Canucks’ Edler, Bieksa expected to play in Game 3 vs. Flames Sunday

Photo Credit: James Guillory/USA TODAY Sports

They’ll play, you know they’ll play… Are we pulling that one out too soon? Definitely.

Despite missing the morning skate, Vancouver Canucks defensemen Alex Edler and Kevin Bieksa appear as if they’ll be in the lineup for Sunday night’s crucial Game 3 of the preliminary round series between Vancouver and the Calgary Flames, according to TSN’s Farhan Lalji.

There was some fear, as there always is any time Edler misses a skate or practice for a reason besides explicit “maintenance”, that perhaps Edler aggravated his lingering back issues in Game 2. 

Edler, who underwent microdiscectomy surgery to repair a bulging disc in 2011 and has occasionally dealt with flare ups, was throwing his weight around something fierce in Friday night’s Game 2. This is the sort of injury that never fully heals – the player and training staff simply do their best to manage the pain and strengthen the muscles around the spine – so it’s possible that Edler is playing through some discomfort still, but obviously he’s good enough to go. 

As for Bieksa he’s been getting nearly every morning skate and practice off this week and was also given the day off during Game 82 of the regular season. Clearly he’s battling through something, despite Luca Sbisa’s comical take on Bieksa just needing rest as an older guy. 

With Bieksa and Sbisa both in the lineup, expect Vancouver to roll the six defenders they’ve gone with all month. Also expect Bob Hartley to use home-ice advantage to try and get his struggling first-line some ice time against Vancouver’s relatively high-event bottom pair of Bieksa and Sbisa.