Early look · NHL 2026-27

Vancouver Canucks at Detroit Red Wings: game preview

VancouverCanucks2026-27: 2-2-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 25-49-8 · 58 pts · 32ndat

DetroitRed Wings2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 41-31-10 · 92 pts · 16th

Puck drop25 Nov · 7:30 PM ET

VenueLittle Caesars Arena

All-time meetings196 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. Detroit finished 16th on 92.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 197

Across 196 completed games, Detroit lead the head-to-head 116-67-13.

All-time record116-67-13Detroit's record in the series

Meetings played196This is number 197

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2Detroit

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

8 Jan 2026VAN 1 – DET 5——DET

8 Dec 2025DET 4 – VAN 0——DET

2 Feb 2025DET 3 – VAN 2 OT——DET

1 Dec 2024VAN 5 – DET 4 OT——VAN

15 Feb 2024DET 1 – VAN 4——VAN

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateVancouverDetroit

8 Dec 202511-16-3 · 25 pts31st16-11-3 · 35 pts10th

8 Jan 202616-22-5 · 37 pts31st26-15-4 · 56 pts6th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 8 Dec 2025, Vancouver were 31st in the league and Detroit 10th. By 8 Jan 2026 it was 31st and 6th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Vancouver out-attempted Detroit 158 to 95

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

Vancouver Canucks

158 att · 63 on goal · 1 G · 1.6%

Crease17 att · 0 G

Slot57 att · 1 G

Wing53 att · 0 G

Point28 att · 0 G

Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

Detroit Red Wings

95 att · 46 on goal · 9 G · 19.6%

Crease6 att · 2 G

Slot33 att · 4 G

Wing37 att · 1 G

Point12 att · 1 G

Neutral zone7 att · 1 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Detroit 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.

VancouverDetroit

2.44xG for per game3.23

3.15xG against per game2.85

43.6%xG share53.1%

+9.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals−2.7

−5.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.6

This season: 4 games for Vancouver, 3 for Detroit. 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

Detroit

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2725.0%

Power play · 2025-2622.6% · 12th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2761.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2677.1% · 23rd

Faceoffs · 2026-2753.6% · 97/181

Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/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.

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 →

Vancouver

Expected starter after their game on 22 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Detroit

Expected starter after their game on 21 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Vancouver crease

VAN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 22 Nov

Kevin Lankinen.8243 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx −6.4

Leevi Meriläinen.9432 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.0

No appearances against Detroit in the last meetings.

Detroit crease

DET · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 22 Nov

John Gibson.9033 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Vancouver in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.5 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

8 Jan 20266 · VAN 1–5 DET

8 Dec 20254 · DET 4–0 VAN

2 Feb 20255 · DET 3–2 VAN

1 Dec 20249 · VAN 5–4 DET

15 Feb 20245 · DET 1–4 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

Detroit2.332.672.943.15

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 suggest6.5Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings5.8Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

12 on the injury lists

Vancouver · injuries

Akil ThomasUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Filip ChytilShoulderIRReturn8 Oct

Jack ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Mackenzie MacEachernUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Thatcher DemkoHipIRReturn21 Dec

Detroit · injuries

Carter BearUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct

Chase StillmanUndisclosedIRReturn9 Oct

J.T. CompherUndisclosedOutReturn9 Oct

Jacob Bernard-DockerUpper BodyIRReturn9 Oct

Marco KasperUpper BodyIRReturn20 Oct

Mason AppletonUndisclosedIRReturn13 Oct

Simon EdvinssonContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

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.

2 Oct · DET

Placed F Dylan Larkin on the non-roster injured reserve.

25 Sep · DET

Assigned Fs Ondrej Becher, Cameron Butler, Sheldon Dries, Noah Dower Nilsson, Dylan James, Jesse Kiiskinen, John Leonard, Sutter Muzzatti, Theo Rochette, Dominik Shine and Wilmer Skoog, Ds Ronnie Attard, Jacob Bryson, Shai Buium and William Lagesson and Gs Trey Augustine and Michal Postava to Grand Rapids (AHL).

20 Aug 2026 · DET

Acquired F Sutter Muzzatti from Nashville Predators for future considerations.

Injury report

Vancouver · 2026 draft

See all: Vancouver · 2026 draft →

#3Caleb MalhotraRound 1 · BrantfordC

#24Adam NovotnyRound 1 · PeterboroughLW

#33Brooks RogowskiRound 2 · OshawaC

#41Niklas Aaram-OlsenRound 2 · Orebro Jr.LW

Full draft

Detroit · 2026 draft

See all: Detroit · 2026 draft →

#23Jeffrey (JP) HurlbertRound 1 · KamloopsLW

#47Victor PlanteRound 2 · Usa U-18LW

#79Michal OrsulakRound 3 · Prince AlbertG

#108Adam LevacRound 4 · PeterboroughC

Full draft

Wednesday 25 November · the full slate

See all: Wednesday 25 November · the full slate →

DETThis game 8:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

Vancouver Canucks at Detroit Red Wings: game preview

Thirty-four points apart last season

Meeting number 197

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Vancouver out-attempted Detroit 158 to 95

Vancouver Canucks

Detroit Red Wings

Detroit have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Vancouver

Detroit

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Vancouver crease

Detroit crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.5 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

12 on the injury lists

Vancouver · injuries

Detroit · injuries

Latest moves

Vancouver · 2026 draft

Detroit · 2026 draft

Wednesday 25 November · the full slate