Canucks Army THE GAME DAY – Canucks @ Kings
By Always90four
4 years agoTHE INTRO
Are the Canucks becoming a good hockey team? Sure looks like it. Tonight, the Canucks go into Los Angeles to take on the struggling Kings. Los Angeles has lost its last three games while the Canucks are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, I checked. There are a handful of great storylines early on this season when it comes to the Vancouver hockey club and the only thing that hasn’t occurred yet is a shutout. Come at me if you must, but the Canucks are due to force a goose egg.
The Canucks shouldn’t be getting scored on by a team like that anyway.
Let’s Do This!™
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
The odds for tonight’s game are: (VAN -110 / LAK -110) courtesy of OddsShark.com
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SNP / SN 650 / 7:30 PM
LINEUPS
There’s a good chance Adam Gaudette slots back into the lineup now that we know Tyler Motte has a broken foot. Loui Eriksson was alright against the Panthers but Gaudette is wasting away if he’s in the press box.
That most likely is the only change to the roster. Ashton Sautner has been recalled as Oscar Fantenburg has been sent down for conditioning. No word if it’s Pantene Pro V or the free stuff from the hotel bathroom.
After an unlikely break, Jacob Markstrom should be back in the net. This tandem between Markstrom and Thatcher Demko is becoming a story and the NHL needs to recognize it.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 TANNER PEARSON Rating: 72.1#79 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 77.0#23 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 71.2#84 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 73.41#28 FL1 |
 J.T. MILLER Rating: 75.4#25 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 77.8#19 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 76.1#16 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 76.41#2 FL2 |
 MICHEAL FERLAND Rating: 72.1#78 LW |  BRANDON SUTTER Rating: 71.8#115 C |  JOSH LEIVO Rating: 71.8#72 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.92#17 FL3 |
 TIM SCHALLER Rating: 70.9#111 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 69.2#179 C |  LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 70.6#92 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.23#25 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 76.8#7 LD |  TYLER MYERS Rating: 73.5#44 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 75.14#13 DL1 |
 QUINN HUGHES Rating: 74.3#36 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 72.0#73 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.12#20 DL2 |
 JORDIE BENN Rating: 73.1#61 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 73.4#46 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 73.30#10 DL3 |
As per Jon Rosen, Carl Grundstrom was skating with Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli and Dustin Brown were not on first rushes. Rosen thinks they may be healthy-scratched and BOY! would that be interesting. Not a whole lot else going on for the Kings regarding the lineup but
Jack Campbell may get the nod tonight, although Jonathan Quick never passes up an opportunity to play the Canucks.
Kings lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 ALEX IAFALLO Rating: 70.7#120 LW |  ANZE KOPITAR Rating: 76.1#29 C |  DUSTIN BROWN Rating: 74.0#32 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 73.59#27 FL1 |
 JEFF CARTER Rating: 73.2#73 LW |  BLAKE LIZOTTE Rating: 73.4#67 C |  TYLER TOFFOLI Rating: 72.5#59 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 73.06#19 FL2 |
 ILYA KOVALCHUK Rating: 73.2#57 LW |  ADRIAN KEMPE Rating: 70.9#140 C |  TREVOR LEWIS Rating: 70.3#161 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.46#23 FL3 |
 KYLE CLIFFORD Rating: 71.7#87 LW |  NIKOLAI PROKHORKIN |  AUSTIN WAGNER Rating: 71.6#75 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.64#7 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 BEN HUTTON Rating: 71.8#93 LD |  DREW DOUGHTY Rating: 73.7#40 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 72.71#28 DL1 |
 ALEC MARTINEZ Rating: 72.6#82 LD |  SEAN WALKER Rating: 72.9#58 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 72.71#24 DL2 |
 JOAKIM RYAN Rating: 70.5#117 LD |  MATT ROY | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.50#28 DL3 |
GAME NOTES AND A STAT OR TWO
- This was floated out on the socials last game, but Tim Schaller aka #SchallerNothing has exactly one more goal (4) than Elias Pettersson (3) after 11 games. PDO is a hell of a drug and for Schaller, he needs to keep feeding off of his run because it’s not often the Canucks fourth line is making the news. Schaller had a career-high 12 goals before his move to Vancouver so it’s possible he has another eight in him.
- To be fair though, Elias Pettersson is still outproducing his teammates with a 1.27 P/GM which is good for 11th in the league. He’s honing his skill as a centre and quite frankly, it’s just one more feather in his cap. Pettersson currently has the bronze medal position for missed shots with 22, only four back of Alex Ovechkin first. He is very due for a goal breakout and the Kings could be in the wrong place at the right time.
- Are the Canucks for real this season? It sure doesn’t feel like a team that has flaws that will bury them beyond belief. Sure, they blew the 5-1 lead and have been shutout twice in 11 games but it doesn’t appear this team is giving up. Travis Green could have easily just put Eriksson in the lineup since day one or made sure Jacob Markstrom received every chance to start or forced Micheal Ferland into a top-six position but there have been flashes of brilliance from the coach that need to be recognized. The goals and the goaltending aren’t just found money. The (R)ebuild is happening.
- So Tyler Myers is doing alright, hey? He is the 17th ranked defenseman in CF% with a surprising 56.63. He leads all Canucks defensemen as well. There is a chance things tail off and he starts getting eaten up but steady Eddie (Edler) has kept him in check. Let’s hold off and thinking he’ll be a bust for a while, shall we?
- Looking at the Canucks success this season in the goals category, they’ve scored 14 goals in the first, 13 in the second, and 13 in the third. Weird. The first period strong starts are just as likely in the other two periods as well. As for goals-against, the Canucks have allowed 8 in the first period and 9 in each of the following two periods. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
- #VoteForSchaller (I started it, check the stats)
#CANUCKSTWITTER
First of the day
Here we go again
MY 94 CENTS
I’m still not fully on #TeamPlayoffs because it’s just too darn early in the season but the Canucks are doing things they haven’t done, consistently, since the time Strombone’s backstopped this team and Swedish Twins turnstiled opponents one after the other. There is something very unfamiliar about this season’s Canucks and yet you can’t help but be mesmerized by their audacity to run their opponents out of the rink.
It hasn’t even been about Pettersson yet, it hasn’t even been 100% about Quinn Hughes. They might be hitting above their weight class right now but it’s entirely possible they don’t regress as much as we think.
I’m willing to believe they’re for real. For how long, that’s up in the air.
AND ANOTHER THING…
Another one?
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