Canucks Army Game Day 31 – Canucks Vs. Predators (Goldobin’s Return Edition)
By Always90four
5 years agoTHE INTRO
Welcome back to the latest Canucks challenge. Tonight, the Canucks take on one of the hottest teams in the NHL, a team Vancouver used to be able to contain, the Nashville Predators. It’s been a long time since 2011 and since then both teams have gone in different directions. Most recently the Canucks have won just once in their last 13 games, real talk. As for the Predators, they’ve 6-4 in their last 10 games and have won their last two games.
It’s anyone’s guess as to how this could shake down but even Canucks fans that have followed this team closely know, special teams will make or break them.
Let’s Do This!™
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SNP / SN 650 / 7:00 PM
LINEUPS
Jay Beagle is back, Erik Gudbranson is back, and unless Travis Green has a vendetta against Nikolay Goldobin, he’ll be back in the lineup too! Newbie Josh Leivo might be best served with Bo Horvat and Jake Virtanen if Goldobin returns but the coach has been somewhat unpredictable during the string of losses.
Jacob Markstrom has been off for a few games so it’s unlikely he sits a third-straight game. This one is his to lose.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 MARKUS GRANLUND Rating: 70.8#151 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 76.1#38 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 70.6#93 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 72.50#31 FL1 |
 JOSH LEIVO Rating: 72.7#63 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 75.6#42 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 81.5#4 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 76.60#5 FL2 |
 ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 70.6#103 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 71.7#125 C |  LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 71.4#84 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.22#21 FL3 |
 TIM SCHALLER Rating: 69.2#130 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 67.8#189 C |  TYLER MOTTE Rating: 69.0#111 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 68.70#31 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 74.8#28 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 70.6#89 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 72.68#26 DL1 |
 BEN HUTTON Rating: 70.0#118 LD |  ERIK GUDBRANSON Rating: 68.1#107 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 69.07#30 DL2 |
 DERRICK POULIOT Rating: 70.2#113 LD | CHRIS TANEV Rating: 70.6#89 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.41#27 DL3 |
Viktor Arvidsson is out until at least Christmas with a broken thumb while P.K. Subban is on IR with an upper-body injury. Kyle Turris and Filip Forsberg are also on IR with undisclosed injuries. The Canucks look pretty good in comparison but that’s been said before and well, we know what happens anyway.
With the Canucks playing some depressing hockey as of late… October, don’t be surprised if Juuse Saros gets the net for the Predators before Pekka Rinne gets some of the harder teams as they move across Canada.
Predators lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 RYAN HARTMAN Rating: 73.5#49 LW |  RYAN JOHANSEN Rating: 76.8#35 C |  KEVIN FIALA Rating: 76.4#26 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 75.55#25 FL1 |
 EELI TOLVANEN Rating: 73.7#44 LW |  CALLE JARNKROK Rating: 73.1#75 C |  CRAIG SMITH Rating: 75.2#48 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 73.99#19 FL2 |
 MIIKKA SALOMAKI Rating: 69.0#133 LW |  COLTON SISSONS Rating: 72.5#96 C |  AUSTIN WATSON Rating: 73.0#57 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.50#19 FL3 |
 FREDERICK GAUDREAU Rating: 70.4#105 LW |  NICK BONINO Rating: 72.1#111 C |  ROCCO GRIMALDI Rating: 73.0#56 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.83#5 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ROMAN JOSI Rating: 82.1#1 LD |  RYAN ELLIS Rating: 80.3#8 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 81.17#1 DL1 |
 DAN HAMHUIS Rating: 72.1#68 LD |  MATTIAS EKHOLM Rating: 77.5#11 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 74.78#7 DL2 |
 MATT IRWIN Rating: 71.6#84 LD |  YANNICK WEBER Rating: 69.9#94 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.74#22 DL3 |
THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The last time the Canucks won a game that mattered was just under a month ago. That game was against the Boston Bruins, remember that? Vancouver managed to score 8 goals that game and in their last win against the Kings, they tallied four. Those have been the high-water marks for goals scored and wins. Every game surrounding those has been a loss since then. Nashville is unlikely to offer up more than a goal or two tonight and the Canucks aren’t playing a style of hockey that suggests they can even hit three goals so expect another one-goal game at best.
- Since November 1, the last 16 games for Vancouver have not been memorable. The PK has a 66.7% kill-rate in that time, the power-play is below 18% and somehow Elias Pettersson has 6G/7A in that time. Doom and gloom may be surrounding the rookie-phenom but he can’t be held down for too long. Keep hope, friends.
- Nikolay Goldobin, he of the healthy scratchitis, has had a rough month as well. Even though he missed the last game as a punishment for his awful play, he’ll want to point out to Travis Green that his 3G/9A in 15 games is the least of the Canucks problems. His power-play presence has also been questionable; Goldobin only has five PPP in that time which is second-best on the team behind Ben Hutton’s six. But yeah, let’s scratch him.
- Scoring first isn’t exactly the Canucks thing these days but Brock Boeser is one of a handful of players in the NHL to have done it twice at home this season. There might need to be a bit more effort put towards getting Brock the puck and with that focus, Pettersson can start to gain some space. Boeser’s shot looks like it’s ready to ride again but his teammates need to find better ways to distribute the puck.
- The drop to the bottom of the standings is coming hot and heavy. There are four teams in the league that have fewer wins than the Canucks and three of the four have at least two games in hand. Jack Hughes seemed like a pipe dream towards the end of October but now, now most of Canucks Nation has subscribed to the NCAA feeds online to check up on a very possible Canucks draft pick. Amazing.
MY 94 CENTS
Fix the special teams or the Canucks are going to be on the losing end for the foreseeable future. Change it up, focus the final shot on Boeser instead of Pettersson. Work on screens more, heck, make Goldobin the centerpiece of the top unit. It’s frustrating to see the same setup trotted out each and every time with no effort to change. Every team is focusing on Elias Pettersson and it’s clear the Canucks have done the same thing.
This team has other options but they need to exercise them or it will be the same ending once again.
THE FINAL WORD
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