Canucks Army Game Day 38 – Canucks Vs. Blues (DoPS Edition)
By Always90four
5 years agoTHE INTRO
Don’t expect fireworks two games in a row (or anything more than a minor penalty for an illegal hit) this evening as the St. Louis Blues come to Vancouver to redeem themselves after getting waxed by the Canucks just over a week ago. Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson exploded for a week’s worth of goals the last time they played the Blues.
There is a new aura that has been cast over this Canucks team after Tuesday night’s game and it might have been the test they needed to take the next step. If Vancouver can get the power-play going again and play with that kind of dedication, the Blues would be best to forfeit this one as well.
Let’s Do This!™
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SNP / SN 650 / 7:00 PM
LINEUPS
Sven Baertschi and Brandon Sutter will be post-Christmas additions. Troy Stecher is unlikely to play after getting drilled in the head from Danick Martel of the Lightning last game. That should mean Alex Biega draws in because Michael Del Zotto should not.
Jacob Markstrom will get his net back tonight after Anders Nilsson got his spot start against the top team in the league last game. Just a thought, maybe give your top goaltender the top teams. Good players tend to play up to their competition. I dunno, just me?
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 71.4#92 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 76.6#38 C |  LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 71.7#81 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 73.23#31 FL1 |
 JOSH LEIVO Rating: 72.9#59 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 78.3#32 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 83.8#2 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 78.33#2 FL2 |
 NIKOLAY GOLDOBIN Rating: 70.8#92 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 71.2#133 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 71.0#88 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 70.98#25 FL3 |
 MARKUS GRANLUND Rating: 70.4#110 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 67.5#189 C |  TYLER MOTTE Rating: 68.7#113 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 68.88#29 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 74.8#28 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 71.6#65 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 73.17#23 DL1 |
 BEN HUTTON Rating: 71.0#96 LD |  ERIK GUDBRANSON Rating: 69.1#95 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 70.06#29 DL2 |
 DERRICK POULIOT Rating: 70.4#114 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 71.8#56 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 71.13#19 DL3 |
Good news for the Blues (ironic?) as Robby Fabbri, Alex Pietrangelo, and Carl Gunnarsson all skated in Edmonton during practice and are nearing a return. They aren’t expected to play this evening, however.
Jake Allen should see the Canucks tonight. That being said, Vancouver has seen a pretty diverse goaltending selection lately. The obvious choice has gone out the door but Allen should be the guy.
Blues lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 JADEN SCHWARTZ Rating: 78.8#14 LW |  BRAYDEN SCHENN Rating: 76.4#40 C |  VLADIMIR TARASENKO Rating: 78.9#14 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 78.02#15 FL1 |
 ALEX STEEN Rating: 73.0#56 LW |  RYAN O’REILLY Rating: 80.7#16 C |  DAVID PERRON Rating: 72.8#61 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 75.51#12 FL2 |
 PATRICK MAROON Rating: 72.8#60 LW |  TYLER BOZAK Rating: 72.3#95 C |  ROBERT THOMAS Rating: 71.8#75 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 72.31#15 FL3 |
 JORDAN NOLAN Rating: 68.2#135 LW |  IVAN BARBASHEV Rating: 70.4#111 C |  OSKAR SUNDQVIST Rating: 70.0#101 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 69.53#27 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 JOEL EDMUNDSON Rating: 71.8#79 LD |  COLTON PARAYKO Rating: 76.4#24 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 74.10#19 DL1 |
 JAY BOUWMEESTER Rating: 69.0#131 LD |  ROBERT BORTUZZO Rating: 71.6#64 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 70.32#28 DL2 |
 VINCE DUNN Rating: 74.3#31 LD |  CHRIS BUTLER Rating: 72.0#51 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 73.18#6 DL3 |
YOUR INFORMATIONAL NEEDS FOR TONIGHT’S GAME
- Elias Pettersson has feasted on teams currently tied or below the Canucks in the standings this season. He has combined for 6G / 8A against LAK, STL, MIN, DET, FLA, CAR. After a blip on the radar that broke up his point streak, expect Pettersson to get back to his scoring ways this evening.
- Jacob Markstrom had a pretty easy night against the Blues back on Dec 10 allowing only a goal on 23 shots. He’ll be back in the net touting a .937 SV% average over his last five games as well as a shocking 1.80 GAA. With Markstrom’s stellar play as of late, it might beg the question “is Anders Nilsson expendable?”
- Tyler Motte hasn’t been a world burner this season but he’s caught the eye of his coach for the checking role he brings to the team. His scoring prowess seems to come at the moment when the Canucks are about to give up a goal shorthanded. Motte’s two SHG make up 40% of his total output this season, five goals, and his CF% of 12.84 on the PK is second only to Alex Edler on the team. He’s basically the productive version of Brendan Gaunce but on the wing.
- St. Louis is one of the top road PK teams in the NHL. They have a 86% success rate and have only given up seven power-play goals against. The Canucks need the PP to get going but this might not be the best game to ask for help.
- If there hasn’t been a case made for planting in front of the net or working on high-danger scoring chances, let’s get it going. The top-5 Canucks who have an average shot length between 22 and 28.5 feet from the net are Bo Horvat, Sven Baertschi, Tim Schaller (what?), Loui Eriksson, and Jake Virtanen. Virtanen clocks in at 28.2 feet while Horvat is shooting at 22.3 feet. Aside from Schaller, all of these players are finding success by getting in tighter to the net. It shouldn’t be a surprise.
MY 94 CENTS
The score didn’t tell the whole story last game as that was one of the Canucks most hard-fought games of the season. Vladimir Tarasenko isn’t Steven Stamkos but he does have a good shot. Pettersson and Boeser didn’t have the game they probably wanted to have against an elite team and good players get hungry after their shutout.
Expect a desperate Canucks squad tonight that has a bit more jump than normal. They’ll want to avenge their teammate Troy Stecher but at the same time build a few points up in the win column.
Boeser had a hat-trick in his last game against STL so he might want to set up Pettersson for a few this game.
THE FINAL WORD
Makes sense, I guess?
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