THE INTRO
The Canucks return to Winnipeg to take on a Jets team that beat them handily last time they were there. Since the 4-1 loss to Winnipeg, the Canucks have done some damage to the standings in the West and tonight, a win against the Jets would be a statement. In fact, if the Canucks happen to accumulate two victory points, they’ll be the number one team in the Pacific.
They’ll also have games in hand against the Flames and Oilers. Not bad for a #TeamlikeThat. Mediocrity at its finest.
Let’s Do This!™
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
The odds for tonight’s game are: (VAN +110/ WPG -130) courtesy of OddsShark.com
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SNP / SN 650 / 5:00 PM
LINEUPS
There may not be any changes for today’s game. Brandon Sutter won’t be ready and Micheal Ferland is still undetermined. Tim Schaller could get a scratch and Zack MacEwen may get a chance to fly around versus the Jets. Just an idea.
Why bother guessing? Jacob Markstrom will start against the Jets. He’ll play every game from here on in most likely. Poor Thatcher Demko.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 TANNER PEARSON Rating: 74.4#37 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 76.9#20 C |  LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 70.5#105 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 73.94#27 FL1 |
 J.T. MILLER Rating: 76.4#27 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 78.8#12 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 76.8#12 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 77.32#2 FL2 |
 ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 70.6#119 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 69.8#159 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 71.4#85 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 70.61#26 FL3 |
 TIM SCHALLER Rating: 68.3#142 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 67.7#181 C |  TYLER MOTTE Rating: 69.4#128 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 68.45#30 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 75.2#16 LD |  TYLER MYERS Rating: 73.0#45 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 74.08#18 DL1 |
 QUINN HUGHES Rating: 75.0#18 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 71.2#85 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.10#22 DL2 |
 OSCAR FANTENBERG Rating: 70.2#115 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 71.3#82 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.75#25 DL3 |
Dustin Byfuglien is nowhere near returning so for at least one night, they don’t have to worry about him. Mark Letestu has been on the IR for some time now so again, he’ll be out. Bryan Little, yup, IR. Nathan Beaulieu? IR. No short-term injuries in the ‘Peg. If the Canucks had injuries like that Jayson Megna and Michael Chaput would be on tryouts again.
Connor Hellebuyck should start tonight.
Jets lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 KYLE CONNOR Rating: 78.3#10 LW |  MARK SCHEIFELE Rating: 78.9#11 C |  PATRIK LAINE Rating: 74.6#34 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 77.25#6 FL1 |
 NIKOLAJ EHLERS Rating: 75.5#24 LW |  BLAKE WHEELER Rating: 76.1#19 C |  JACK ROSLOVIC Rating: 70.0#119 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 73.85#16 FL2 |
 ANDREW COPP Rating: 73.0#68 LW |  ADAM LOWRY Rating: 69.9#157 C |  MATHIEU PERREAULT Rating: 69.6#162 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 70.83#25 FL3 |
 GABRIEL BOURQUE Rating: 68.2#144 LW |  NICK SHORE Rating: 70.7#140 C |  MASON APPLETON Rating: 69.7#121 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 69.52#27 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 JOSH MORRISSEY Rating: 73.8#37 LD |  TUCKER POOLMAN Rating: 71.3#83 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 72.52#28 DL1 |
 DMITRY KULIKOV Rating: 71.6#92 LD |  NEAL PIONK Rating: 73.5#33 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 72.53#28 DL2 |
 ANTHONY BITETTO Rating: 69.5#119 LD |  SAMI NIKU Rating: 71.4#81 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.45#31 DL3 |
GAME NOTES AND A STAT OR TWO
- The Canucks have the fourth-best goal differential in the West. We’ll leave the East alone because there’s something in the water over there. If they allow four or more goals, it’s not pretty but if they score four and up, they’re a force. High event hockey at its peak.
- Tyler Myers has gone dormant again in his last two games after scorings three goals and two assists in five games prior. He’ll want to get back onto the score sheet against his former club. He probably isn’t going to surprise anyone tonight but in typical Canucks fashion, that’s JUST what could happen.
- PDO hasn’t been referenced here in a while but if Tim Schaller gets a shot to play tonight, he is due to rise up. He’s operating at 0.962 so it could be any time now before he scores his potential final goal of the season. What is Schaller when he’s playing in ideal situations, that’s the question we all want to know.
- Canucks fans will hope most of the game tonight gets played at 5v5. Josh Morrissey and Mark Scheifele have the first and third-worst xGA rates in the NHL. Morrissey, based on playing at least 150 minutes at evens. (38.02) and Scheifele (36.98) are rolling at a pretty heavy clip for expected goals and even though Tyler Myers is included in this list, his 36.26 percentage is still well below the Jets stars.
- Jay Beagle needs a redemption tour. He’s statistically awful in almost every way. His 24.00 GF% is among the NHL’s funk. Now that Loui Eriksson is out of the doghouse, Beagle has trotted himself in his place. Nic Dowd is at 68.18%. If you’re wondering.
#CANUCKSTWITTER
Imagine Prince Harry IS a BenningBros?
Prince Harry strikes me as a Benning Bro.
— randyB (@DuckingTheChamp) January 14, 2020
We are so proud to once again host our annual #HockeyTalks game this Thursday in honour of our friend and teammate, Rick Rypien. This week and always, please help #BreakTheStigma and keep the conversation going around mental health.https://t.co/wcz2C6CDWE
— Canucks For Kids (@Canucksforkids) January 14, 2020
MY 94 CENTS
Should the Canucks win tonight? They just might. Winnipeg always plays them tough and even though Markstrom is a gamer, the Canucks haven’t exactly been a 60-minute team for more than a night or two at a time. Getting a big game from Brock Boeser would be nice and a little depth scoring from the third and fourth lines would help, too!
Maybe they’ll even have an efficient power play tonight?
AND ANOTHER THING…
Lol Brad Marchand.
There was an attempt! Sorta. Not really. pic.twitter.com/ZA32SRFiuo
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 14, 2020
