Scenes from practice: Canucks focus on power play and penalty kill ahead of season opener

The team skated in the same line combinations for a second straight day. Veteran forward Teddy Blueger was once again absent as he nurses a suspected knee injury, while Pierre-Olivier Joseph has now missed more than a week with a groin issue. Neither will play on Thursday when the Canucks open the season against Calgary.

With questions swirling about the team’s ability to generate 5-on-5 offence, the Canucks know that a potent power play could very well be a key to early-season success. So Adam Foote and Brett McLean devoted a significant portion of the 45-minute on-ice session to working with the man-advantage.

The first unit remains the one used in both home preseason outings. Captain Quinn Hughes is the quarterback with Elias Pettersson and Evander Kane on the side boards, Brock Boeser is in the slot, and Jake DeBrusk is at the net front.

The second unit features Filip Hronek at the top with Jonathan Lekkerimaki on the left side, Filip Chytil on the opposite side and Conor Garland and Braeden Cootes swapping in and out of the net front.

The Canucks power play ranked 15th in the NHL last season, converting on 22.5% of its opportunities. However, it was 23rd overall on home ice, cashing in 20.4% of the time. There is certainly room for improvement when it comes to working with the man-advantage, and the Canucks are hoping to get off to a good start in that regard.

Penalty killing could be a different matter with Blueger starting the season on the sidelines. He was clearly the Canucks leading faceoff man while shorthanded last season. His absence places immediate pressure on Elias Pettersson and Aatu Räty to step up in those situations. And for Räty, he’ll need to show an ability to kill penalties in the event that he is unable to win the draw.

Practice concluded with a vigorous skate before Adam Foote gathered his team at centre ice for a few words.

What we heard 

Adam Foote on offensive expectations on Arshdeep Bains starting in a top six role: “That’s a good question because that [offence] will come if he plays the right way and is predictable and reliable. And he knows that and has been. And saying that, I don’t want to put pressure on a young guy where he’s got to go out there and worry about his decisions at the blueline every time he enters the blueline. I’d rather see the right plays as far as making strong plays with the puck rather than making high end plays. Manage the game and who your opponent is and who you’re on the ice with and the points will follow. I think he’s aware that we’re not going to be all over him for points so we can give him a little more freedom in his mind just to stay in that structure. I’m not saying he’s got to play like a robot. There’s just times he’s got to make good decisions with the puck. Young guys will try to do too many cute things to make an extra play and at the pro level they can smell that a mile away. So he’s just got to stick to that. And he has been.”

Jake DeBrusk on what he’s seen from top power play unit through the preseason: “Yeah, we’ve practiced it a couple of times which I think it’s been good. Obviously the kill [in practice] knows what we’re trying to do as well. And we’ve got good killers. In the games, we’re moving it around altogether. Quinn is leading it, Petey is shooting and Brock’s getting to the right spots. I think it can be a dangerous unit. It’s going to be a point of emphasis. We need good special teams to start, especially with how our schedule is, it would be ideal if we were to start off hot. So that’s something we’ll be focussed on. But there are players on the other team that are trying to stop us, so we just have to outwork them.”

Marcus Pettersson on the excitement of his first home opener as a Canuck: “I’m excited. I got to play in front of this crowd last year, but I think the home opener is always special. Get to see the energy in the building. It was energized in the preseason so it will be fun tomorrow night.”