Canucks Army THE GAME DAY – Canucks Vs. Predators
By Always90four
4 years agoTHE INTRO
The Vancouver Canucks will try for a fifth consecutive game to get back in the win column when the Nashville Predators and former blue line stars Dan Hamhuis and Yannick Weber return. Whether it’s flat out bad luck, lack of scoring, or not putting out a power-play squad that isn’t beyond predictable, the Canucks just can’t get back to their October winning ways.
Rogers Arena has been a source of comfort for the Canucks as they’ve gone 4-1-2 so far. Will a little extra home cooking get the job done or will the Predators take a Jurassic bite (OK, massive pun there) out of their confidence and deal a fifth-straight loss?
Let’s Do This!™
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
The odds for tonight’s game are: (VAN -110/ NAS -110) courtesy of OddsShark.com
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SNET / SN 650 / 7:00 PM
LINEUPS
Josh Leivo will get a whirl with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser from the looks of things. Bo Horvat’s line has been pushed down the latter a bit but he’ll get Sven Baertschi and J.T. Miller to flank his wings. I’m interested in the Adam Gaudette line, though. He’ll have Tim “#SchallerNothing” Schaller and Loui Eriksson. Maybe the surprise of the evening, check back to see if I’m right.
Chris Tanev looks OK and again from the above tweet, Oscar Fantenberg and Jalen Chatfield will not play.
I have a feeling Thatcher Demko gets the start.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 SVEN BAERTSCHI |  BO HORVAT Rating: 77.1#23 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 71.8#77 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 74.28#27 FL1 |
 J.T. MILLER Rating: 76.3#16 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 79.1#10 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 76.4#13 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 77.27#3 FL2 |
 TANNER PEARSON Rating: 72.4#70 LW |  BRANDON SUTTER Rating: 71.7#116 C |  JOSH LEIVO Rating: 72.3#64 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 72.15#13 FL3 |
 TIM SCHALLER Rating: 71.7#83 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 69.8#169 C |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 69.0#181 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.18#25 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 77.6#5 LD |  TYLER MYERS Rating: 73.9#33 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 75.75#9 DL1 |
 QUINN HUGHES Rating: 74.3#29 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 72.1#69 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.20#20 DL2 |
 JORDIE BENN Rating: 73.1#56 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 73.3#44 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 73.24#10 DL3 |
No injuries to speak of for Nashville. This team hasn’t changed so the Canucks know what they’re getting tonight.
Pekka Rinne has been the backbone of the Predators for many years and tonight he’ll look to backstop the Preds to a win at Rogers Arena.
Predators lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 FILIP FORSBERG Rating: 78.5#7 LW |  RYAN JOHANSEN Rating: 74.3#52 C |  VIKTOR ARVIDSSON Rating: 77.8#7 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 76.88#8 FL1 |
 CALLE JARNKROK Rating: 72.5#98 LW |  KYLE TURRIS Rating: 71.6#120 C |  MATT DUCHENE Rating: 76.6#27 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 73.59#18 FL2 |
 ROCCO GRIMALDI Rating: 74.2#36 LW |  NICK BONINO Rating: 74.9#45 C |  CRAIG SMITH Rating: 74.2#54 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 74.45#2 FL3 |
 AUSTIN WATSON Rating: 70.9#111 LW |  COLTON SISSONS Rating: 72.7#94 C |  MIKAEL GRANLUND Rating: 72.2#70 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.89#6 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ROMAN JOSI Rating: 79.8#1 LD |  RYAN ELLIS Rating: 78.0#6 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 78.90#1 DL1 |
 MATTIAS EKHOLM Rating: 76.6#9 LD |  DANTE FABBRO Rating: 73.3#45 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 74.95#5 DL2 |
 DAN HAMHUIS Rating: 71.2#103 LD |  YANNICK WEBER Rating: 70.1#101 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.66#28 DL3 |
GAMES NOTES AND A STAT OR TWO
- Tim Schaller doesn’t have a goal in November and it’s bugging me. The fourth-liner has yet to ripple the mesh after a strong October with four goals. Bo Horvat and Alex Edler are also goal-less in the 11th month of the year which should also concern even the most fairweather of fans. The most fairweather.
- It hasn’t been all about the goals for Elias Pettersson this season but that hasn’t mattered. EP40 leads all Swedish players in assists and points. He’s one of 23 Swedish players to have at least 10 points so far this season. Maybe the Canucks should go to an all-Swedish squad. It might pay off.
- Antoine Roussel skated in a non-contact jersey yesterday which is great news even if it’s just that for now. Roussel is going to once again be a huge addition to Vancouver when he’s healthy.
- Thankfully, Nashville doesn’t have Vancouver’s number like the last few teams the Canucks have played. Since 2010, the Canucks are one game above .500, but their winning record against the Predators is on the road. At home, the Canucks are 9-10 versus Nashville.
- Brock Boeser scored last game but it was his first of the month. The last time he scored was his hat-trick performance against the Kings on Oct 30. The power-play will be a big part of the Canucks success but they’ll need to get it done on the top unit.
#CANUCKSTWITTER
What is Nils even doing anymore?
MY 94 CENTS
They can’t lose five in a row, can they? The goals have gone by the wayside (5G/4GP) and they’ve allowed 13 goals in that same timeframe. Vancouver’s stars need to take over a game and they need to put a team like Nashville in their place. October can’t be a mirage.
AND ANOTHER THING…
Maybe a call up isn’t in the near future
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