for Vancouver, 4 for Boston. 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

Boston

Small sample
Power play · 2026-270.0%
Power play · 2025-2623.4% · 9th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2772.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.0% · 24th
Faceoffs · 2026-2750.4% · 117/232
Drawn · 2026-2710 (2.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/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
47Mark Kastelic41230.75
10JJ Peterka42020.50
44James Hagens42020.50
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
17Filip Hronek40551.25
5Tom Willander40330.75
27Hampus Lindholm41120.50
91Nikita Zadorov40220.50
6Mason Lohrei40220.50
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 27 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 27 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Vancouver crease

VAN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 26 Nov

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

No appearances against Boston in the last meetings.

Boston crease

BOS · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 26 Nov

Jeremy Swayman.9143 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx +1.4
Michael DiPietro.8971 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −0.7

No appearances against Vancouver in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.6 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

3 Jan 20265 · BOS 3–2 VAN
20 Dec 20259 · VAN 5–4 BOS
14 Dec 20246 · BOS 5–1 VAN
26 Nov 20242 · VAN 2–0 BOS
24 Feb 20245 · BOS 2–3 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
Boston2.252.753.323.05

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 suggest6.6Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.4Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

6 on the injury lists

Vancouver · injuries

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

Boston · injuries

Charlie McAvoySuspensionOutReturn13 Oct
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.

5 Oct · BOS

Reinstated C Matthew Poitras from injured reserve.

4 Oct · BOS

Placed RW Michael Eyssimont on waivers.

27 Sep · BOS

Placed D Henri Jokiharju on waivers. Placed C Matthew Poitras on injured reserve.

Injury report
#3Caleb MalhotraRound 1 · BrantfordC
#24Adam NovotnyRound 1 · PeterboroughLW
#33Brooks RogowskiRound 2 · OshawaC
#41Niklas Aaram-OlsenRound 2 · Orebro Jr.LW
Full draft
#56Yuri IvanovRound 2 · Spartak Jr.G
#88Nils BartholdssonRound 3 · Rogle Jr.RW
#104Matvei KotkovRound 4 · Yaroslavl Jr.RW
#122Oscar OlssonRound 4 · Orebro Jr.LW
Full draft

Updated after every final