Canucks Army Game day 62 – Canucks Vs. Islanders (RoY Meetup Edition)
By Always90four
5 years agoTHE INTRO
The last time the Canucks and Islanders met, Brendan Leipsic was a Canuck and Jake Virtanen was scoring power-play goals. Neither of these things exists anymore but the bad puck luck has continued to follow Vancouver since their last meeting in Brooklyn. That being said, Jacob Markstrom’s new mask has turned things around and he’s performed like a true number one since then.
Tonight’s matchup is a sequel to the Rookie of the Year winner and heir apparent between Mathew Barzal and Elias Pettersson. Hopefully, we get to see both of their colossal talents properly displayed tonight. And maybe a Canucks win, too?
Let’s Do This!™
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
CBC / SN 650 / 7:00 PM
LINEUPS
It’s unlikely we see a deal today involving a Canucks roster player but the question has to be: Does Nikolay Goldobin play another game for Vancouver? Tim Schaller got a shot, which felt more like a shot to the gut kinda feeling. Ryan Spooner looked good with Pettersson and Boeser and the Bo Horvat/Antoine Roussel combo is continuing to pay dividends.
Luke Schenn wouldn’t be the worst idea for Travis Green to put in tonight. Derrick Pouliot or Erik Gudbranson are great candidates to sit. Markus Granlund’s drop pass will cement him in the lineup but there is a chance Zack MacEwen draws back in.
It’s a confusing time to be a Canucks fan.
Wait for it… wait for it, Jacob Markstrom starts again. Only the most elite information is dropped in our game days.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 JOSH LEIVO Rating: 72.8#68 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 76.0#47 C |  TYLER MOTTE Rating: 68.7#118 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 72.49#30 FL1 |
 RYAN SPOONER Rating: 70.0#169 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 79.1#24 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 81.9#5 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 77.00#8 FL2 |
 ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 72.3#79 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 72.9#93 C |  MARKUS GRANLUND Rating: 71.2#139 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 72.12#19 FL3 |
 LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 70.8#110 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 67.3#187 C |  TIM SCHALLER Rating: 69.6#125 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 69.19#30 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 BEN HUTTON Rating: 71.3#93 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 72.9#52 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 72.12#28 DL1 |
 DERRICK POULIOT Rating: 70.9#100 LD |  ALEX BIEGA Rating: 71.7#75 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 71.28#27 DL2 |
 ASHTON SAUTNER Rating: 73.7#40 LD |  ERIK GUDBRANSON Rating: 68.1#104 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.90#23 DL3 |
The Islanders are healthy which is bad news for the Canucks. Devon Toews of Abbotsford fame will play his first NHL game at home. Unfortunately, Jake Virtanen, also of Abbotsford, will not be in the lineup for the Canucks. I guess they don’t get to talk about crossing the Sumas Border Crossing… or whatever people from Abbotsford do?
Robin Lehner dropped one in OT to the Oilers last game but should be back in between the pipes tonight.
Islanders lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 ANDERS LEE Rating: 76.8#23 LW |  BROCK NELSON Rating: 73.4#81 C |  JORDAN EBERLE Rating: 75.3#37 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 75.19#27 FL1 |
 TOM KUHNHACKL Rating: 69.3#129 LW |  MATHEW BARZAL Rating: 80.2#20 C |  JOSH BAILEY Rating: 74.2#41 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 74.55#19 FL2 |
 ANTHONY BEAUVILLIER Rating: 73.5#49 LW |  VALTTERI FILPPULA Rating: 71.6#124 C |  LEO KOMAROV Rating: 69.6#126 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.57#24 FL3 |
 MATT MARTIN Rating: 69.8#120 LW |  CASEY CIZIKAS Rating: 73.9#73 C |  CAL CLUTTERBUCK Rating: 70.4#104 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.37#9 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 NICK LEDDY Rating: 74.9#29 LD |  JOHNNY BOYCHUK Rating: 74.4#35 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 74.64#18 DL1 |
 ADAM PELECH Rating: 72.6#64 LD |  RYAN PULOCK Rating: 72.2#65 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 72.39#23 DL2 |
 DEVON TOEWS Rating: 74.9#28 LD |  SCOTT MAYFIELD Rating: 73.2#45 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 74.03#3 DL3 |
YOUR INFORMATIONAL NEEDS FOR TONIGHT’S GAME
- Brock Boeser has quietly put up 5G / 2A in his last 10 games. He has been creating plays, scoring impressive goals (OK, not all of them) and you can see it in the game, he’s trying to get Pettersson on the score sheet. He has to be frustrated as well that Petey isn’t his normal self. Boeser hasn’t been a bull but he’s been fairly consistent and that’s saying a lot for this current Canucks team.
- Bo Horvat is six points away from matching his career high set back in 16/17. He also leads the Canucks in second-assists. Many times he’s set the play up before the final pass is made and that can’t be overlooked. Much talk has been made about where Vancouver would be if Pettersson or Markstrom weren’t playing the way they have been but what about Horvat? This Canucks team would be a ghost of itself if he wasn’t in the lineup. Don’t even imagine it. It’s too scary.
- It hasn’t been a busy year for penalty shots in the NHL but Antoine Roussel and Elias Pettersson have two of the 11 total goals scored one on one. Everyone remembers Pettersson’s and if anyone needed a reason to not haul him down, that one against the Predators would be it. The Islanders are one of the least penalized teams in the league so it’s unlikely Vancouver will get a chance to add to the NHL’s list.
- Vancouver doesn’t lead a lot of statistical categories this season but it is interesting to note the areas they do. Going into tonight’s matchup, the Canucks are tied for first in the league in win % with .714 when leading by two goals. St. Louis is the other team. It probably isn’t surprising to see that they’re 4th worst in the league in win % in one-goal games, Vancouver, not St. Louis. In one-goal games, the Canucks are tied with the Red Wings for most losses (11) while the Islanders can credit only four of their 18 losses to losing by a goal.
- Figuring out who to have on the ice can definitely be a tricky job. Many of us think we could coach a team like the Canucks but the reality is we may not realize the players that are actually keeping the team afloat. When trailing by a goal, Troy Stecher is the 11th best player in the league in GF at 5v5 with (14). Bo Horvat is the first Canucks forward to show up on this list at 22nd overall for skaters with (13), Derrick Pouliot, yup, is 34th overall with (12), Brock Boeser is 54th with (11 GF) as are Ben Hutton and Chris Tanev.
- As far as not being on the ice when goals are scored, Josh Leivo is T-11 in GA with only two goals against when his team trails by a single goal.
MY 94 CENTS
I firmly believe there is an alternate Canucks team hiding beneath the surface that is begging to be released. There is no way their power-play is THIS bad. Their PK has been lights out and Jacob Markstrom has kept them in numerous games they should have lost otherwise. This feels like a game they can win but both the coaches and management need to allow this team to grow and harboring Erik Gudbranson, Derrick Pouliot, and why not, Tim Schaller, keeps the Canucks out of the playoffs at the very least and years away from the end of a rebuild.
Mathew Barzal and Elias Pettersson will ignite the fans tonight. It just feels right.
THE TWITTER TAKE
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BONUS YOUTUBE
This season has had its ups and downs but I saw this last night and if you break hockey down to its rawest form, it’s all about having fun and going to BaDonalds. The game tonight could be a royal letdown but seeing this should make you happy you came here today.
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Courtesy of HowToHockey
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