Vancouver has lost six straight and ends a six-game road trip three time zones from home. Canucks vs Lightning is a 4:00pm ET start in Tampa on Saturday 17 October, against a team that has won five of seven.
How to watch
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Game | Vancouver Canucks at Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Date | Saturday 17 October 2026 |
| Puck drop | 4:00pm ET |
| Venue | Benchmark International Arena |
| Records | Vancouver 2-6-1, Tampa Bay 5-2-0 |
The listing above is the national one. Regional rights can differ and some areas are blacked out, so the full breakdown is on our how to watch the NHL in Canada page.
Canucks vs Lightning odds
When this page was written, no Canadian book had posted a line; most NHL prices go up the evening before or on game day. The current board is on our NHL odds page, and the day’s priced picks are on NHL predictions.
Vancouver has conceded 41 goals in nine games
At 2-6-1, the Canucks have lost 7-2 in Carolina, 4-1 in New Jersey, 6-2 at the Rangers, 3-2 on Long Island and 3-2 in overtime in Florida. That’s five defeats on this trip alone, and Saturday is a sixth straight game away from Rogers Arena.
Most of it comes back to goaltending. Kevin Lankinen has five starts at a .786 save percentage and 6.88 goals against, while Leevi Meriläinen has four at .925 and 2.51 and made 36 saves in Florida on Thursday. Thatcher Demko, who had hip surgery in January, has no clear timetable.
Thursday was the season in one night. Liam Ohgren and Elias Pettersson had Vancouver 2-0 up after the first period, Florida finished with 39 shots to 17, and Brady Tkachuk’s hat trick won it in overtime.
Eleven days and six games away from home is a long stretch in October, and the Canucks have one point to show for it.
How they compare
| 2025-26 | Vancouver Canucks | Tampa Bay Lightning |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 25-49-8 | 50-26-6 |
| Points | 58 | 106 |
| Goals for per game | 2.56 | 3.49 |
| Goals against per game | 3.83 | 2.79 |
| Power play | 21.8% | 20.7% |
| Penalty kill | 71.5% | 82.6% |
Forty-eight points separated these two last season, the widest gap in any of Saturday’s Canadian games. Vancouver had the better power play. Tampa Bay had everything else, including a penalty kill eleven points better.
Tampa Bay is 5-2-0 and barely has an injury list
The Lightning have won five of seven, including 4-3 in overtime against Seattle on Thursday and 5-3 on Long Island. Yanni Gourde, recovering from hip surgery, is the only player they’re missing.
Andrei Vasilevskiy has started six of the seven and is 4-2-0. A .886 is low by his standards, but Tampa has conceded only 19 goals, so it hasn’t cost the Lightning much.
They haven’t been overpowering, though. Two of the five wins were one-goal games, and the Rangers beat them 4-1 on Tuesday. Teams that keep games close give a desperate opponent a chance.
The last two meetings were both blowouts, one each way
| Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Mar 2026 | Tampa Bay 6-2 | Vancouver |
| 16 Nov 2025 | Vancouver 6-2 | Tampa Bay |
| 8 Dec 2024 | Tampa Bay 4-2 | Vancouver |
| 15 Oct 2024 | Tampa Bay 4-1 | Tampa Bay |
Three of the last four meetings went to Tampa Bay. The odd one out was a 6-2 Vancouver win in Tampa in November 2025, and the rematch four months later finished 6-2 the other way.
All-time it’s 25 wins to 23 for Tampa Bay, which says very little about where these two clubs are this October.
Team news
| Club | Player | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | Thatcher Demko | Out, hip. No clear timetable after surgery in January, with the club saying only that he is taking steps |
| Vancouver | Akil Thomas | Out, undisclosed, on injured reserve |
| Vancouver | Jack Thompson | Out, undisclosed, on injured reserve |
| Vancouver | Mackenzie MacEachern | Out, undisclosed, on injured reserve |
| Tampa Bay | Yanni Gourde | Out, hip. Unavailable until at least December after offseason surgery |
Tampa Bay has one player out; Vancouver has four, Demko among them. The bigger question for the Canucks is whether Lankinen or Meriläinen starts, given how far apart their numbers are. Every club’s injury list is on our NHL injury report.
Players to watch
Leevi Meriläinen, Vancouver. Thirty-six saves in Florida on Thursday and a .925 over four starts. Not much else in Vancouver’s season has gone this well.
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver. Three goals, the latest making it 2-0 in Florida. He’s been the Canucks’ most dangerous forward on the trip.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay. Six starts, four wins, and a team in front of him that has conceded 19 goals in seven games.
Score prediction
Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 Vancouver Canucks. The Lightning are healthier, at home and much the better team, and Vancouver still hasn’t settled its goaltending six games into the trip.
Canucks vs Lightning prediction
This should be a comfortable Tampa Bay win. The Lightning are 5-2-0 with one player out, while Vancouver has conceded 41 goals in nine games, has lost six straight and hasn’t won on the road since opening night in Edmonton.
For Vancouver to steal it, Meriläinen probably has to start and Tampa has to keep it close again. Our lean: Tampa Bay, and the over if the total sits at 6 or lower. Vancouver’s games are averaging 7.7 goals. See where both clubs rank on our NHL power rankings, and the rest of Saturday’s games on the NHL schedule.
Puck drop is 4:00pm ET on Saturday 17 October 2026 in Tampa.
No. He is out after hip surgery in January and has no clear timetable. Kevin Lankinen and Leevi Meriläinen have split Vancouver’s starts.
Six. The Canucks are 2-6-1 and have conceded 41 goals in nine games.
Tampa Bay leads the all-time series 25 wins to 23 and has won three of the last four meetings.
Tampa Bay to win 4-2, and the over if the total sits at 6 or lower.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Picks are opinion, not advice, and odds change constantly. Availability varies by province. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents; see your province’s helpline for resources elsewhere.