Hurricanes Host Canucks in Season Matchup

The Vancouver Canucks open a six-game road trip Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes, with both teams looking to build on early-season records of 2-2-0 and 2-1-1, respectively. Carolina enters after a 6-4 comeback win over Montreal, while Vancouver is coming off a 3-2 loss to Vegas; the Hurricanes also swept last season’s series and are the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Vancouver will need a strong start and effective power-play production against Carolina’s structured defense and penalty kill. Jake DeBrusk is expected to return for the Canucks, while Brendan Gallagher and Luke Schenn are expected to be healthy scratches; injuries include Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko and Filip Chytil and Carolina’s Seth Jarvis. Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes’ scoring, and Taylor Hall has a strong history against Vancouver.