Canucks Army Game Day 43 – Canucks @ Senators (Wait, Are You Taping This? Edition)
By Always90four
5 years agoTHE INTRO
Happy New Year, Canucks fans!
New year, new you… or some other crap like that. The Canucks were awful to end the calendar year against the Devils and they might as well have lost 8-0 to shake things up. Tonight, they take on the Ottawa Senators who are (checks standings) tied for the worst record in the land. Saying this should be a bounce-back game is probably an understatement, this is a must-win.
Not because it will keep the playoff drive alive (I said the P-word) but because they can’t lose to a sad sack franchise like the Senators. Everything is imploding with that organization and losses are part of it. The Sens also haven’t met the new guy for the Canucks so that should be fun. (Pettersson, they know the other ones)
Enjoy the game and try not to get to excited about Thatcher Demko being called up soon.
Let’s Do This!™
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SNP / SN 650 / 4:00 PM
LINEUPS
Brandon Sutter will not suit up tonight but there is a very good chance he could play again Thursday or Saturday. Lines were juggled slightly yesterday with Nikolay Goldobin, yup, used as an extra skater. It’s not quite sitting Brock Boeser to start his career but it does seem almost as ridiculous.
There is no way Travis Green wants to experiment with Tim Schaller again so maybe it was just his random wake-up call again?
Jacob Markstrom will start and Mike McKenna will back him up.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 71.1#92 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 76.1#43 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 71.8#80 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 72.98#31 FL1 |
 NIKOLAY GOLDOBIN Rating: 70.2#107 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 77.7#34 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 82.5#3 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 76.79#4 FL2 |
 SVEN BAERTSCHI Rating: 74.0#43 LW |  MARKUS GRANLUND Rating: 70.7#148 C |  JOSH LEIVO Rating: 73.0#53 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 72.56#12 FL3 |
 ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 71.8#80 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 67.9#187 C |  TYLER MOTTE Rating: 69.3#113 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 69.68#23 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 75.6#22 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 72.0#53 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 73.79#21 DL1 |
 BEN HUTTON Rating: 70.6#107 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 71.9#54 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 71.25#25 DL2 |
 DERRICK POULIOT Rating: 70.3#116 LD |  ERIK GUDBRANSON Rating: 68.8#97 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 69.54#29 DL3 |
J.G Pageau is done for the season with Achilles surgery, Thomas Chabot is out with a shoulder injury for the next three weeks, Marion Gaborik is still out from back surgery, Justin Falk may not play due to a concussion, and Craig Anderson is also sidelined with a concussion and Tom Pyatt will not play because he doesn’t play for the Sens anymore.
Dany Heatley is unavailable as is Jason Spezza.
Marcus Hogberg will start in net and Anders Nilsson will once again backup… but for the Senators today, WHAT!?!?!
Senators lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 BRADY TKACHUK Rating: 74.8#33 LW |  CHRIS TIERNEY Rating: 70.4#152 C |  MARK STONE Rating: 80.7#8 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 75.31#25 FL1 |
 COLIN WHITE Rating: 71.9#115 LW |  MATT DUCHENE Rating: 77.9#31 C |  BOBBY RYAN Rating: 71.5#84 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 73.75#22 FL2 |
 NICK PAUL Rating: 72.6#68 LW |  ZACK SMITH Rating: 68.3#185 C |  JACK RODEWALD Rating: 72.7#62 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.19#22 FL3 |
 RYAN DZINGEL Rating: 72.4#71 LW |  TOM PYATT Rating: 67.2#193 C |  MIKKEL BOEDKER Rating: 70.9#92 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.17#19 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 MAXIME LAJOIE Rating: 70.1#10 LD |  CODY CECI Rating: 68.7#98 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 69.35#31 DL1 |
 CHRISTIAN WOLANIN Rating: 72.6#56 LD |  DYLAN DEMELO Rating: 71.2#71 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 71.92#20 DL2 |
 MARK BOROWIECKI Rating: 68.5#133 LD |  BEN HARPUR Rating: 67.3#100 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 67.89#31 DL3 |
YOUR INFORMATIONAL NEEDS FOR TONIGHT’S GAME
- Bo Horvat has one goal to speak of in his last six games, not good. Horvat has been incredible for most of the year and rarely isn’t picking up points. He’s still taking almost every faceoff and winning most of them as well so the scoreboard isn’t always going to be the place he’s noticed. He’s due to have some puck luck go his way.
- Alex Edler scored his 350th point against the Flames a few nights ago which also was the third OT winner of his career that game. As great as that is, Edler feels so predictable right now. There isn’t a ton of buzz in his game and his presence on the PP is borderline disgusting. He’s getting up there in games and he won’t have the same flash he had years ago but come on, there needs to be a bit more with the man-advantage. It’s boring.
- Loui Eriksson makes a lot of money, that, we know. It’s clear the goals won’t be coming from him but seriously, he has two goals in his last 10 games and two shots combined in his last four. He’s getting minutes with the best players on the team and it’s not good enough. Eriksson is also due for some luck.
- Not sure what Green’s deal is with Goldobin at this point, the narrative has worn thin. He drops Goldobin down the lineup because defensively he hasn’t been great but fun fact, he’s one of the team’s best producers. Goldobin has 1G / 6A in his last 12 games, which is good for sixth in team scoring in that time. No big deal. He’s even helped out on an SHG. Goldy is a fixture on this team and even though he has a few shortcomings, he isn’t the problem on this team. Let’s finally move on from this, please.
- Mark Stone of the Senators is a kleptomaniac. He leads the NHL in takeaways with 66, nine more than Alexander Barkov of the Panthers. Word to the wise, maybe watch the goofy plays in the neutral zone. It’s been a problem lately.
MY 94 CENTS
Kind of botched the last one huh? OK, new year, new you (I have GOT to stop saying that). Let’s be frank for a second; this game has to be a win for the Canucks. It needs to be a slump buster for a handful of players and it needs to be a game where Goldobin plays presses the magic button and impresses the coach.
It needs to be the feel-good kind of game that they can travel to Montreal tomorrow and get retribution against the Canadiens with confidence.
THE FINAL WORD
Gonna be weird seeing their exes so soon like that.
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