Canucks Army THE GAME DAY – Canucks Vs. Kings
By Always90four
4 years agoTHE INTRO
Welcome baaaack!
The Canucks get the night-cap of the Hockey Night in Canada doubleheader as they take on the visiting Los Angeles Kings. LA hasn’t been good lately but did win in OT last night while the Canucks have put together a handsome three-game win streak. It’s the talk of the town. Vancouver has been spreading the wealth around in that time, even more so over their last 10 games.
The push towards the postseason starts tonight and two points will go a long way.
Let’s Do This!™
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
The odds for tonight’s game are: (VAN -175/ LAK +155) courtesy of OddsShark.com
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
CBC / SN 650 / 7:00 PM
LINEUPS
Alex Edler is back in the lineup and Jordie Benn sat last game. Asking for Tyler Myers to sit would be too much so Benn will probably sit again, which is a real shame. Oscar Fantenberg has been too impressive to sit but he does make less than Jordie so we’ll see there.
Josh Leivo is out until March most likely and Brandon Sutter is day-to-day.
Jacob Markstrom is well-rested and should start again this evening. Thatcher Demko has been activated which means Michael DiPietro has been sent back down to Utica.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 TANNER PEARSON Rating: 72.3#74 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 74.2#55 C |  LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 70.1#109 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 72.17#31 FL1 |
 J.T. MILLER Rating: 75.9#33 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 79.7#13 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 76.1#16 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 77.24#3 FL2 |
 ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 71.8#84 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 70.4#153 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 72.2#67 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.48#22 FL3 |
 TIM SCHALLER Rating: 68.7#132 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 68.4#190 C |  TYLER MOTTE Rating: 69.0#125 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 68.69#31 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 75.4#17 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 72.3#68 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 73.85#20 DL1 |
 QUINN HUGHES Rating: 74.8#25 LD |  TYLER MYERS Rating: 73.6#42 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 74.17#10 DL2 |
 OSCAR FANTENBERG Rating: 72.0#80 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 71.3#94 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 71.65#23 DL3 |
Derek Forbort (back) has been sent to Ontario for a reconditioning stint. Alec Martinez (wrist) is on the IR. He scored the series-ending goal in 2012 against the Canucks. Never forget.
Trevor Lewis (UBI) may play this evening but missed his game just before Christmas. Dustin Brown (down with the sickness) will not play tonight. Martin Frk (no vowels?) will play in his place.
Jonathan Quick would be the likely starter but Jack Campbell hasn’t been too shabby, he got the OT win last night.
Kings lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 ALEX IAFALLO Rating: 71.6#89 LW |  ANZE KOPITAR Rating: 76.8#26 C |  TYLER TOFFOLI Rating: 74.4#35 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 74.25#25 FL1 |
 ADRIAN KEMPE Rating: 72.0#81 LW |  BLAKE LIZOTTE Rating: 73.4#78 C |  AUSTIN WAGNER Rating: 71.8#77 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 72.38#25 FL2 |
 NIKOLAI PROKHORKIN |  JEFF CARTER Rating: 74.1#56 C |  MARTIN FRK Rating: 69.6#120 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.88#17 FL3 |
 KYLE CLIFFORD Rating: 71.2#96 LW |  MIKE AMADIO Rating: 71.7#116 C |  MATT LUFF Rating: 72.4#64 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.75#6 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 JOAKIM RYAN Rating: 71.1#99 LD |  DREW DOUGHTY Rating: 75.1#20 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 73.09#25 DL1 |
 BEN HUTTON Rating: 73.0#59 LD |  MATT ROY | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.00#21 DL2 |
 KALE CLAGUE Rating: 73.5#9 LD |  SEAN WALKER Rating: 73.6#39 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 73.58#7 DL3 |
GAME NOTES AND A STAT OR TWO
- Brock Boeser hasn’t been scoring the goals a ton but he’s racking up the points. Boeser has two goals and nine assists in his last 10 games; three of those are on the PP. The Crown Prince was heating up just before the break and it’s possible he goes off this evening for a goal or two. In nine career games against the Kings, Boeser has 7G / 3A. Add to that the fact he’s potted 4 PPG and six PPP, he’s on deck for a big game.
- Elias Pettersson has six goals in his last 10 and for whatever reason, we’ve expected more? He hasn’t done much on the PP but he does have two game-winners. Pettersson isn’t too far away from eclipsing his rookie point total of 66 points. At 39 points currently, it’s just a matter of when.
- Chris Tanev is on pace for a career year this season. His current 10 game stat has him with a goal and six assists. Tanev is eight points away from tying his career-best of 20 points in 2014/15 when… the Canucks made the playoffs that year.
- J.T. Miller is the clubhouse leader in CF% but he’s slipped to seventh in the NHL at 58.02%. The Lotto line, Quinn Hughes, and Alex Edler are all over 52% which is a nice change from being among the league-worst a season ago.
- Oscar Fantenberg hasn’t been a mainstay with the Canucks all that long but he’s already played 170 minutes of 5v5 and is T-6 in GF% with 71.43. Not bad for a seventh defenseman.
#CANUCKSTWITTER
Will lacrosse be a mainstream activity in the NHL next season?
Jeff, we’re not speaking right now
MY 94 CENTS
The Canucks current three-game win streak is impressive, yes it is, but it doesn’t mean they’re in the playoffs yet. They’ve outscored their opponents 13-7 in that time and the first game back after the Christmas break is usually positive. The Kings have lost their last two games and have an abysmal 5-13-3 road record this season. Two Cups will do that.
Canucks make it four-straight tonight.
AND ANOTHER THING…
Utica? For real?
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