It’s another Canucks game day in which the team holds an optional morning skate, meaning we don’t get to know full line rushes.

Tonight’s matchup between the Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights is shrouded in mystery.

Not only because we don’t know everything there is to know about the Canucks’ lineup, but also because Mark Stone could suit up for Vegas.

Yesterday, Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer called Stone a “game-time” decision for tonight’s game.

Today, the Canucks held a well-attended optional morning skate that featured Kyle Burroughs on the wing with six defencemen dressed once again.

Conor Garland and Jason Dickinson weren’t at skate, but head coach Bruce Boudreau stressed to not read into the two absences, which would indicate they’ll both play tonight.

The Canucks held a full practice yesterday and these were the lines we saw:

Thatcher Demko is expected to start in goal, and both Brock Boeser and Tanner Pearson both remain out.

Will Lockwood has seemingly improved with every game he’s gotten into with the Vancouver Canucks, and on Saturday night, he showed a part of his game not everyone knew he had when he dropped the gloves after throwing a heavy hit on Timo Meier.

Lockwood explained that this wasn’t the first time he fought Noah Gregor, either.

“We actually fought earlier in the year in the A,” explained Lockwood. “I think he actually said something in the box, like every time we’re on the ice I blow up one of his linemates or something, but it’s the way I like to play. Sometimes you’re gonna have to answer the bell. You know, especially when you hit one of the top players, so I think it gave my game a little bit more confidence knowing that you know I have that if I need it, and I can go out there and play freely.”

Here is Lockwood and Gregor’s first fight against one another, from November of this year.

“It’s not something I’m going to look for night in and night out,” Lockwood explained of his willingness to fight. “There’s certain situations where it’ll help the team, and if that’s what I have to do to help the team, that’s something I’m willing to do, but it’s not something I’m gonna look for. But like I said, it kind of comes with the way I play.”