OPENING FACE/OFF

It was quite the weekend for the Vancouver Canucks but Elliotte Friedman told us we should all calm down. So let’s keep calm and Can… I am not good at these. The Senators are in town to play those same Canucks and their record is actually worse than Vancouver’s, which is tough to do. There was a moment on Saturday where Vancouver actually was in the game but it might take more than one good period to beat Ottawa.

Let’s start with one game and if the Canucks can win this one, there might actually still be hope. Of course, they could lose and the wheels could fall off completely.

Let’s Do This!™

WHERE CAN I FIND THIS GAME?

TV: SNP / RADIO: SN 650 / PUCK DROP: 7:00PM

LINEUPS

Jay Beagle took a puck to the face yesterday but he’s a gamer so don’t expect him to miss the game. If he does, Adam Gaudette might slot back in. He probably shouldn’t be out of the lineup regardless.

Word is, Braden Holtby occupied the starter’s net at practice yesterday so he’s likely… starting. He didn’t look stellar against the Canadiens but consistency is something this team could use a bit more of.

CANUCKS LINES COURTESY OF DAILYFACEOFF.COM:

LW	C	RW	Forwards
J.T. MILLER Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Rating: 78.5#7 LW	ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 77.7#14 C	BROCK BOESER Rating: 74.1#41 RW	FL1 Rating Rating: 76.78#11 FL1
TANNER PEARSON Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Rating: 73.7#38 LW	BO HORVAT Rating: 74.8#34 C	NILS HOGLANDER	FL2 Rating Rating: 74.25#11 FL2
ANTOINE ROUSSEL Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Rating: 71.0#97 LW	ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 70.2#130 C	JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 72.0#78 RW	FL3 Rating Rating: 71.08#22 FL3
TYLER MOTTE Rating: 68.8#144 LW	JAY BEAGLE Rating: 68.4#163 C	BRANDON SUTTER Rating: 70.1#131 RW	FL4 Rating Rating: 69.09#30 FL4

DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS		Defense
ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 74.3#26 LD	NATE SCHMIDT Rating: 75.5#18 RD	DL1 Rating Rating: 74.89#17 DL1
QUINN HUGHES Rating: 75.2#15 LD	JORDIE BENN Rating: 70.9#101 RD	DL2 Rating Rating: 73.04#14 DL2
OLLI JUOLEVI	TYLER MYERS Rating: 72.6#50 RD	DL3 Rating Rating: 72.56#8 DL3

Erik Brannstrom, Tim Stützle, and Cedric Paquette are all day-to-day. What you see below is likely the team you’ll get this evening. It should be noted the Senators went back to their 90’s uniforms. They’re ok, I guess.

Matt Murray should get the start.

SENATORS LINES COURTESY OF DAILYFACEOFF.COM:

LW	C	RW	Forwards
BRADY TKACHUK Rating: 75.0#27 LW	JOSH NORRIS	DRAKE BATHERSON	FL1 Rating Rating: 73.71#26 FL1
CHRIS TIERNEY Rating: 72.2#77 LW	DEREK STEPAN Rating: 72.7#67 C	CONNOR BROWN Rating: 72.6#66 RW	FL2 Rating Rating: 72.48#29 FL2
NICK PAUL Rating: 71.2#105 LW	ARTEM ANISIMOV Rating: 72.2#75 C	EVGENII DADONOV Rating: 73.1#53 RW	FL3 Rating Rating: 72.16#13 FL3
ALEX GALCHENYUK Rating: 70.8#115 LW	COLIN WHITE Rating: 70.3#129 C	AUSTIN WATSON Rating: 69.1#140 RW	FL4 Rating Rating: 70.07#26 FL4

DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS		Defense
THOMAS CHABOT Rating: 74.5#23 LD	NIKITA ZAITSEV Rating: 70.5#97 RD	DL1 Rating Rating: 72.54#29 DL1
MIKE REILLY Rating: 72.4#64 LD	JOSH BROWN	DL2 Rating Rating: 72.36#22 DL2
CHRISTIAN WOLANIN Rating: 71.8#67 LD	ERIK GUDBRANSON Rating: 71.3#77 RD	DL3 Rating Rating: 71.57#20 DL3

GAME NOTES, INTERESTING STATS, AND GUDDY’S BACK

• Bo Horvat has points in three straight and powerplay goals in two of three. Through the struggles this team has faced, Bo hasn’t given up and he might be the sole bright spot right now. He has six points in 12 career games versus the Senators, most of those assists so expect Nils Höglander to be the recipient of a few pucks tonight.
• J.T. Miller was the clubhouse leader last season with three points against the Sens. They’ll need him to find the back of the net like he did last season as he is all helpers this year with five assists.
• It might have been a lucky tip but Elias Pettersson got his first goal of the season. Pettersson hasn’t looked himself to start the year and is struggling in areas he normally excels in. His work along the boards is still spot on and his clapper is inches away from devastating goalies. He needs a pick me up and tonight might be his night.
• According to MoneyPuck.com, the Canucks have the 2nd worse Expected Goal % EV at 38.73% They’re also performing under their expected performance with a .985 PDO. I don’t normally bring this up but we’re reaching for straws right now.
• Let’s say Jim Benning gets the axe this season, what do you think the result of that would be? Things aren’t going to change overnight. They’ll still have Loui Eriksson, Sven Baertschi, Tyler Myers, and Roberto Luongo’s cap hit. Are the Canucks saved at that point? Boy oh boy, could it be a crazy week!

TWITTER TOLD YOU

I scoured the platform to find the right tweet and this one seemed to fit:

The same two agents who took Jimbo to the cleaners on the Eriksson and Myers contracts. This should go well. https://t.co/kOGVGq21qh

— Dave (@YLWNucksFan) January 25, 2021

MY 94 CENTS

I don’t think the Canucks continue their slide for very long. Tonight, they get a chance to bury the Senators but we’re all thinking about last season’s Senators because even this year’s team might be a challenge. There will be no Tim Stützle as he’s on IR. Bobby Ryan is also not on the Sens so that eliminates two players that could score a hat-trick. Pettersson could use a revival game, too!

THE FINAL WORD

This one doesn’t exactly scream “barn burner” but somehow it’s the only game on tonight. All the back-to-backs in a condensed schedule and somehow this is the only game. Stunning. That also means the Canucks get the spotlight to themselves so for one night maybe keep the #FireBenning and the “we can’t afford Hughes and Petey” talk to a minimum.