Canucks Army THE GAME DAY – Canucks Vs. Kings (Home Opener)
By Always90four
4 years agoTHE INTRO
The wait is finally over… the Canucks will play their first home game of the season. It will be nice to get this over with and all the media mumbo-jumbo over “The Announcement” and get back to focusing on more important things. One of those important things is the unveiling of the new version of the skate jersey. Forget the fact that the Canucks are playing the Kings tonight and that Vancouver hasn’t won a game yet or the fact that they haven’t scored a goal in a week.
This team is destined for great things (the Canucks) and the number of new players to the roster has been kind of overwhelming. As the Canucks figure things out game by game, there will be plenty to be excited about.
Tonight, the Canucks name a new Captain and they’ll do it in style.
Let’s Do This!™
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
The odds for tonight’s game are: VAN -150 / LAK +130 courtesy of Oddshark.com
TELEVISION / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SNET / SN650 / 7:05 PM
LINEUPS
Two games.
It took two games to see change. It seems like a trend with Mr. Travis Green. From Boeser getting game action to Pettersson on the power-play. J.T. Miller has been bumped up to the top line while Micheal Ferland has been transferred to a line with Adam Gaudette and Brandon Sutter, wait, what?
No second-line duty for Ferland? C’man Greener!
Sure, he’s buried Jake Virtanen with Tim Schaller and Jay Beagle but is he helping? This line blender thing isn’t exactly what we wanted before the first home game but this is what we have, so deal with it.
Jacob Markstrom is once again in net. He better have sweet gear.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 J.T. MILLER Rating: 73.5#49 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 76.0#30 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 75.6#22 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 75.04#24 FL1 |
 TANNER PEARSON Rating: 73.4#51 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 75.4#32 C |  JOSH LEIVO Rating: 71.6#71 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 73.48#17 FL2 |
 MICHEAL FERLAND Rating: 72.6#76 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 69.3#173 C |  BRANDON SUTTER Rating: 71.0#134 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 70.96#27 FL3 |
 TIM SCHALLER Rating: 70.6#121 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 69.0#176 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 70.9#86 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.16#26 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 76.7#8 LD |  TYLER MYERS Rating: 73.7#37 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 75.20#15 DL1 |
 QUINN HUGHES Rating: 74.2#37 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 71.9#80 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.03#23 DL2 |
 JORDIE BENN Rating: 73.2#65 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 72.9#55 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 73.04#12 DL3 |
Can’t imagine there are any lineup changes for LA. Check DFO for updates.
Jonathan Quick will start in net tonight as Jack Campbell got the W last night in Calgary.
Kings lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 ALEX IAFALLO Rating: 70.5#128 LW |  ANZE KOPITAR Rating: 75.2#37 C |  DUSTIN BROWN Rating: 74.0#33 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 73.23#29 FL1 |
 ILYA KOVALCHUK Rating: 73.4#53 LW |  ADRIAN KEMPE Rating: 70.5#148 C |  JEFF CARTER Rating: 72.9#85 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 72.26#29 FL2 |
 TYLER TOFFOLI Rating: 72.5#60 LW |  BLAKE LIZOTTE Rating: 73.7#62 C |  CARL GRUNDSTROM Rating: 73.5#41 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 73.26#5 FL3 |
 TREVOR LEWIS Rating: 71.3#124 LW |  MIKE AMADIO Rating: 71.2#127 C |  KYLE CLIFFORD Rating: 72.7#55 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.73#5 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 TOBIAS BJORNFOT Rating: 73.7#53 LD |  DREW DOUGHTY Rating: 74.2#28 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 73.95#23 DL1 |
 MATT ROY |  ALEC MARTINEZ Rating: 72.8#75 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 72.75#26 DL2 |
 BEN HUTTON Rating: 71.4#107 LD |  SEAN WALKER Rating: 72.4#71 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 71.89#20 DL3 |
GAME NOTES AND A STAT OR TWO
- The Canucks have gone a staggering 0/10 on the power-play to start the season. Travis Green has loaded up for unit number one by adding Bo Horvat to an embarrassment of riches that already has Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, J.T. Miller, and Alex Edler. There will be one PPG this evening for the Canucks, count on it.
- Don’t put too much stock into this but the Canucks are 5th in CF% with a 56.29 rating. They’ve also been among the top teams in the league through two games that have surrendered the fewest total shots against. The Canucks… not allowing shots. Simply marvelous.
- Tonight’s 50/50 is going to be massive. $500,000 massive. Get on it, it goes to a good cause.
- It’s a real shame this wasn’t dealt with sooner but the announcement of the Canucks’ newest captain is big news and the team will most definitely do it in style. Bo Horvat will get the honour and there really isn’t another option. Bo bleeds blue and green and hopefully one day he’ll be the one to get handed Lord Stanley’s mug. I think I just jinxed it.
- Vancouver wasn’t shutout until their 12th game of the season last year when they were blanked 5-0 by Pittsburgh. They bounced back against the Minnesota Wild two nights later to win 5-2. They could also be shutout again, that’s possible too! The Canucks responded with a win 7/10 times last season after being denied a goal one game prior. There were a few really bad ones when they didn’t but you didn’t come here for the bad news.
#CANUCKSTWITTER
Gonna miss you Bulldog
A decent little thread here
MY 94 CENTS
The season really hasn’t started the way a lot of people would have liked. Pettersson isn’t scoring, neither is Boeser, there have been some tragic mistakes and after two games, Travis Green has already started the line blender. It’s not Vancouver’s brightest moment. But, they’re opening their 50th* season with the unveiling of a new captain (every 10 years seems about right), the skate jersey makes a triumphant return (please make this the home uni), and the 50/50 is going to blow someone’s mind when they win.
The play on the ice has shown promise and as the team gels together the things we’ve said would be better will indeed get better. The power-play WILL get better because, at the very least, Green has put all his eggs in one basket for at least a game.
Don’t freak out if they lose though. Going 0-3 isn’t the end of the world.
AND ONE MORE THING…
The Kings will be riding high after this one but honestly, can we not all just enjoy Doughty taunting the Flames fans in Calgary? It’s a thing of beauty. I’ve got time for this.
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