Like it or not, Canucks are most exciting team in the NHL
Are you not entertained?
Sure, the Vancouver Canucks are only the 22nd-best team in the NHL right now, but don’t let that fool you.
No team right now is more exciting to watch than the Canucks.
PETEY IS HIM! pic.twitter.com/0pQQr0u2nF
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 8, 2022
Most fans would likely agree that the No. 1 reason to watch NHL hockey is to witness goals being scored.
Well, the Canucks are delivering in that department, both by scoring and allowing a ton of goals.
That’s allowed Canuck games to be the most high-event hockey in the NHL this season.
Canucks lead NHL with most combined goals
So far this season, the Canucks have scored 97 goals. That ties them with the Edmonton Oilers for the most goals scored in the NHL (an average of 3.59 goals scored per game).
That’s the good news, but it’s only half of the reason why they’re the most entertaining team in the NHL.
While the Canucks have scored the fourth-most goals in the NHL, they’ve also allowed the third-most goals in the league.
Vancouver has let the opposition score 105 goals on them this season. Only the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks have more goals against.
Here’s what Dakota Joshua, who had the first two-goal game of his career against the Sharks on Wednesday, had to say to reporters about the Canucks being involved in consecutive high-scoring affairs.
“I guess just…trying to be worth the price of admission, you know?
“We’ll take it. Can’t be mad at a W but obviously, we’d like it in a lot less hectic fashion.”
Surely, they would.
Canucks games have been completely unpredictable ever since their season-opening road trip when they blew multi-goal leads in four straight games.
The Canucks have only won 60% of their games when leading after two periods. That winning percentage ranks 29th in the NHL, ahead of only Anaheim, the Arizona Coyotes, and the Chicago Blackhawks.
On the flip side, the Canucks have been one of the best teams in the NHL at coming from behind to win.
They’ve actually won 40% of games when trailing after the first period, which is fifth-best in the NHL. Vancouver has also won three of 11 games when trailing after two periods, which is sixth-best in the league.
The Canucks main “entertainment” competitor
There are a few similarities between the Canucks and the Buffalo Sabres.
Both teams joined the league in 1970. They’re also the two most cursed NHL franchises in league history.
Add “most entertaining teams of the 2022-23 NHL season” to that list as well.
Only two teams have combined for at least 200 goals-for and against this season.
One team is the Canucks (202 combined goals) and the other is the Sabres (200 combined goals).
The Sabres actually edge the Canucks out slightly in terms of combined goals per game. On average, 7.69 goals are being scored in Sabres games this season, compared to 7.48 combined goals for the Canucks.
That’s partly because the Sabres have played one less game than the Canucks. Also, their goal-scoring stats were further inflated last night after Tage Thompson’s five goals led the Sabres to a 9-4 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Goals aplenty around the NHL
While the Canucks are doing their part to elevate league-wide goal totals, scoring is up across the league this season.
NHL teams are scoring an average of 3.21 goals this season. If that total holds, it would represent the highest rate of goals scored in 29 years.
The last season where goal scoring was at a higher rate than this year was back in 1993-94, when NHL teams scored an average of 3.24 goals per game.
Ironically, the Canucks advanced to the Stanley Cup Final that season.
While they might not be on that trajectory this year, the Canucks could accomplish something that hasn’t been done inĀ 40 years.
All of Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat, and Quinn Hughes are currently on pace for 80 points this season, with J.T. Miller not far behind.
The last time the Canucks had three players score at least 80 points was back in 1982-83, when Stan Smyl, Thomas Gradin, and Darcy Rota all surpassed that threshold.
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