The Vancouver Canucks have a prime opportunity staring them right in the face.
They finished the first month of their season with a respectable 4-2-3 record, good for 11 points, despite not playing their best hockey. Now they enter a soft part of their schedule where they can improve on those numbers.
In November, they play against many teams that are not expected to make the playoffs and have just one back-to-back on the schedule. They also play only two teams with a better points percentage than themselves across 12 games.
The team starts with a trip to California. They’ll face off against the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks, both bottom-dwellers. That’s followed by a matchup against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena, a better opponent but still very much a winnable game.
The Canucks then return home for six consecutive games at Rogers Arena. The first is against the formidable Edmonton Oilers, but the visitors will likely be without star Connor McDavid due to injury. The Oilers have a very bad record without McDavid in recent seasons.
Their next five games include tough matchups against the Nashville Predators, who have a talented roster but have struggled to find their footing, and the New York Rangers. However, those are balanced out with matchups against the Calgary Flames, New York Islanders, and Chicago Blackhawks.
The month ends with three games on the East Coast against the Ottawa Senators and two struggling teams, the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Overall, it will likely stand as one of their easiest months of the season.
ESPN
November represents a great chance for the Canucks to iron out the kinks and find their game. Several players are still finding their footing, and this relatively soft schedule offers them an opportunity to get going.
The Canucks just suffered one of their worst losses in recent history on Wednesday, which has surely left a bad taste in their mouth. They’ve now been handed a great chance to turn things around; they just need to take advantage.