Canucks vs Jets Preview: Can Vancouver End Their Losing Streak?

NHL Game Preview: Vancouver Canucks vs Winnipeg Jets with Line Combinations (11/05/2026)

Vancouver Canucks (3-13-1) at Winnipeg Jets (5-8-3).

Venue: Canada Life Centre.

Date: Thursday, November 5, 2026.

Time: 7:00 pm EST.

How to watch: TSN3.

Radio: 680 CJOB.

Tickets: Available via Ticketmaster.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS NEWS & NOTES

The Vancouver Canucks arrive in Winnipeg desperate to stop a three-game losing skid.

Their start to the season has been historically brutal.

Vancouver’s record sits at 3-13-1, dead last in the entire NHL.

The biggest problem is special teams.

The Canucks’ penalty kill has plummeted to 63.2%.

That puts them on pace for one of the worst penalty-kill seasons in NHL history.

Head coach Manny Malhotra is demanding defensive accountability.

That demand comes after a chaotic 5-4 home loss to Anaheim on Tuesday.

The Ducks scored three power-play goals against Vancouver.

The Canucks mounted a late third-period push but could not overcome those three power-play goals.

Center Filip Chytil did not travel with the team.

Chytil is out due to an upper-body injury.

Starting goaltender Kevin Lankinen is in a major slump.

Lankinen currently carries a save percentage of .812.

Despite the defensive struggles, Vancouver’s top offensive stars have continued to produce.

The team will rely heavily on them tonight to steal a road victory.

Vancouver’s goal differential is -26, the worst in the league.

At five-on-five, the Canucks have a -17 goal differential.

Their expected goals rating at full strength is 40.46%, which ranks 32nd.

They have scored 12 more goals than the Jets this season, but have given up a league-worst 77 goals by a wide margin.

WINNIPEG JETS NEWS & NOTES

The Winnipeg Jets look to carry momentum into tonight’s home matchup.

On Tuesday, Winnipeg snapped a devastating nine-game losing streak.

They did it with the latest four-goal comeback in NHL history.

The Jets scored four times in the final 2:39 of regulation.

They defeated Montreal 5-4 in overtime.

Dylan Samberg scored the game-winning goal.

The Jets had previously set an NHL record for the latest four-goal comeback in league history.

To spark the offense, the organization officially recalled 21-year-old forward Brayden Yager from the Manitoba Moose this morning.

Yager had been sent down and scored two goals in four games for Manitoba, including a shorthanded tally.

Yager is projected to immediately slide onto a newly revamped second line.

He will center Cole Perfetti and trade-acquisition Dawson Mercer.

Off the ice, former franchise netminder Connor Hellebuyck issued an emotional letter to Winnipeg fans via Instagram.

Hellebuyck addressed his recent high-profile trade to New Jersey.

Head coach Scott Arniel will lean heavily on this adjusted lineup.

The goal is to solidify defensive structure and string together consecutive wins.

Winnipeg’s record is 5-8-3.

They sit 7th in the Central Division and 26th in the league.

The Jets’ goal differential is -19, which ranks 29th.

At five-on-five, Winnipeg’s goal differential is only -6.

That suggests the Jets can compete if they stay out of the penalty box.

Winnipeg’s expected goals rating at full strength is 46.44%, which ranks 25th.

Their actual goals percentage of 45% also ranks 25th.

THE WAIVER ANGLE: BRAD LAMBERT

On Tuesday, the Jets placed forward Brad Lambert on waivers.

Lambert cleared waivers and was assigned to the Manitoba Moose.

That creates an open roster spot for the Jets.

The Canucks have a window to claim Lambert before any other team does.

Lambert is a 21-year-old forward with high offensive upside.

He was a first-round pick of the Jets in the 2022 NHL Draft, 30th overall.

Lambert has 10 points in 15 AHL games this season.

He has not yet established himself as a full-time NHL player.

But his skill set — speed, playmaking, and a right-handed shot — fits a need for Vancouver’s forward group.

The Canucks already have a crowded bottom-six, but Lambert could develop into a top-nine forward.

Claiming him would cost nothing but a roster spot and the waiver claim fee.

If the Canucks do not claim him, another team might.

Vancouver’s front office has not commented publicly on Lambert.

INJURY REPORT

Josh Morrissey remains in a yellow, non-contact jersey at practice.

He is unlikely to play tonight.

Nino Niederreiter and Isak Rosén are extras for Winnipeg.

Adam Lowry missed time from the bench in the third period of Tuesday’s game, but no update on his status has been provided.

PROJECTED LINE COMBINATIONS

Vancouver Canucks projected lines:

DeBrusk – Pettersson – Boeser

Öhgren – Rossi – Lekkerimäki

O’Connor – Quillan – Karlsson

Cotter – Sasson – Gallagher

Defense pairings:

Pettersson – Hronek

Oleksiak – Buium

Brisebois – Mancini

Goaltender: Kevin Lankinen (expected starter)

Backup: Meriläinen

Winnipeg Jets projected lines:

Connor – Scheifele – Vilardi

Perfetti – Yager – Mercer

Iafallo – Lowry – Björck

Koepke – Barron – Bauer

Defense pairings:

Samberg – Pionk

Ferraro – Salomonsson

Fleury – DeMelo

Goaltender: Eric Comrie or Connor Hellebuyck (Hellebuyck traded; Skinner likely starts)