THE INTRO

It just gets worse on the injury front for the Canucks: Anders Nilsson broke his finger in practice on the weekend and will be out a few weeks. What the Canucks should be concerning themselves with is defense, like committing to playing some. The Penguins shredded the Canucks defense on Saturday and it won’t get any easier tonight as the Minnesota Wild are in town and wouldn’t you know it, they’ve won five straight games.

Brock Boeser is starting to feel himself again and tonight could be the start of an excellent season for a player who was the favourite to win the Calder trophy a season ago before being shut down last spring. Boeser gets to face a team he grew up watching in Minnesota but now they’ll be watching him.

Let’s Do This!™

TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP

SN / SN 650 / 7:00 PM

LINEUPS

Alex Edler is out “weeks” according to Travis Green with an MCL sprain, Chris Tanev is day-to-day, Sven Baertschi is still in concussion protocol, Jay Beagle is out as well.

Vancouver’s defense is primed to take another thrashing with the same guys getting trotted out. Hopefully, they’ll be able to outscore their problems.

Jacob Markstrom will be the man between the pipes for a few weeks with the recent news of Anders Nilsson breaking his finger. Richard Bachman has been called up to backup Markstrom.

Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:

LW	C	RW	Forwards
NIKOLAY GOLDOBIN Rating: 70.0#98 LW	ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 75.5#46 C	BROCK BOESER Rating: 80.2#6 RW	FL1 Rating Rating: 75.25#26 FL1
BRENDAN LEIPSIC Rating: 71.5#93 LW	BO HORVAT Rating: 76.1#42 C	LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 71.8#74 RW	FL2 Rating Rating: 73.12#23 FL2
ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 70.3#110 LW	BRANDON SUTTER Rating: 71.6#132 C	JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 69.9#99 RW	FL3 Rating Rating: 70.59#28 FL3
TIM SCHALLER Rating: 69.6#123 LW	ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 72.9#91 C	MARKUS GRANLUND Rating: 70.3#162 RW	FL4 Rating Rating: 70.94#13 FL4

DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS		Defense
BEN HUTTON Rating: 70.1#114 LD	ERIK GUDBRANSON Rating: 68.6#101 RD	DL1 Rating Rating: 69.32#31 DL1
DERRICK POULIOT Rating: 70.4#111 LD	TROY STECHER Rating: 72.0#64 RD	DL2 Rating Rating: 71.19#27 DL2
MICHAEL DEL ZOTTO Rating: 71.6#84 LD	ALEX BIEGA Rating: 69.7#94 RD	DL3 Rating Rating: 70.69#23 DL3

Joel Eriksson Ek is out with a lower-body injury for the next week or so. Matt Hendricks is also out with an LBI.

Devan Dubnyk should be the starter.

Wild lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:

LW	C	RW	Forwards
JASON ZUCKER Rating: 78.6#16 LW	ERIC STAAL Rating: 80.4#15 C	NINO NIEDERREITER Rating: 73.5#49 RW	FL1 Rating Rating: 77.50#17 FL1
ZACH PARISE Rating: 76.2#25 LW	MIKKO KOIVU Rating: 74.4#56 C	MIKAEL GRANLUND Rating: 77.8#30 RW	FL2 Rating Rating: 76.11#6 FL2
JORDAN GREENWAY	CHARLIE COYLE Rating: 72.1#113 C	MATT READ Rating: 70.9#86 RW	FL3 Rating Rating: 71.69#20 FL3
MARCUS FOLIGNO Rating: 70.2#112 LW	ERIC FEHR Rating: 70.6#92 C	JOEL ERIKSSON EK Rating: 69.8#169 RW	FL4 Rating Rating: 70.20#20 FL4

DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS		Defense
RYAN SUTER Rating: 80.3#3 LD	MATHEW DUMBA Rating: 78.2#15 RD	DL1 Rating Rating: 79.24#2 DL1
JONAS BRODIN Rating: 73.5#42 LD	JARED SPURGEON Rating: 76.9#20 RD	DL2 Rating Rating: 75.20#7 DL2
NICK SEELER Rating: 72.4#66 LD	GREG PATERYN Rating: 72.2#57 RD	DL3 Rating Rating: 72.26#9 DL3

THE INFORMATION YOU NEED AND SOME YOU DON’T

• Brock Boeser hasn’t been electric in his last five games but he hasn’t been invisible either. His 1G/2A in 5GP is sort of alarming but knowing he’s been playing through a groin strain is comforting because he isn’t able to go as hard as he usually does. Utilizing the entire lower body on his shots is a lot of Boeser’s magic. His quick pivot before he opens up a heavy wrister doesn’t just happen. When Boeser is 100%, watch out!
• In three games against Minnesota, Boeser has been held to one goal. That came in his first game for the Canucks and it was also a game winner. There isn’t much to go on versus the Wild until this evening. Brock is ready to strike!

#Canucks lead the Wild 4-0 thanks to 2nd period goals to Boucher (2), Skille and Boeser. ???? pic.twitter.com/2Ws43nSQ81

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 25, 2017

• Since debuting in 2017, the best line combination for Boeser has come with Bo Horvat and Nikolay Goldobin (based on playing at least 50 minutes as a line). He played a grand total of nine games with that group and they had a combined CF% of 56.49. That may change if Green keeps him with Elias Pettersson. The connection with Bo and Goldobin can’t be ignored and if things aren’t clicking that would be an easy line to revert to.
• Zach Parise is among the league-leaders in scoring with 11 points, four points in his last five to boot. Parise is only four points away from 700 career points. Evgeni Malkin had his way with the Canucks, could Parise?
• Erik Gudbranson is quickly becoming the Canucks top liability, both on the payroll and on the ice. Gudbranson is a fighting major away from tying the league-lead in PIM with 30. His penalties never seem to be timed well and a quick look through the hilite reels will prove he’s not doing much before he goes to the box. Olli Juolevi needs to get his game in top form and soon. This can’t go on much longer.
• If Juolevi does get a cup of coffee with the Canucks in the next while, Derrick Pouliot seems like a good choice to sit. In his last few games, Pouliot has been an absolute train wreck and has been the lead reason for a handful of goals. He isn’t the worst defenseman right now, but he’s nowhere near the best.

MY 94 CENTS

Convincing me that tonight’s game will be any different than Saturday’s will be pretty hard. The Wild are rolling right now and the Canucks are barely able to ice a healthy lineup. Jacob Markstrom is going to, yet again, have to have one of his best starts of the season for this to be close. But then there’s Boeser.

He’s struggled to get his game going this season and the groin is still nagging on him but I feel like tonight is a game he’s personally primed for and if he’s going, so is Pettersson.

THE FINAL WORD

Soooo…. Tanev is in, right? pic.twitter.com/ugVb53vF63

— Vanessa Jang (@vanessajang) October 29, 2018