The Canuck Way
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Canucks: 10 things to be proud of and grateful for this year

By Brayden Ursel

VANCOUVER, BC - NOVEMBER 2: Ian Cole #28 of the Colorado Avalanche looks on as Elias Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks is congratulated by teammates after scoring during their NHL game at Rogers Arena November 2, 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)"n
VANCOUVER, BC - NOVEMBER 2: Ian Cole #28 of the Colorado Avalanche looks on as Elias Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks is congratulated by teammates after scoring during their NHL game at Rogers Arena November 2, 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)"n /
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Jacob Markstrom #25 of the Vancouver Canucks and his teammates (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
Jacob Markstrom #25 of the Vancouver Canucks and his teammates (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images) /

1. Vancouver had a top-five power play

It truly is crazy what a couple of new faces on the power play can do. Defenceman Quinn Hughes and forward, J.T. Miller joined the Canucks’ PP1 this season and together they turned a mediocre special teams unit from a year ago, into a legitimate top-five threat in the NHL.

It’s tough to say who was the biggest contributor while the team found themselves up a man. Both new additions to the power play finished tied at 25 for the team lead in man-advantage points, but the Canucks have never before possessed a power play quarterback as special and powerful as the 20-year-old Hughes.

2. The Canucks held the best home record in the Pacific Division

The big, bad Pacific Division was a lion’s den this season. Easily the toughest, most equal division of the four this year and the Canucks needed to be a strong team at home in order to maintain pace with the rest of the division.

Through 69 games this season, Vancouver collected a mouth-watering 22-9-4 record at Rogers Arena, which was enough for the fifth-best home record across the league, nipping at the heels of powerhouse juggernaut’s like the Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins.

Not only were the Canucks able to beat some of the league’s best at home, but they played their best hockey in front of their fans this season and delivered a very exciting and entertaining 50th year.

3. Canucks faceoff win percentage was 2nd in the league

Bo Horvat, Jay Beagle and Miller combined for the league’s deadliest trio of faceoff warriors. All three players sat inside the league’s top-10, meaning no matter how bad the rest of their team was at winning draws, it still wasn’t going to stop the Canucks from dominating the faceoff circle and claiming the league’s second-best faceoff numbers.

In a league where possession is everything (especially during 3-on-3 OT), with a little thanks to face-off legend and team staff member Manny Malhotra, the Canucks battled hard every time the puck was dropped and managed to build a strong 54% win rate over the course of 69 games.

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