Canucks Army Game Day 63 – Canucks Vs. Ducks (Standing Pat Edition)
By Always90four
5 years agoTHE INTRO
It’s Trade Deadline Day and the Canucks have the privilege of hosting the Anaheim Ducks. With a Ducks victory, they’ll pull within a point of the Canucks so count on that happening. The #playoffs are now a distant dream the Canucks should no longer wish for and the focus now should be on drafting “the other Hughes”.
The Canucks haven’t scored a ton lately, their power-play is in the toilet, and the makeup of this team’s future is blander than Brandon Sutter’s setup game. Let’s hope and pray Jim Benning does something that will distract us from the game tonight. Vancouver needs to feel good again and their on-ice play hasn’t been a source for that.
Let’s Do This!™
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SNP / SN 650 / 7:00 PM
LINEUPS
(This area will be left open as there could be a trade that alters the current rost…)
Just kidding, folks.
Nikolay Goldobin is back as he should be and after an impressive game against the Islanders, he should stay in the lineup for the rest of the season. Zack MacEwen is back as well. No other news because quite frankly, Jim Benning will not change this team in the slightest. Hellooooo (R)ebuild 2.0.
Jacob Markstrom will once again start. He’s a machine now.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 NIKOLAY GOLDOBIN Rating: 70.1#114 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 76.0#44 C |  JOSH LEIVO Rating: 72.5#77 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 72.86#29 FL1 |
 RYAN SPOONER Rating: 70.6#154 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 78.8#26 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 81.8#4 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 77.05#7 FL2 |
 MARKUS GRANLUND Rating: 71.5#124 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 73.2#80 C |  ZACK MACEWEN | FL3 Rating Rating: 72.37#17 FL3 |
 LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 70.7#109 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 67.3#179 C |  TYLER MOTTE Rating: 68.7#123 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 68.92#30 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 BEN HUTTON Rating: 71.5#88 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 73.2#45 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 72.35#28 DL1 |
 DERRICK POULIOT Rating: 70.8#102 LD |  ALEX BIEGA Rating: 71.5#78 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 71.16#28 DL2 |
 ASHTON SAUTNER Rating: 73.5#45 LD |  ERIK GUDBRANSON Rating: 67.9#106 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.68#25 DL3 |
Brandon Montour isn’t a Duck anymore, he’s a Sabre. You won’t see him on the ice in this game. Anaheim is still suffering from a rash of injuries (no pun intended, ok kind of). We’ve gone over this a ton of times with the Ducks so we’ll make it easy and just tell you who isn’t playing:
Ondrej Kase, John Gibson, Chad Johnson, and Ryan Getzlaf. Honestly, Getzlaf should be out anyway. Ahem, thug, ahem.
Ryan Miller is going to start unless he’s traded today (this drops at 9 am). He played for the Canucks and wasn’t appreciated until he left. Where have we heard this before?
Ducks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 RICKARD RAKELL Rating: 76.5#23 LW |  DEREK GRANT Rating: 70.5#155 C |  COREY PERRY Rating: 74.0#49 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 73.68#28 FL1 |
 MAX JONES Rating: 73.4#53 LW |  ADAM HENRIQUE Rating: 73.9#70 C |  TROY TERRY Rating: 72.8#88 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 73.36#24 FL2 |
 DEVIN SHORE Rating: 71.2#136 LW |  SAM STEEL Rating: 72.5#96 C |  JAKOB SILFVERBERG Rating: 74.9#36 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 72.85#10 FL3 |
 NICK RITCHIE Rating: 71.2#99 LW |  RYAN KESLER Rating: 71.6#123 C |  CARTER ROWNEY Rating: 69.3#120 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.71#18 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 HAMPUS LINDHOLM Rating: 75.3#25 LD |  JOSH MANSON Rating: 73.1#47 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 74.20#23 DL1 |
 CAM FOWLER Rating: 74.9#28 LD |  MICHAEL DEL ZOTTO Rating: 71.5#79 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.19#15 DL2 |
 JAYCOB MEGNA Rating: 72.5#65 LD |  ANDY WELINSKI Rating: 71.7#76 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 72.12#17 DL3 |
YOUR INFORMATIONAL NEEDS FOR TONIGHT’S GAME
- Scoring will be a big topic in tonight’s game. The Canucks now lead the NHL in shutouts after last game. Wait, rewind. The Canucks now have been shutout a league-worst EIGHT times. That being said, when Vancouver is pushing for the game-tying goal in the third period, they have allowed five goals at 6 on 5 (tied for 3rd fewest), and only two against when the goalie is pulled during a late-game power-play resulting in a 6 on 4.
- No one is catching the Senators for the worst record in the NHL this season but the Canucks can make the race to number 30 interesting with games against the Ducks (tonight), Avalanche (Wed), and Coyotes (Thurs). The Canucks go to Vegas on Sunday which should be a likely loss for Vancouver. By the end of the weekend, we could be talking about the likelihood of Jack Hughes joining his brother Quinn in June at the Draft.
- Speaking of the Draft, those simulators are going to be brought up more and more in the coming weeks/months. On Tankathon, Vancouver has repeatedly put them 8th as of today, whereas NHL Lottery Simulator which now resides on NHL Numbers (cheap plug for Nation Network sites) has them at 7/8. A few more losses for the Canucks and this thing will work properly.
- It’s been a crushing season in a few ways as the Canucks find ways to blow games late. The stats don’t lie about it, either: Vancouver is 7th in the league with 69 GA in the 3rd period. Nice. Florida has allowed 82. That record feels safe.
- Pick the player most likely to score a goal tonight.
MY 94 CENTS
Will the Canucks even score tonight?
It can’t possibly go on forever, there is talent on this team that can score and I think the frustration of where this season has fallen has possibly caught up with them. Whatever happens today at the deadline won’t shape the team right away. Benning won’t get Edler to waive, Tanev will be here as well, Brandon Sutter, and you guessed it, Erik Gudbranson will all continue to suit up or stay injured for the Canucks until the final whistle in early April.
At least Elias Pettersson will win Rookie of the Year.
THE TWITTER TAKE
I finally made it to the Twitter section!!!
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