Canucks Army THE GAME DAY – Canucks @ Leafs
By Always90four
4 years agoTHE INTRO
It doesn’t get any bigger than this: tonight the Canucks take on the Maple Leafs in the heart of Canada, the center of the hockey universe, Toronto. Vancouver will have to get a memory wipe ala MIB to forget about their performance against the Senators and focus on beating a Leafs team that is quite fragile right now.
The Canucks aren’t fragile but it’s tough to say what they are as they waxed the Bruins, scored a comeback win against the Canadiens and then just failed against Ottawa. What are the Canucks going to be tonight?
Hopefully, winners.
Let’s Do This!™
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
The odds for tonight’s game are: (VAN / TOR ) courtesy of OddsShark.com
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
CBC / SN 650 / 4:00 PM
LINEUPS
As it’s an early game, changes won’t be posted until midday. After the spanking the Senators gave Vancouver, there has to be some kind of change for today. Thatcher Demko will get the start but Louis Domingue should play tomorrow. Big Zack MacEwen should be back in but it’s tough to say who he takes out, maybe Loui or Roussel?
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 TANNER PEARSON Rating: 73.3#51 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 76.2#26 C |  LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 70.1#124 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 73.19#25 FL1 |
 J.T. MILLER Rating: 78.0#7 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 77.2#18 C |  TYLER TOFFOLI Rating: 77.6#9 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 77.61#1 FL2 |
 ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 70.2#117 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 70.9#107 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 72.9#65 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.35#23 FL3 |
 TYLER MOTTE Rating: 68.8#140 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 68.2#157 C |  BRANDON SUTTER Rating: 71.1#99 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 69.36#29 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 74.9#15 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 71.6#74 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 73.28#20 DL1 |
 QUINN HUGHES Rating: 77.5#6 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 71.3#84 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 74.41#8 DL2 |
 OSCAR FANTENBERG Rating: 70.8#105 LD |  TYLER MYERS Rating: 73.3#45 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 72.02#14 DL3 |
| GOALIES | |
|---|---|
 THATCHER DEMKO Rating: 67.1#38 G1 | |
It’s somewhat laughable what the Leafs have had to endure via the injury bug. Jake Muzzin is the latest one to go down with a broken hand so he’s out about four weeks. Morgan Rielly is getting closer to returning from a broken foot but he’s still out. Cody Ceci is out with an ankle injury and won’t be in the lineup for some time still. Last but not least, Andreas Johnsson is out after getting knee surgery.
He’s done for the year because the Leafs aren’t going very far.
Leafs lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 ZACH HYMAN Rating: 74.4#36 LW |  AUSTON MATTHEWS Rating: 82.1#8 C |  MITCH MARNER Rating: 77.0#11 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 77.84#5 FL1 |
 WILLIAM NYLANDER Rating: 76.4#14 LW |  JOHN TAVARES Rating: 78.6#14 C |  CALLE ROSEN Rating: 73.1#58 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 76.03#5 FL2 |
 PIERRE ENGVALL Rating: 71.7#86 LW |  ALEXANDER KERFOOT Rating: 71.3#97 C |  KASPERI KAPANEN Rating: 72.2#78 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.72#18 FL3 |
 KYLE CLIFFORD Rating: 70.6#109 LW |  FREDERIK GAUTHIER Rating: 68.7#151 C |  JASON SPEZZA Rating: 71.1#100 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.14#17 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 TRAVIS DERMOTT Rating: 71.4#90 LD |  JUSTIN HOLL Rating: 71.8#72 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 71.58#28 DL1 |
 RASMUS SANDIN Rating: 72.0#72 LD |  TYSON BARRIE Rating: 75.7#20 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.85#14 DL2 |
 MARTIN MARINCIN Rating: 70.6#109 LD |  TIMOTHY LILJEGREN Rating: 72.6#61 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 71.60#18 DL3 |
| GOALIES | |
|---|---|
 FREDERIK ANDERSEN Rating: 66.7#42 G1 | |
GAME NOTES AND A STAT OR TWO
- It’s clear the Canucks have a unicorn in Quinn Hughes. The top eight defensemen in the league in points are all plus players except Hughes who sits at -5. Who really cares about plus-minus? In this case, me. Not only should he be the favourite for the Calder but he should also be looked at for the Norris. He’s fourth in points for defenders, he’s one point back of the league-lead in defensemen power-play points. Say that ten times fast. Hockey Night in Canada might have a field day if Hughes notches a few points before the first intermission.
- Auston Matthews is at 44 goals thus far and he’s a sure thing to score 50. Will that matter if the Leafs flop out again this season? Everything is going the opposite of what the Leafs would like but they continue to impress with their star forwards. They should make the postseason but if they’re the Marlies on steroids, that won’t go very far.
- Vancouver has climbed up to third in the league on the power play. The Canucks sit at 24.6% so let’s hope they can run up the score against the Leafs tonight and take over second from the Bruins.
- After tonight’s game, the Canucks should crack the millennium mark for blocked shots. They sit seven back prior to puck drop. The Leafs are 160 blocked shots behind. Easily less bruised shins in Toronto.
- Expect a sore neck after tonight’s game. The Leafs have 719 giveaways this season, which is good for fifth in the league. On the flip side, the Canucks have 477. That seems good?
#CANUCKSTWITTER
This is an NHL-calibre move… in the AHL
MY 94 CENTS
I don’t even know about this team. Should the Canucks be a team to beat today? Sure. Can they easily lose 6-1? Yup. Toronto needs a head shake as well so this game is really fitting for the two most popular teams in Canada. Vancouver needs to figure their game out or they just flat out lose this one.
I’m unimpressed as of publication.
AND ANOTHER THING…
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