Canucks Army THE GAME DAY – Canucks @ Penguins
By Always90four
4 years agoTHE INTRO
The Canucks are almost done this long road trip but they’ll be tested tonight when they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Vancouver looked beat against the Flyers on Monday so they’ll need to be recharged to have a shot in this one. There’s a familiar face in the lineup, too! Since the beginning of the 2017/18 season, the Canucks are 3-1 against the Penguins with the only loss coming at Rogers Arena.
Vancouver has scored a combined eight goals in the last two visits to PP&G (power play and goals) arena. The way the Canucks are tickling the net lately, that trend could continue.
Let’s Do This!™
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
The odds for tonight’s game are: (VAN +145/ PIT-165) courtesy of OddsShark.com
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SNP / SN 650 / 4:00 PM
LINEUPS
Nikolay Goldobin is back! He’s ready to take charge and it would be a shame if he wasn’t on the Elias Pettersson/Brock Boeser line. Sven Baertschi wasn’t able to capitalize on his chance and has been sent back to Utica. Will we see Jay Beagle or Brandon Sutter back? Stay tuned…
Jacob Markstrom will be back in the net today. Markstrom is putting up the big saves that keep his team in it and with a Penguins team that apparently doesn’t lose despite their injuries, Markstrom is the guy to help his Canucks get the big win.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 J.T. MILLER Rating: 75.1#32 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 75.1#41 C |  ZACK MACEWEN | FL1 Rating Rating: 75.10#21 FL1 |
 TANNER PEARSON Rating: 72.6#72 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 79.2#13 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 76.7#10 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 76.17#3 FL2 |
 TIM SCHALLER Rating: 69.0#147 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 70.4#153 C |  JOSH LEIVO Rating: 72.3#83 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 70.54#30 FL3 |
 LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 70.0#137 LW |  TYLER GRAOVAC Rating: 73.1#82 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 71.0#90 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.37#15 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 76.6#8 LD |  TYLER MYERS Rating: 72.2#73 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 74.36#19 DL1 |
 QUINN HUGHES Rating: 75.2#21 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 72.4#68 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.82#17 DL2 |
 JORDIE BENN Rating: 72.0#86 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 72.9#57 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 72.42#14 DL3 |
Unless you’re in a deep, deep fantasy pool you probably haven’t heard of half of the current Penguins lineup, I know I haven’t. The Penguins are right in the thick of the Eastern Conference and have only lost three games in regulation at home this season. No Sidney Crosby? No problem.
Tristan Jarry has been great for the Penguins lately but might we see unlucky Matt Murray tonight? Pettersson and Boeser know a thing or two about Murray so Jarry could see a third-straight start.
Penguins lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 JAKE GUENTZEL Rating: 78.4#8 LW |  EVGENI MALKIN Rating: 77.8#20 C |  BRYAN RUST Rating: 75.8#18 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 77.32#7 FL1 |
 ALEX GALCHENYUK Rating: 74.3#41 LW |  JARED MCCANN Rating: 75.2#39 C |  BRANDON TANEV Rating: 72.7#66 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 74.08#12 FL2 |
 ZACH ASTON-REESE Rating: 71.8#98 LW |  TEDDY BLUEGER |  DOMINIK SIMON Rating: 71.8#81 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.77#14 FL3 |
 DOMINIK KAHUN Rating: 74.6#51 LW |  SAM LAFFERTY Rating: 73.9#60 C |  PATRIC HORNQVIST Rating: 74.8#27 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 74.44#1 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 BRIAN DUMOULIN Rating: 75.4#19 LD |  KRIS LETANG Rating: 79.8#2 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 77.56#3 DL1 |
 JACK JOHNSON Rating: 71.7#90 LD |  JOHN MARINO Rating: 74.7#29 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.21#18 DL2 |
 MARCUS PETTERSSON Rating: 74.2#33 LD |  CHAD RUHWEDEL Rating: 71.4#89 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 72.79#9 DL3 |
GAME NOTES AND A STAT OR TWO
- It’s possible Vancouver’s goaltenders aren’t as good as the stats say. Alex Edler and Chris Tanev are 2/3 in the NHL in blocked shots with 72 and 65, respectively. Edler is really putting his body on the line this year on top of his inflated minutes. The writing is on the wall, Edler is due for yet another big injury. He might need to settle it down a bit.
- Even with Crosby out, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are doing their best to shoot out the lights. They both share a 3.69 shots/GP, which is good enough for T-7 in the league. Fitting, I suppose. Pittsburgh is the second-ranked team in the NHL in shots/GP with 34.6. Wowzas!
- Reid Boucher is going to hit funk now the Goldobin is on the big club. Goldobin is sitting at 20 points while Boucher is right behind him at 19. The two of them have really hit it off so hopefully, that rubs off on Pettersson again and potentially Boeser too!
- The third period is where the Penguins have shut things down while the Canucks continue to let late ones slip by. Pittsburgh has allowed 18 goals in the third while Vancouver has surrendered a blasphemic 26. But that shouldn’t surprise you.
- Tim Schaller is on pace for 13 goals this season. He’s averaging 0.16 G/GP which puts him at a goal roughly every six games. He’s so due it’s not funny. Tim Schaller did most of his work in the Eastern Conference. He has four career assists against the Penguins. Time for a goal.
#CANUCKSTWITTER
This Faber guy is all over the Goldobin return
BFFs?
MY 94 CENTS
The last game against the Flyers was forgettable. Vancouver looked like they were gassed, disinterested and kinda lazy. They need a spark and Nikolay Goldobin could be that spark. If the Pettersson line has speed tonight, the Penguins could be in for a world of hurt. Tim Schaller is also due.
AND ANOTHER THING…
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