The Vancouver Canucks are off to a very impressive start in 2023-24

The Vancouver Canucks are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season. They are off to a great start to the 2023-24 season and could see the postseason in what has been a crazy start to the 2023-24 campaign. They are 4-2 for eight points and in second place in the Pacific Division.

Leading the way should be no surprise as it is Elias Pettersson, who has two goals and eight assists for 10 points and is a +5 in six games. Teammate Brock Boeser is playing well, contributing six goals and two assists for eight points, and is a +6 in six games.

The nice start is important because if the Vancouver Canucks are going to indeed grab a payoff spot, these two have to be dynamic offensively.

The goaltending has been excellent in the early going. Newcomer Casey DeSmith is 2-0 with a .926 save percentage and a 2.73 goals-against-average. Teammate Thatcher Demko has a record of 2-2 with a .923 save percentage and a 2.42 GAA, giving Vancouver a solid duo between the pipes.

The Vancouver Canucks are off to a really good start in 2023-24.

The Canucks have won two straight and have a goal differential of +8. They are in the top 10 of several team categories in the NHL. 23 goals scored (8th), 15 goals against (7th), a 3.83 goals per game average (9th), a 2.50 goals against per game (6th), and are third in the league on the power play with a 35.3 % success rate.

Things that are supposed to happen for Vancouver are happening. They had a run late last season but missed out on the playoffs. They are off to a great start and keeping pace with the top teams in the division.

If Pettersson, Boeser, and either DeSmith or Demko can keep playing at this pace, the Canucks may indeed grab a playoff spot.

The top-tier players in Vancouver need to be elite, the defense needs to be better than average, and the goaltenders need to be at the top of the league to be in contention for one of those spots.

Vancouver is in a loaded division with the Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, Seattle Kraken, and Edmonton Oilers. While Vancouver is playing good hockey, everything needs to go right and some top-tier teams need to fall off within the division.

The Vancouver Canucks have a talented roster that is capable of doing damage but they have work to do in order to keep up with the pace they have been on.