A large portion of the Canucks' success last season came because they made their home arena a tough place for opposing teams.

Advantage Margin: +5
The Canucks actually had nine more power-play chances on the road than at home (167-158). But they were among the most penalized teams away from GM Place, allowing opponents 170 opportunities with the extra man.

Special Teams Goal Margin: +12
One reason for the Canucks' dominance at home was the play of their special teams. The power play was third at 24.0 percent, the penalty-killers were fourth (86.0) and the Canucks scored six shorthanded goals while allowing just three.   

Goals by defensemen: 42
The Canucks' defense led the NHL in goal-scoring, sparked by 14 from Christian Ehrhoff. Sami Salo added 9 goals (6 on the power play), but will miss the start of the season following a torn Achilles tendon.   

Category	Rank (Conference/NHL)
2009-10 Points	103 (4th West/5th NHL)
Change from 08-09	+3
Home Points	63 (1st West/2nd NHL)
Road Points	40 (10th West/17th NHL)

Overtime Record
Total: 8-1-4 • OT: 4-1 • SO: 4-1
The Canucks won all three of their overtime games on the road, but were a .500 team in shootouts despite scoring on half of their 24 attempts. The reason: Their goaltenders were beaten 11 times on 26 tries.

Times Scored First: 39 • Record: 31-7-1
The Canucks were great front-runners at home, getting the first goal 27 times at GM Place and turning 23 of them into victories. The road was another story entirely: The Canucks' 12 first goals away from home were next-to-last in the NHL.       

Best 2009-10 Number: 11
Games won by the Canucks when they trailed after two periods, the most in the NHL. Ten of the 11 came on the road. Overall, the Canucks earned 25 points in games when trailing after 40 minutes, also the best in the League.

Worst 2009-10 Number: 9-12
The Canucks' record in games decided by two goals, a number no doubt inflated by the seven empty-net goals Vancouver allowed. In contrast, the Canucks were 23-8 in blow-out games (three or more goals) and 17-13 in one-goal games.
   
Scheduling
The Canucks' 40th NHL season begins with home games against Los Angeles and Florida. The Canucks have nothing longer than their three five-game road trips, and they cap a month-long 10-in-13 stretch at home with six in a row at the newly renamed Rogers Arena that starts in early February and goes into early March.