The Stats Behind Game #12: Canucks 4, Kings 2

Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver’s most recent 4-2 victory over the L.A. Kings.

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Thursday night against the Kings was one of the Canucks best performances from an analytics perspective all season. At even strength, they won the scoring chances battle 19-12 while holding a 9-4 high-danger scoring chances advantage. Ultimately, Vancouver was able to execute their game plan to near perfection, which powered them to a sweep of the California teams.

The heatmap is a good illustration of the way Rick Tocchet wants his team to play. The Canucks were able to keep the “guts of the ice” in their zone clean while making life extremely difficult for Darcy Kuemper. If Vancouver can continue to manufacture strong performances like tonight, it will go a long way in ensuring they have success the rest of the season.

While he didn’t get on the scoresheet, Elias Pettersson was very impressive throughout the night. Pettersson spent the entire night matched up against the Anže Kopitar line, holding the Kings’ top trio to one shot on net in over five minutes of even-strength ice time. As mentioned, while he may not be racking up the points, Pettersson has found ways to impact the game in a positive way.

Lastly, it has become a running theme, but once again, Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek played a sensational game. In 13:13 of even-strength ice time, the duo finished with a 2-0 goal advantage and won the high-danger chances battle 5-0. Without a doubt, Hughes and Hronek have become one of, if not the best defensive pairing in the league as they continue to outshine the opposition nightly.