CANUCKSARMY GDT 62 – CANUCKS @ COYOTES
By Always90four
6 years agoNevermind the fact both the Canucks and Coyotes are sandwiched at the bottom of the Western Conference, tonight’s game will feature a handful of the NHL’s most talked about trade targets (Chris Tanev, Max Domi, Ben Hutton??? Thomas Vanek) ahead of Monday’s deadline. Add to that, two Archibald’s and a few ex-Canucks and this matchup has the makings of a Canucks/Coyotes classic.
It’s unfathomable how anyone wouldn’t be excited about this one.
Let’s Do This!™
WATCH / LISTEN / FACE-OFF
TV: SNET-P
RADIO: SN650
PUCK DROP: 6:30 PM
LINE COMBINATIONS
Jake Virtanen is making the most of his vote of confidence from coach Travis Green. He’s been aggressive, he’s driven the net and he has displayed some of the silky mitts the kids all talk about. He hasn’t turned many of his highlights into goals quite yet but patience has been preached and the dividends are paying off.
The top line of Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, and Nikolay Goldobin has seen better days but Goldobin, too, has earned more time up front. It would be great to see Boeser go on a tear but quite frankly, this team hasn’t looked like it could allow him to do such things for some time now.
Vancouver’s defense is a crap shoot going into tonight’s game. Will Green put Ben Hutton back in or is his time in a Canucks jersey over? Philip Holm should see another game after a forgettable night for many Canucks on Friday didn’t show much.
Sam Gagner is back, hooray!
Jacob Markstrom came in to relieve Anders Nilsson against the Golden Knights on Friday. Expect to see him in net tonight. Tomorrow’s game against Colorado may be dictated by what happens here.
Vancouver Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 NIKOLAY GOLDOBIN |  BO HORVAT |  BROCK BOESER |
 DANIEL SEDIN |  HENRIK SEDIN |  THOMAS VANEK |
 DARREN ARCHIBALD |  BRANDON SUTTER |  LOUI ERIKSSON |
 SVEN BAERTSCHI |  SAM GAGNER |  JAKE VIRTANEN |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER |  ERIK GUDBRANSON |
 MICHAEL DEL ZOTTO |  TROY STECHER |
 PHILLIP HOLM |  DERRICK POULIOT |
Former Flame Freddie Hamilton started in place of Richard Panik last game and may yet again get a start tonight. Can’t see any other changes in the lineup.
Darcy Kuemper will get the start in net. Expect a career game from Darcy.
Arizona Coyotes lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 BRENDAN PERLINI |  DEREK STEPAN |  CLAYTON KELLER |
 JOSH ARCHIBALD |  CHRISTIAN DVORAK |  CHRISTIAN FISCHER |
 RICHARD PANIK |  MAX DOMI |  NICK COUSINS |
 JORDAN MARTINOOK |  BRAD RICHARDSON |  ZAC RINALDO |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 OLIVER EKMAN-LARSSON |  JASON DEMERS |
 JAKOB CHYCHRUN |  NIKLAS HJALMARSSON |
 KEVIN CONNAUTON |  ALEX GOLIGOSKI |
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
- The Canucks have played the “Arizona” Coyotes 14 times and both Henrik and Daniel Sedin have 12 points each. Six of Henrik’s points have come in Glendale and the only goal he scored came there as well. 1G and 11A for Henrik in that time. The struggle is quite real for Captain Canuck in the goal column.
- Only three Canucks have a power-play goal in Arizona since their name change: Brock Boeser, Daniel Sedin, and Alex Edler. Seven games and three goals. Boeser got his in the only game he’s played there. No excuses for the rest of the club. Vancouver needs to up that PP approach tonight in a big way. Foreshadowing?
- The power play has been talked about a lot here and for good reason, it has stunk, been amazing, stunk, and now looks to be rebounding. It remains in the Top-10 thanks to an incredible run of Boeser activity but it should be noted Vancouver’s road PP goals for sits at 22, just four shy of the league-lead. The Canucks also have the second-best road PP% in the league with 23.6%. Time for the fireworks.
- Break out the bubble wrap. Alex Edler is fourth in the NHL with 138 blocked shots. For all the broken sticks he has wasted, he’s kept out a fair amount of goals. Of course, then Erik Gudbranson happened so it’s possible he’ll let Gudbranson get hurt for a while. Why waste your shins when the future of the team, apparently, is your defensive partner. Yeesh!
- Sam Gagner hasn’t scored a goal since January 6. He’s due. Gagner has four career goals in 18 career games against the Coyotes franchise. He did play there for one season which earned his current contract with the Canucks. Time to reward the team for taking a chance on him.
THE TWITTER TAKE
This feels like a riddle or some kind of puzzle Hutton has to solve. Is he supposed to buy Green a coffee, take out the garbage in the dressing room, complete eight passes in a row during practice? Hutton deserves better.
Update: Hutton is getting better. He is back in the lineup ahead of Philip Holm for today’s game.
MY 94 CENTS
Getting up for this one takes a strong stomach. The Canucks need something to go their way and even though the Coyotes aren’t one of the best teams this season, the Canucks could sure use one of their performances where they beat one of the best teams. At the very least, this classic Canucks Army GDT staple is back!
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You’re welcome.
OVER / UNDER
Full periods Thomas Vanek plays before being dealt (+/- 2.5) Can’t imagine Vanek gets traded mid-game but who knows? Take the over and feel good knowing he’ll be a Canuck at least until bedtime.
Clayton Keller/Brock Boeser goals (+/- 1.5) Neither rookie has played each other this season so might we see a rookie showcase? It’s possible. Take the over with both Boeser and Keller potting a goal apiece.
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