CANUCKS ARMY GDT 25 – CANUCKS @ ISLANDERS
By Always90four
6 years agoBrock Boeser and the Vancouver Canucks take on John Tavares and the New York Islanders in the Battle at Barclays.
The Islanders have won their last three games and are on a 7-2-1 run in their last ten. Meanwhile, the Canucks are 4-4-2 in their last ten games and are coming off of a less than memorable shootout loss to the cross-town Rangers on Sunday morning.
The two top rookies in the NHL, Mathew Barzal and Boeser, face-off against each other in this showcase and it will give the local fans a glimpse as to what their star is up against. Thankfully, Mike Bossy will not be suiting up tonight, so the Canucks have a decent chance at a win. Unfortunately, the Islanders still have a pretty talented team so it will be anything but a cakewalk.
Let’s do this!
WATCH / LISTEN / FACE-OFF
TV: SNET-P
RADIO: SN650
PUCK DROP: 4:00 PM
LINE COMBINATIONS
The official lineup will most likely be a blur until later today. Nikolay Goldobin was an active participant in practice yesterday with Sam Gagner, Thomas Vanek, and Alex Burmistrov sharing a line. The NHL is firm in their rule book that only three players are allowed to play along with two defensemen so one of those players will sit.
Brandon Sutter has gone back to Vancouver, and Erik Gudbranson looks like he isn’t quite ready to return.
Travis Green needs to figure out how to better use his goaltenders because this is getting kind of silly. Anders Nilsson deserves the start this evening but honestly, who knows?
Vancouver Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 THOMAS VANEK |  BO HORVAT |  SAM GAGNER |
 SVEN BAERTSCHI |  ALEX BURMISTROV |  BROCK BOESER |
 DANIEL SEDIN |  HENRIK SEDIN |  LOUI ERIKSSON |
 BRENDAN GAUNCE |  MARKUS GRANLUND |  JAKE VIRTANEN |
No lineup news for the Islanders. They’re winning so don’t expect any changes.
Thomas Greiss should get the start.
New York Islanders lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 ANDERS LEE |  JOHN TAVARES |  JOSH BAILEY |
 ANDREW LADD |  MATHEW BARZAL |  JORDAN EBERLE |
 BROCK NELSON |  ALAN QUINE |  JOSH HO-SANG |
 JASON CHIMERA |  ANTHONY BEAUVILLIER |  CAL CLUTTERBUCK |
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
- Chasing the Calder – Barzal and Boeser are one and two in rookie scoring so far this season and expectations from both fanbases will be high as their talents are showcased. Barzal leads in points and assists, but Boeser is the more well-rounded player so far with five more goals and only six fewer assists. Either way, both players are fun to watch, and it’s the fans who really win watching these guys.
- Anders Nilsson is making a case to be the Canucks number one goalie. His .934 SA% is good for 8th in the league even though two goalies have played fewer than five games. He is ready to be challenged as forwards Jake Virtanen and Nikolay Goldobin are so Travis Green needs to give his team a chance to climb the standings with the guy that isn’t Jacob Markstrom.
- If Goldobin is going to get called up, he needs to play. Tonight would be a great game to show off what he can do. Gagner, Goldobin and, Vanek would be a fun line to watch for a night, and with Gagner accumulating points in three of his last five games and Vanek with points in four of five, the timing is perfect to get some residuals from Goldobin.
- In typical Canucks fashion, Daniel Sedin will get his points tonight. No former Canuck connection to get a subtle nod from or a congratulatory hug, just an oddly-placed Honda Civic sitting in the corner of the rink to remember it by.
- Bo Horvat is due for an outburst. He scored against the Devils and helped out on a goal against the Blues. He has four goals and the one assist in his last ten games. It sounds good but for the Canucks to take another step he’ll need to be the one doing the work. All the talk lately has been about Boeser but Bo needs to be once again the one getting noticed as this team transitions.
THE TWITTER TAKE
Had a few choppers there but considering his shot, these dingers were warning signs for goalies all across the league. Bo, on the other hand, could improve his form.
MY 94 CENTS
The Canucks could have locked down a win at MSG the other day but failed to get the insurance goal with multiple chances. The Islanders won’t be giving Vancouver those same opportunities, so players like Brock Boeser and Loui Eriksson need to bury their chances. Another close one is in order this evening.
OVER / UNDER
Bo Horvat goals (+/- 1) He’s been going to the right areas, so I think his hard work will pay off tonight. Go for the push on this one.
Troy Stecher CF% (+/- 58%) Stecher is averaging 52.61% so far this season with only ten games under his belt. Tonight would be a performance to get that up. Take the over.
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