THE INTRO
After a much-needed break, the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers hook up to do battle tonight for a very early Wild Card playoff position. The Canucks lost a heart-breaker 1-0 against the Jets right before the break and if you didn’t get enough after last game, tonight’s matchup will fill that void. It’s the next game between two of the league’s premier athletes in Connor McDavid and Elias Pettersson, so buckle up because it’s about to get real.
Let’s Do This!™
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SNP / SN 650 / 6:00 PM
LINEUPS
Still no word on Brandon Sutter or Sven Baertschi’s return but if something breaks you’ll know on the Twitters. Troy Stecher is recovering from the head shot he received over a week ago and will also be questionable for tonight’s game. If nothing else, the lineup against the Jets will suit up tonight.
Jacob Markstrom should see his first start after the Christmas break.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 71.8#82 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 76.9#39 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 72.1#72 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 73.62#29 FL1 |
 NIKOLAY GOLDOBIN Rating: 70.3#102 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 77.2#36 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 82.3#4 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 76.61#6 FL2 |
 JOSH LEIVO Rating: 72.9#56 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 72.0#108 C |  MARKUS GRANLUND Rating: 70.9#90 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.92#14 FL3 |
 ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 71.1#93 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 67.4#188 C |  TYLER MOTTE Rating: 68.4#123 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 68.96#31 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 75.3#25 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 71.7#61 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 73.49#24 DL1 |
 BEN HUTTON Rating: 70.5#106 LD |  ERIK GUDBRANSON Rating: 68.5#105 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 69.50#30 DL2 |
 DERRICK POULIOT Rating: 70.2#109 LD |  ALEX BIEGA Rating: 70.5#87 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.38#24 DL3 |
Kris Russell has been out for five games and is possible to suit up tonight. No other updates for Oscar Klefbom. Expect to see the lineup below tonight.
Mikko Koskinen has been the Oilers go-to these days so expect to see him suit up tonight.
Oilers lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS Rating: 75.3#49 LW |  CONNOR MCDAVID Rating: 90.4#1 C |  JESSE PULJUJARVI Rating: 70.4#100 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 78.69#14 FL1 |
 TOBIAS RIEDER Rating: 70.0#162 LW |  LEON DRAISAITL Rating: 80.4#17 C |  ALEX CHIASSON Rating: 70.8#92 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 73.73#20 FL2 |
 DRAKE CAGGIULA Rating: 70.3#106 LW |  KYLE BRODZIAK Rating: 70.6#151 C |  ZACK KASSIAN Rating: 68.8#121 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 69.90#30 FL3 |
 MILAN LUCIC Rating: 68.6#126 LW |  RYAN SPOONER Rating: 71.9#111 C |  TY RATTIE Rating: 70.5#95 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.36#15 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 DARNELL NURSE Rating: 73.6#42 LD | DL1 Rating Rating: 73.10#25 DL1 | |
 KEVIN GRAVEL Rating: 71.4#83 LD | DL2 Rating Rating: 71.44#24 DL2 | |
 JASON GARRISON Rating: 69.0#126 LD |  MATT BENNING Rating: 71.4#68 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.20#27 DL3 |
YOUR INFORMATIONAL NEEDS FOR TONIGHT’S GAME
- Vancouver is toying with greatness, for themselves anyway. The Canucks have killed off 22 straight penalties in their last nine games and will look to make Edmonton #10 tonight. Their only other streak this season was a three-game stretch in late November; things are looking up.
- What is also impressive is that the Canucks have been perfect on the PK in 21 games this season, just over half of their games played, and yet when they’ve been scored on while shorthanded, they’re still just inside the Top 20 on the PK.
- Edmonton is currently on a four-game win streak against the Canucks at home going back to last season’s final game with the Sedins exiting the NHL for good. The Canucks have the first win of this season’s series between the two teams and will look to snap the road streak on their way to a multi-game win-fest.
- Antoine Roussel is tied for the league-lead in PIM with Brad Marchand and is fitting in just fine with the Canucks after a lengthy concussion scare to start his tenure with Vancouver. His irritable nature on the ice has started to play a mental game on his opponents which is something Alex Burrows did so well when he played with the Canucks. The game within the game gives the Canucks an advantage because Roussel is getting matched up against the league’s top lines when he’s on the ice with Bo Horvat in a quasi-shutdown role.
- The Canucks are currently on pace to have four 20-goal scorers this season for the first time since the 2009/10 season when they had six, two with 30+. I repeat, the 2018/19 Canucks are on pace for a goal scoring not seen since the heart of the last great Canucks era. These are strange times.
MY 94 CENTS
The Canucks are becoming a team that is tough to play against. The advanced stats aren’t in their favour most games and they usually need to outscore their problems. What I saw against the Jets last game was a Canucks team that can #battle. Fitting that management is using that as their slogan this season. It doesn’t feel like other seasons where we gave up hope because the team just wasn’t there.
Don’t get me wrong, the Canucks aren’t “there” yet but they’re a lot closer than the beginning of this season would have let on. Tonight, the Canucks go toe to toe with the Oilers and I honestly believe it’s the Oilers who have to keep up.
THE FINAL WORD
From the scanners: A man just accidentally bear maced his own genitals at a gas station
Welcome to Boxing Day in Edmonton, folks
— Juris Graney (@JurisGraney) December 26, 2018
According to Andrew Walker of SN 650, it’s a great city.
