CANUCKS ARMY GDT# 56 – CANUCKS @ SABRES
By Always90four
7 years ago
Photo Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin – USA TODAY Sports
A day later, the Canucks look to bounce back against the Sabres after a heart-breaking loss to the Bruins on Saturday. The Eastern Conference is a lot tighter than the West so a win for the Sabres is just as important to them as it is the Canucks to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Vancouver took the first meeting between these teams back in October by a score of 2-1. Jannik Hansen was a hero as was Brandon Sutter on the power play. Foreshadowing of things to come?
We’ll see.
LINE COMBOS
Markus Granlund seems to have found a temporary home with Henrik and Daniel Sedin. He’s making the most of his time there and the puck seems to be finding his stick. Chris Tanev took a bit of a beating yesterday so I could see a random gametime decision with him.
Jacob Markstrom will start once again against the Sabres. If you can’t remember from the intro, he got the win last time.
Don’t worry, Pepperidge Farm remembers.
Vancouver Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 Daniel Sedin |  Henrik Sedin |  Loui Eriksson |
 Markus Granlund |  Brandon Sutter |  Jannik Hansen |
 Jayson Megna |  Bo Horvat |  Alexandre Burrows |
 Reid Boucher |  Michael Chaput |  Jack Skille |
| Defensive Pairings | |
|---|---|
 Alexander Edler |  Troy Stecher |
 Luca Sbisa |  Chris Tanev |
 Nikita Tryamkin |  Ben Hutton |
No announced lineup changes but take note of the attention surrounding Evander Kane and Jack Eichel. With five and eight points respectively since the All-Star break, these two are a dangerous pair.
Expect Anders Nilsson to start after Robin Lehner put up the W against the Leafs last night.
Buffalo Sabres lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 Justin Bailey |  Ryan O’Reilly |  Kyle Okposo |
 Evander Kane |  Jack Eichel |  Sam Reinhart |
 Marcus Foligno |  Evan Rodrigues |  Brian Gionta |
 Matt Moulson |  Derek Grant |  Tyler Ennis |
| Defensive Pairings | |
|---|---|
 Jake McCabe |  Rasmus Ristolainen |
 Josh Gorges |  Dmitry Kulikov |
 Justin Falk |  Taylor Fedun |
GAME NOTES, STATS AND OTHER INTERESTING INFO
- Bo Horvat is quite the big deal. His goal yesterday puts him at 16, which ties his highest output set last season. He’s four points off of last year’s total which inevitably will fall soon. This second line ceiling people were talking about is being eroded pretty quickly. Buffalo would be a good place to show that off.
- Ryan Miller getting the start yesterday would seem off as his former team would have made for a better story. Getting a win over Boston had higher stakes and Markstrom can handle himself just fine. Markstrom is 2-2-1 in his last five games but the Canucks are forcing him to be the difference maker in his starts. Goals just aren’t being scored for the Swedish netminder.
- Nikita Tryamkin did not “hulk smash” anyone yesterday and he actually was knocked back by David Backes. He had two hits to his credit and I’m wondering out loud if he’s gone soft? This is alarming because his physical approach continues to create space for the Canucks and I just don’t see it nightly. Please come back Tryamkin, please come back.
- Willie Desjardins celebrated his 60th birthday yesterday and like any birthday, you’re usually disappointed. It’s usually the next day that things go better because someone got you a gift card for Starbucks or something and it makes you way happier than you were. I feel like this is the same thing today as win still salvages the weekend. I’m reaching, I know.
- As tragic as the Canucks PP has been this year, it’s slowly coming around. Vancouver has six PPG in its last 10 games and that alone is worth celebrating. Seriously, it’s becoming a regular occurrence like the good ol’ days. No supporting message here just the fact there’s a decent chance they’ll score on the man-advantage at least once.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
So he has a bad game and people rag on him? Are these the same people returning his shirt because it doesn’t “fit” anymore? The Canucks are lucky to have him, let alone healthy.
MY TAKE
The Canucks, for the most part, had a great game against Boston and lost a tough one at the end. I can’t see that happening twice which leads me to believe they’ll put up another strong outing and have more goals than the Sabres after 60 minutes.
PLAYOFFS: REALISTIC OR PIPE DREAM?
This one is tough. There isn’t a strong case to be made either way, however, the effort being put in suggests it’s possible to see them squeak in but without goals from everyone, the Canucks will fall to the lottery.
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