Canucks Beat Islanders; Tied for the NHL Western Conference Lead

When one ponders the best teams in the NHL Western Conference, names like the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, or Colorado Avalanche, or maybe the Dallas Stars, come to mind. It’s time to add the Vancouver Canucks to that list, at least here in the early part of the season.

The Canucks spotted the New York Islanders a 2-0 lead in their game in Vancouver on November 15th, but rallied to win 4-3 in overtime on a Quinn Hughes goal. With the victory, Vancouver moved into a tie for first with Vegas in the Pacific Division with a record of 12-3-1 (25 points). The two also share the overall lead in the Western Conference.

https://youtu.be/h6etNEmHbN8

Vancouver leads the NHL in goals with 70, 12 more than the Golden Knights, who have scored the next most through November 15th. Brock Boeser is tied for the league in goals with 13. J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, and Quinn Hughes are all tied for the league in points with 26 each. Vancouver has allowed just 36 goals this season, and the team’s goals scored vs. goals allowed difference is a league leading +34. The Canucks are looking for their first post season appearance in four years.