Canucks Army THE GAME DAY – Canucks Vs. Blue Jackets
By Always90four
4 years agoTHE INTRO
Every point is so crucial this time of year and tonight is no different. The Canucks welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets to their rink this time in a very meaningful March tilt. A win tonight would bump the Canucks to 78 points, still one point back of the 6th place Flames. Columbus could use a win after getting trounced by Edmonton last night 4-1. The Blue Jackets can jump to 6th with a W and be four points clear of 9th.
You could say that this one has implications.
Let’s Do This!™
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
The odds for tonight’s game are: (VAN -150/ CBJ +130) courtesy of OddsShark.com
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SNP / SN 650 / 7:00 PM
LINEUPS
Nothing likely to change here. The Big Fella, Zack MacEwen, should now be a mainstay after his impressive performance against the Avalanche on Friday.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 J.T. MILLER Rating: 78.4#7 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 77.5#15 C |  TYLER TOFFOLI Rating: 76.3#20 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 77.39#5 FL1 |
 TANNER PEARSON Rating: 73.3#49 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 75.4#31 C |  LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 69.2#138 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 72.64#22 FL2 |
 ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 69.6#124 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 69.6#136 C |  ZACK MACEWEN | FL3 Rating Rating: 69.62#30 FL3 |
 TYLER MOTTE Rating: 68.9#136 LW |  BRANDON SUTTER Rating: 70.5#112 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 72.8#61 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.75#14 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 74.9#17 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 71.4#79 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 73.13#22 DL1 |
 QUINN HUGHES Rating: 75.6#10 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 70.6#102 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.10#15 DL2 |
 OSCAR FANTENBERG Rating: 70.1#117 LD |  TYLER MYERS Rating: 72.9#45 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 71.51#15 DL3 |
| GOALIES | |
|---|---|
 THATCHER DEMKO Rating: 66.2#45 G1 | |
There haven’t been many changes to the injury woes of the Blue Jackets. Ryan Murray is day-to-day and didn’t play yesterday, he’ll be a game-time decision. Click the link below to catch up on any other injuries you may have missed from last week.
Blue Jackets lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER WENNBERG Rating: 69.6#125 LW |  PIERRE-LUC DUBOIS Rating: 74.8#35 C |  EMIL BEMSTROM Rating: 71.6#93 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 72.00#29 FL1 |
 NICK FOLIGNO Rating: 73.0#51 LW |  BOONE JENNER Rating: 72.0#89 C |  GUSTAV NYQUIST Rating: 72.4#77 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 72.45#23 FL2 |
 KEVIN STENLUND Rating: 72.4#68 LW |  RILEY NASH Rating: 69.6#137 C |  ERIC ROBINSON Rating: 69.6#131 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 70.53#25 FL3 |
 JAKOB LILJA Rating: 70.8#96 LW |  DEVIN SHORE Rating: 69.8#133 C |  STEFAN MATTEAU Rating: 72.7#68 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.10#9 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ZACH WERENSKI Rating: 78.2#4 LD |  MARKUS NUTIVAARA Rating: 72.4#59 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 75.26#12 DL1 |
 VLADISLAV GAVRIKOV Rating: 72.4#62 LD |  DAVID SAVARD Rating: 72.8#47 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 72.58#19 DL2 |
 SCOTT HARRINGTON Rating: 71.2#92 LD |  ANDREW PEEKE Rating: 72.7#51 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 71.93#9 DL3 |
| GOALIES | |
|---|---|
 ELVIS MERZLIKINS Rating: 69.3#20 G1 | |
GAME NOTES AND A STAT OR TWO
- Zack MacEwen has been a great story this season and further proof a trade for Wayne Simmonds would have been a bad one. MacEwen put up two goals on Friday in only 7:15 of ice time. He brings energy, toughness, some silky mitts too!
- It feels like an eternity since Jake Virtanen scored his last goal. In fact, it was six games ago against the Canadiens when he hit the back of the net. Vancouver was buzzing on Friday and I can see Jake being a factor early on tonight. It would be great to see #ShotgunJake materialize at home. Those Sedin cans might get abused tonight.
- Relying on perimeter scoring hasn’t been a strong point for the Canucks this season but since they’ve plunked a screener in front of the net, they’ve put up results. J.T. Miller (6) and Tanner Pearson (4) lead the NHL in deflected goals. It’s a shame Bo Horvat isn’t even in the top-20 of this. He could be key in the playoffs if they start using him there.
- Closing out the game tonight could put Tanner Pearson at the top of the list for ENG. Pearson is tied with three others for most empty-net goals. A feat that really shouldn’t be celebrated, and yet, here we are. The Insurance Line is a thing of beauty.
- Setting the defenseman rookie record for points is probably not going to happen for Quinn Hughes but he can still make a push. He sits 15th, two points behind Denis Potvin and four behind Dale Tallon’s Canucks record. He’s one big game away from putting his name in the record books.
#CANUCKSTWITTER
International Women’s Day and how bout these cool jerseys/sweaters:
MY 94 CENTS
I can’t imagine the Canucks blow this game tonight. Back-to-back losses with a healthy lead wouldn’t sit well with Canucks Nation. It’s time to right the wrongs and makes a push towards the postseason. Thatcher Demko will get another chance to shake off the naysayers as well. There isn’t much room for error going forward and if the Canucks play anywhere near the game they played Friday, they win tonight.
Oh, and Quinn Hughes gets two points.
AND ANOTHER THING…
With everyone else going up there, it probably will only be a matter of time:
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