Canucks Army THE GAME DAY – Canucks @ Golden Knights
By Always90four
4 years agoTHE INTRO
Tonight, Vancouver finishes a quick road trip ending in Vegas before going home for a nice four-gamer prior to Christmas. The Canucks were just unlucky against the Sharks and deserved a better fate but hockey is a fickle beast. They’ll need to put the same effort out and try and curb some of the careless plays they made one night ago.
Bet on some better puck luck tonight.
Let’s Do This!™
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
The odds for tonight’s game are: (VAN +143/ VGK -179) courtesy of OddsShark.com
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SNET / SN 650 / 5:00 PM
LINEUPS
Travis Green is trying to find a spark in the lineup but he keeps going back to the well. To be fair, I think Vancouver is snake-bitten right now and despite their efforts, and it does look like they’ve got something going, the puck is just bouncing the other way. Brandon Sutter is back and it would be shocking to see any changes because it does look like it could flip for them.
Patience right now is key.
Jacob Markstrom goes again. Mike DiPietro has time to hit Park MGM for some craps and maybe the free buffet.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 TANNER PEARSON Rating: 74.6#35 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 75.5#33 C |  JOSH LEIVO Rating: 73.1#62 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 74.41#19 FL1 |
 J.T. MILLER Rating: 75.4#22 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 78.0#17 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 72.3#71 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 75.22#7 FL2 |
 ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 73.1#67 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 70.8#149 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 76.2#14 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 73.34#4 FL3 |
 TIM SCHALLER Rating: 69.0#136 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 67.9#192 C |  BRANDON SUTTER Rating: 72.0#116 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 69.65#27 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 QUINN HUGHES Rating: 75.4#16 LD |  TYLER MYERS Rating: 73.2#47 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 74.32#18 DL1 |
 OSCAR FANTENBERG Rating: 72.2#85 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 71.9#82 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 72.09#27 DL2 |
 JORDIE BENN Rating: 72.1#87 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 72.4#66 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 72.24#22 DL3 |
Cody Eakin is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Cody Glass is in concussion protocol. Seems to be going around lately. And finally, Nicolas Hague is down with the sickness. Ooo, ah, ah ah, ah.
Marc-Andre Fleury should be the starter after Malcolm Subban got the nod last game.
Golden Knights lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 JONATHAN MARCHESSAULT Rating: 75.2#26 LW |  WILLIAM KARLSSON Rating: 75.1#44 C |  REILLY SMITH Rating: 76.2#16 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 75.49#15 FL1 |
 MAX PACIORETTY Rating: 77.2#13 LW |  CHANDLER STEPHENSON Rating: 69.6#178 C |  MARK STONE Rating: 76.5#11 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 74.45#13 FL2 |
 VALENTIN ZYKOV Rating: 71.4#91 LW |  PAUL STASTNY Rating: 74.7#46 C |  ALEX TUCH Rating: 75.6#22 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 73.87#1 FL3 |
 WILL CARRIER Rating: 71.3#94 LW |  TOMAS NOSEK Rating: 70.9#139 C |  RYAN REAVES Rating: 70.9#99 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.05#16 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 BRAYDEN MCNABB Rating: 72.8#74 LD |  NATE SCHMIDT Rating: 75.2#19 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 73.96#20 DL1 |
 SHEA THEODORE Rating: 76.1#9 LD |  JON MERRILL Rating: 73.1#61 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 74.58#8 DL2 |
 NICK HOLDEN Rating: 73.0#64 LD |  DERYK ENGELLAND Rating: 73.2#48 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 73.07#12 DL3 |
GAME NOTES AND A STAT OR TWO
- Let’s hope for the Canucks output pattern to continue this evening. In the last 10 games for Vancouver, they’ve scored two goals or less in half of those games but bordering those results, they’ve scored either five or six goals in the other five. Tonight would be the five/six-goal game. After a bit of a track meet in San Jose, it’s tough to say if they’ll have the wheels to make a goal-fest happen.
- Talking about shots-against, Vancouver’s four highest games for shots allowed have occurred since Nov 21. The season is getting into the meat and potatoes portion and with all the continued talk about playoffs, they’ll need to keep shots down because they are allowing goals again and that isn’t good for business.
- The power play is in trouble. It looks broken. Everyone is looking for the perfect pass, the perfect opportunity. It’s not coming. They need to find a way to grip it and rip it. Take a game or two and set up Hughes to fire clappers. At least make THAT predictable and get him to work on his range. Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson will figure it out but that PP1 looks crushed. The right people are on it but they need to be more mobile, get off quicker passes (I feel like I’ve said this before), shoot first and ask questions later. They have the most opportunities in the league and they haven’t even scratched the surface to their true potential. No one has shown they’re scared so taking a penalty against Vancouver isn’t the end of the world.
- Jake Virtanen playing some great hockey as of late and with his eighth goal last night, he’s well on his way to another career-high. He’s hitting, he’s scoring and he’s driving play. The frustration with Jake appears to be over for now.
- Tim Schaller was oh so close to his fifth goal but Aaron Dell had yet another amazing game against the Canucks. Schaller has been impressive and has done a lot of the things that have him in the lineup over Loui Eriksson. I say it every game but TONIGHT… Tim Schaller will score.
#CANUCKSTWITTER
Quinn at it again:
When you’re parents try to teach you something and you just don’t wanna hear it, but then they tell you “you’re their favorite”
MY 94 CENTS
Just when you think they’ll be outshot, they get that going. Just when you think the game’s over, they get within one. Sadly, Vancouver can’t wait for something to happen. They’ve had a ton of chances but it’s getting ridiculous with all the non-goals. The Canucks have played two-straight games where they haven’t been the aggressor, that has to change. Markstrom appears to be the starter again so the guys in front need a big one.
AND ANOTHER THING…
His Apple Watch circles are gonna be through the roof after this weekend:
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