CANUCKSARMY GDT 64 – CANUCKS VS. RANGERS
By Always90four
6 years agoWell now, things sure are heated in the lower mainland these days — so much negativity. The Canucks lose one game and the world turns on its side.
Tonight, Vancouver will look to right the ship against an old friend, the New York Rangers. New York has publically stated they are rebuilding and have sold off pieces to get that process started. Vancouver says the same things but as their record and gameplay, most nights shows, this is not the truth. Two rebuilding teams face-off for pride more than anything so expect the younger players to be given a shot this evening.
Let’s Do This!™
WATCH / LISTEN / FACE-OFF
TV: SNET-P
RADIO: SN650
PUCK DROP: 7:00 PM
LINE COMBINATIONS
Thomas Vanek is gone. Philip Holm is gone, though he was never really here anyway.
Into the fold comes Brendan Leipsic, Tyler Motte, and Jussi Jokinen. Who slots in tonight may depend on who is out still? Sounds like Leipsic could get a chance to showcase himself early as well as Jussi Jokinen with the loss of Vanek and injuries mounting to players like Loui Eriksson.
With the deadline passed, Ben Hutton is safe for now and must do everything in sight to make his case to stick with the Canucks. The defensive unit isn’t very pretty so being healthy scratched on a struggling team is an eye-opener.
Jacob Markstrom deserves a start after last game. Lucky, brilliant, and about as good as you could ask for on a team that is going through the motions.
Vancouver Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 NIKOLAY GOLDOBIN |  BO HORVAT |  BROCK BOESER |
 DANIEL SEDIN |  HENRIK SEDIN |  JAKE VIRTANEN |
 DARREN ARCHIBALD |  BRANDON SUTTER |  SVEN BAERTSCHI |
 ALEX BIEGA |  SAM GAGNER |  NIC DOWD |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER |  ERIK GUDBRANSON |
 MICHAEL DEL ZOTTO |  TROY STECHER |
 BEN HUTTON |  DERRICK POULIOT |
Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, J.T. Miller have all moved on from Broadway and in their place, Vladislav Namestnikov and Ryan Spooner take up residence up front. A team rebuilding is the new look for the Rangers. Imagine what the Canucks could accomplish with these types of moves?
Henrik Lundqvist will start.
New York Rangers lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
 CHRIS KREIDER |  MIKA ZIBANEJAD |  PAVEL BUCHNEVICH |
 JIMMY VESEY |  KEVIN HAYES |  MATS ZUCCARELLO |
 VLADISLAV NAMESTNIKOV |  DAVID DESHARNAIS |  JESPER FAST |
 CODY MCLEOD |  RYAN SPOONER |  VINNI LETTIERI |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | |
|---|---|
 BRADY SKJEI |  NEAL PIONK |
 MARC STAAL |  ROB O’GARA |
 JOHN GILMOUR |  ANTHONY DEANGELO |
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
- Brendan Leipsic already has as many goals as 30% of the current Canucks roster. His two goals are equal to all of Henrik Sedin’s contributions as a shooter this season and it’s possible Leipsic could factor in right away. He’s a shifty player that can get under opponents skin much like Alex Burrows did and he has the hands to score as well. Watch out for this kid.
- With his next power play point, Bo Horvat will match his output from a season ago by scoring 10 PPP. He is three PPP away from his career high of 12.
- Henrik Sedin loves his assists. Coming into tonight, he’s ranked 8th in the NHL with 2.42 A/60. He might not score a ton but he’s as good as ever when he needs to set them up. He currently leads the entire league in second assists with 29, four more than second-place Claude Giroux. Maybe goals aren’t everything? That’s crazy talk!
- The NHL website is a wealth of information, some may disagree, and they have stats for everything. It wouldn’t be a GDT without a Boeser mention and it’s a fact that he’s T-5 with 18 Goals via wrist shot. He’s three off the league-lead and considering most of his goals have come by slapper or wrist, he’ll get close soon enough.
- Vancouver used to be one of the top teams in the face-off circle but these days they are occupying the 23rd spot and it does paint quite the picture of how often they’re playing catchup when they go down early. Win a face-off, eliminate a scoring chance. Not the be all, end all formula but some of the highest scoring teams in the league tend to win more face-offs than they lose.
THE TWITTER TAKE
Maybe blame him for Brad Richards that one year but there’s no way he’s responsible for not getting a first for Tanev.
MY 94 CENTS
I am feeling super positive about this game tonight, I mean, how could you not? There has been so much positivity flowing through Canucks nation lately and it has to spill over into this game. Brock Boeser is due for a hat-trick, the power-play could use another bump in percentage points, and I having pizza for lunch today. Everything is coming up Milhouse.
EITHER / OR (OVER / UNDER IS ON A ONE GAME HIATUS)
Who gets their first point on their new team: Brendan Leipsic or Vladislav Namestnikov? It’s a home game and I am a big fan of Leipsic even from his Portland days. Take Leipsic.
Who is more likely to score tonight: Henrik Sedin or Brock Boeser? This seems like an ultra-stupid question but Boeser has been playing hurt lately and Henrik is beyond due for a goal. Take Henrik Sedin and watch your money multiply!
The Pint is your home for all things game day. Come down for game day specials like $5 mugs of bud and bud light and get 20% off food if you’re a season ticket holders
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