CanucksArmy Presents: The Game Day feat. Canucks Vs. Canadiens
By Always90four
3 years agoTHE OPENING FACE/OFF
The sky isn’t actually falling, people. Do you actually think the Canucks are as bad as the results they’ve received suggest? There is a serious bout of puck luck going the other way to start the season and it will turn itself around. When Elias Pettersson isn’t scoring tap ins, something is up. What better time to turn it around than against the Montreal Canadiens, the Canucks opponent tonight in their home opener.
You know who else is returning to Vancouver this week? Tyler Toffoli. That should go over well on the Twitters.
There isn’t that much further the Canucks can fall to start things off so expect them to start climbing that ladder again.
It’s not like they’re mediocre.
Let’s Do This!™
WHERE CAN I FIND THIS GAME?
TV: SNP / RADIO: SN 650 / PUCK DROP: 7:00PM
LINEUPS
It’s a little early to juggle lines with J.T. Miller just returning back. The same can be said on defense. Jordie Benn appears to be out of COVID quarantine so he may draw in tonight, most likely for Olli Juolevi.
Braden Holtby will probably get the start this evening but who even knows really? Travis Green is a mystery.
CANUCKS LINES COURTESY OF DAILYFACEOFF.COM:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 ⚠J.T. MILLER Rating: 78.5#7 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 77.7#14 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 74.1#41 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 76.78#12 FL1 |
 TANNER PEARSON Rating: 73.7#38 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 74.8#34 C |  NILS HOGLANDER | FL2 Rating Rating: 74.25#10 FL2 |
 ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 71.0#97 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 70.2#130 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 72.0#78 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.08#22 FL3 |
 TYLER MOTTE Rating: 68.8#144 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 68.4#163 C |  BRANDON SUTTER Rating: 70.1#131 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 69.09#30 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 74.3#26 LD |  NATE SCHMIDT Rating: 75.5#18 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 74.89#16 DL1 |
 QUINN HUGHES Rating: 75.2#15 LD |  TRAVIS HAMONIC Rating: 72.8#45 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.99#7 DL2 |
 OLLI JUOLEVI |  TYLER MYERS Rating: 72.6#50 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 72.56#9 DL3 |
Not much going on with the Canadiens lineup aside from the return of Tyler Toffoli. Canucks may remember the six goals he scored for Vancouver back in the summer. He is now a Montreal Canadien hockey player. It’s unlikely he’ll stay in Vancouver after this road trip.
Carey Price will occupy the net tonight. He has a new mask. It’s pretty great.
CANADIENS LINES COURTESY OF DAILYFACEOFF.COM:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 TOMAS TATAR Rating: 77.7#10 LW |  PHILLIP DANAULT Rating: 75.5#29 C |  BRENDAN GALLAGHER Rating: 78.3#7 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 77.20#8 FL1 |
 JONATHAN DROUIN Rating: 73.0#48 LW |  NICK SUZUKI |  JOSH ANDERSON Rating: 73.4#42 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 73.16#20 FL2 |
 TYLER TOFFOLI Rating: 75.9#25 LW |  JESPERI KOTKANIEMI |  JOEL ARMIA Rating: 73.1#54 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 73.18#5 FL3 |
 ARTTURI LEHKONEN Rating: 71.7#81 LW |  JAKE EVANS |  PAUL BYRON Rating: 71.8#78 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.77#8 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 BEN CHIAROT Rating: 73.8#38 LD |  SHEA WEBER Rating: 76.5#15 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 75.15#13 DL1 |
 JOEL EDMUNDSON Rating: 73.8#39 LD |  JEFF PETRY Rating: 76.7#13 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 75.23#3 DL2 |
 BRETT KULAK Rating: 73.4#46 LD |  ALEXANDER ROMANOV | DL3 Rating Rating: 73.43#3 DL3 |
GAME NOTES, INTERESTING STATS, AND THAT TIME BOESER SCORED ON PRICE
- You know it’s early in the season when Tyler Myers has more goals than Elias Pettersson. It’s a story that would dominate sports radio and put the social world into a frenzy. Sadly, they’ve only played four games and things haven’t gone the team’s way. Looking at it another way, what if Tyler Myers went on a tear this season? That’d be good, right?
- Has anyone else noticed the compete level of Adam Gaudette so far? He has been a terror on the ice and it’s surprising he doesn’t have more than one goal. His steal against the Flames in alone should have been a goal but to have the chance to make that play shows he’s ahead of the game. Look for big things out of Gaudette tonight.
- Jake Virtanen put home his first of the season against the Flames so the journey for the elusive #ShotgunJake 20th goal begins once more. Hitting 20 goals in a shortened season is a task, to say the least. He hasn’t been the most noticeable player but then again, that title carries up and down the lineup.
- Special teams have also been a point of discomfort so far this season which bears the real question “Is Loui Eriksson making a comeback?” Sure his best days are behind him like an old Dane Cook album but there are still some classics that we can’t forget. The PK/Empty Net/Little Things specialist might deserve another kick at the can and if that’s not 2021 for you, what is? #Reclamationproject
- For anyone that maybe thought “Hey, I seem to remember the Canadiens being just ok when the Sedins and Luongo played them”, you would be wrong. Very wrong. Carey Price holds a 13-2-0-3 record versus the Canucks with three shutouts. His SV% is impressive and he’s allowing just over two goals a game. His last outright loss was in 2015 when he allowed five goals. That’s a pretty good run.
TWITTER TOLD YOU
Yep, exactly.
MY 94 CENTS
The Canucks aren’t that bad. It sure has been a run of bad puck luck but show me a season where they haven’t run into that. Putting in those reps will start paying off soon enough and we can get back to watching the Canucks that score goals, dominate the power play, and drive the rest of Canada nuts.
It would also be nice to see Brock Boeser repeat the goal again.
THE FINAL WORD
It has to end at some point. Canucks need to stick to their systems and continue to plug away at what works. The results will change. This is the way.
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