Canucks Army THE GAME DAY – Canucks Vs. Oilers
By Always90four
4 years agoTHE INTRO
The Canucks are four points back of the Oilers as they face the Edmonton team tonight at Rogers Arena. Realistically, there are at least four All-Stars in this game tonight and seeing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl take on Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes is something we should be so lucky to see.
Vancouver is riding a two-game win streak after beating the Golden Knights and Penguins and boy does it feel good to cheer for a winning team. It is Monday, though, so it’s early. It’s a big four-point game that won’t leapfrog the Canucks into a playoff position but it puts them in good standing after Christmas.
Let’s Do This!™
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
The odds for tonight’s game are: (VAN -130/ EDM +110) courtesy of OddsShark.com
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SNP / SN 650 / 7:00 PM
LINEUPS
Josh Leivo has a broken knee cap and is out until March. Tough news. Brandon Sutter is still out but could be a game-time decision. Alex Edler is close to getting back as well but one more day of rest on top of the break is probably best for everyone.
Jacob Markstrom is playing the best hockey of his career and Thatcher Demko isn’t quite ready to be the starter. Markstrom will start tonight.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 TANNER PEARSON Rating: 72.7#65 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 74.5#52 C |  LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 70.3#112 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 72.49#30 FL1 |
 J.T. MILLER Rating: 74.9#41 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 79.1#14 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 75.9#19 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 76.61#4 FL2 |
 ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 71.3#87 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 70.6#152 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 72.1#76 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.32#20 FL3 |
 TIM SCHALLER Rating: 68.7#129 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 68.3#192 C |  TYLER MOTTE Rating: 69.2#127 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 68.71#31 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 QUINN HUGHES Rating: 74.6#25 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 72.0#72 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 73.31#25 DL1 |
 OSCAR FANTENBERG Rating: 71.9#86 LD |  TYLER MYERS Rating: 72.9#51 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 72.38#27 DL2 |
 JORDIE BENN Rating: 70.6#108 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 71.2#91 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.88#28 DL3 |
The Oilers are as healthy as a horse right now and the lineup you see below is what you should see tonight. They lost to the Penguins whom the Canucks beat handily but they beat the Canadiens whom the Canucks couldn’t solve. It’s a riddle if there ever was one. What Oiler team will we see tonight?
The odds on favourite to start is Mikko Koskinen. Mike Smith would love to start but should he?
Oilers lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS Rating: 72.5#91 LW |  CONNOR MCDAVID Rating: 82.4#4 C |  ZACK KASSIAN Rating: 72.3#73 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 75.71#12 FL1 |
 JAMES NEAL Rating: 72.2#71 LW |  LEON DRAISAITL Rating: 82.6#3 C |  SAM GAGNER Rating: 71.3#134 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 75.36#10 FL2 |
 JOAKIM NYGARD Rating: 72.3#68 LW |  GAETAN HAAS Rating: 72.0#111 C |  ALEX CHIASSON Rating: 71.5#91 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.93#14 FL3 |
 JUJHAR KHAIRA Rating: 69.0#127 LW |  RILEY SHEAHAN Rating: 69.4#177 C |  JOSH ARCHIBALD Rating: 69.7#119 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 69.37#27 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 OSCAR KLEFBOM Rating: 74.4#32 LD |  ADAM LARSSON Rating: 71.1#94 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 72.72#28 DL1 |
 DARNELL NURSE Rating: 73.9#36 LD |  ETHAN BEAR Rating: 71.7#81 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 72.80#22 DL2 |
 KRIS RUSSELL Rating: 70.2#111 LD |  CALEB JONES Rating: 71.3#88 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.77#30 DL3 |
GAME NOTES AND A STAT OR TWO
- J.T. Miller (7) is two power-play goals behind Connor McDavid (9) for tops in the West. Miller has been a killer addition to the Canucks and if you’re hanging around the likes of McDavid, you’re doing ok.
- Jake Virtanen has three goals in his last five games and he’s become a presence on the Canucks. Travis Green trusts him to take on some of the biggest stars in the league and he’ll most likely draw the Oilers top line this evening. Jake has had quite the ride since being drafted and we may be looking at a star most of us had given up on. His 10th goal against the Penguins put him on pace to score 22 by season’s end. Welcome to the Canucks, Jake. You made it.
- Brock Boeser has three goals in his last 10 games which feel like an eternity between each one but his presence last game might have given him the boost he needed to get back to being the goal scorer Canucks fans expect him to be. Brock has the shot to be a 30-goal sniper, he needs the confidence to get back to that point. And a healthy wrist, too!
- Elias Pettersson leads the NHL in missed shots over the net (15) and dinged up crossbars (3). Pettersson aims high where no one can touch him. When he starts hitting his shots again, he’s going on a tear.
- Vancouver is specializing in everything these days. J.T. Miller leads the league in deflection goals with four. He’s the guy that gets to the dirty areas and finishes the job. Miller has six in the last three seasons combined. He has a home in Vancouver.
#CANUCKSTWITTER
Can’t both things be true?
Bo just needs a break.
MY 94 CENTS
The Vancouver Canucks are sure a funny case study. There are so many reasons they should be bad and yet enough reasons they should be on the cusp of great things. They win, they lose, they disappoint, they elate. The Oilers are one of those teams that should probably tear them apart tonight but it also feels like a win would give us all a false sense of hope.
Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals!
AND ANOTHER THING…
This might be the funniest thing I’ve seen in a while.
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