The Vancouver Canucks had an 8-5-0 record in November, with six of the eight wins coming on the road where they are a stellar 9-2-0. Currently, after the very key watermark of American Thanksgiving, they are fourth in the Pacific Division with a record of 12-7-3 for 27 points, occupying the first wild card spot in the Western Conference.
November was an eventful month when it came to injuries as the Canucks lost Brock Boeser for seven games, JT Miller to a leave of absence, and most recently, Filip Hronek to an upper-body injury that could keep him “out a while”. On the positive side, Dakota Joshua returned on Nov. 14, and Thatcher Demko is expected to make his season debut early in December – possibly in the next two games of this road trip. Overall, the team had to overcome a lot of adversity missing two-thirds of their top line at times, their second-best defenceman, and even Quinn Hughes for almost an entire game when he was tossed against the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 23.
Honourable Mention: Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson & Kiefer Sherwood (aka the DPS Line)
This trio was so phenomenal in November that they deserve a shoutout before we get to the actual three stars. Jake DeBrusk (seven goals and 11 points), Elias Pettersson (six goals and 14 points), and Kiefer Sherwood (four goals and seven points) combined for 17 goals and 32 points in 13 games and became the de facto top-line once Miller and Boeser exited the lineup. Teaming up with the following triumvirate, they kept the Canucks above water amidst all the injuries and could be considered one of the best lines in hockey right now.
First Star: Conor Garland
Conor Garland has been a beast all season long and continued his hallmark campaign in November with another five goals and 14 points. He is now up to eight goals and 21 points in 22 games and is on pace for a career-high 30 goals and 78 points. The most he’s had for goals in his career is 22, set back in 2019-20 with the Arizona Coyotes. He’s been the heartbeat of the Canucks since day one of 2024-25 and could be considered one of the MVPs of the team at this point.
Second Star: Quinn Hughes
Now one helper away from passing Alex Edler and becoming the franchise leader in assists by a defenceman, the Canucks’ captain was his usual dominant self in November. The defending Norris Trophy winner scored three goals and 17 points in 13 games, notching his 300th career assist on Nov. 5 against the Anaheim Ducks, becoming the third-fastest defenceman in NHL history to do so. He did it in 376 games, outpacing the legendary Paul Coffey (377 games) and behind only Bobby Orr (346) and Brian Leetch (368).
Third Star: Kevin Lankinen
Despite a few underwhelming starts in November, I am giving the third star to Kevin Lankinen, who has filled in more than admirably for Demko as the starter this season. He grabbed his ninth (!) win on the road against the Sabres on Friday and now sits a perfect 9-0-0 away from Rogers Arena. His stats are otherworldly as well, logging a 1.77 goals-against average (GAA), .938 save percentage (SV%) and two shutouts. The only reason why his overall stats aren’t Vezina Trophy caliber is because of his performances at home. Like his team, they are night and day, with a 3.64 GAA and .872 SV%, highlighted by a bad outing against the Edmonton Oilers where he allowed seven goals.
But, Lankinen has since bounced back from that performance and still finished the month with a 7-3-0 record. The highlights of course came on the road where he made 32 saves against the Boston Bruins on Nov. 26 for his second shutout of the season, and the show-stopping save in overtime on Tage Thompson shortly before Garland iced it at the other end. He has been a revelation for the Canucks this season, and if all goes right with Demko’s return to the lineup, could form another Roberto Luongo-Cory Schneider tandem in the near future. Hopefully this time, however, they win the Stanley Cup instead of just making it to the Final.