CanucksArmy Presents: The Game Day feat. Canucks @ Canadiens
By Always90four
3 years agoOPENING FACE/OFF
A week ago, the Canucks facing the Canadiens for the fourth time this close together would have had fire alarms triggered from the Queen Charlotte Islands to Grand Forks. Fast forward to tonight’s matchup and it’s the Canucks who might be the team to watch. Okay, okay, maybe not quite yet.
Brock Boeser has been the story on the offensive side of the puck while Thatcher Demko has channeled his summer self, stopping 97 of the last 100 shots he faced. Add Nils Höglander to the mix and the Canucks are now fun to watch. We probably shouldn’t get too ahead of ourselves because the Habs can turn it on a dime and put the Canucks away. Don’t forget, it’s an early one.
Let’s Do This!™
WHERE CAN I FIND THIS GAME?
TV: SNP / RADIO: SN 650 / PUCK DROP: 4:00PM
LINEUPS
The big question today is Jake Virtanen. If he’s scratched again it could be curtains for the former first-round pick. On a positive note, the top-six has been electric and the bottom-six has even held up their end.
Thatcher Demko is on a serious roll right now but has it been good enough to keep Braden Holtby from the net? #BubbleDemko has been a force.
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#10 FL1 |
 TANNER PEARSON Rating: 73.7#38 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 74.8#34 C |  NILS HOGLANDER | FL2 Rating Rating: 74.25#14 FL2 |
 ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 70.2#130 LW |  BRANDON SUTTER Rating: 70.1#131 C |  ZACK MACEWEN | FL3 Rating Rating: 70.15#27 FL3 |
 ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 71.0#97 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 68.4#163 C |  TYLER MOTTE Rating: 68.8#144 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 69.39#30 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 QUINN HUGHES Rating: 75.2#15 LD |  JORDIE BENN Rating: 70.9#101 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 73.04#27 DL1 |
 NATE SCHMIDT Rating: 75.5#18 LD |  TYLER MYERS Rating: 72.6#50 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 74.02#7 DL2 |
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 74.3#26 LD |  JALEN CHATFIELD | DL3 Rating Rating: 74.31#3 DL3 |
It’s likely the same lineup as Saturday for Montreal. After all, the Canucks haven’t fared well against this team.
Carey Price should start tonight. I mean, it’s Carey Price.
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#9 FL1 |
 JONATHAN DROUIN Rating: 73.0#48 LW |  NICK SUZUKI |  JOSH ANDERSON Rating: 73.4#42 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 73.16#19 FL2 |
 TYLER TOFFOLI Rating: 75.9#25 LW |  JESPERI KOTKANIEMI |  COREY PERRY Rating: 70.8#101 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 72.44#8 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#14 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#6 DL3 |
GAME NOTES, INTERESTING STATS, AND A NEW HOPE (NO NOT STAR WARS)
- The Rocket Richard race is already heating up. The competitors at the top aren’t exactly the same but Brock Boeser being in the same sentence as Connor McDavid is pretty remarkable. Each player currently has eight goals but will it be Boeser who continues his tear with four goals in his last two games?
- It hasn’t been the most electrifying rookie year so far but Nils Höglander has six points and it’s more about his hand-eye coordination than anything that has caught our eye. He’s been gritty along the boards and his motor never stops. We can talk about Tyler Toffoli all we want but Nils may not have had this kind of chance if Toffoli stayed. We’ll never know.
- Elias Pettersson is making progress with his shot. He is second in the league in PP shot attempts for with 23. It has appeared that he hasn’t been shooting but he most definitely has been. J.T. Miller, however, has seven on the man-advantage. The Lotto Line has almost unlocked all three players this season, it’s Miller time now.
- Speaking of Pettersson, he has 15 missed shots this year, and a third of those have either hit the post or the crossbar. It may not be long before he has as many missed shots as he does goals.
- Carey Price hasn’t lost in regulation to the Canucks since 2015/16 when he let in five goals. He has never lost in regulation at home to Vancouver.
TWITTER TOLD YOU
When analytics and the eye test meet:
MY 94 CENTS
Is there a better player in the league right now than Brock Boeser? Doubt it. Connor McDavid? Nope. Leon Draisaitl? Not even close. Boeser is in a class all his own and he’ll have a chance to get redux on the snipe show he released in his rookie year. He’s been put in a position that doesn’t quite fit the eye and yet Brock is putting up results.
I haven’t been this excited for Brock since… last game.
THE FINAL WORD
A win against the Canadiens tonight would be huge but it won’t be season-defining. Montreal has a dangerous lineup but they aren’t perfect. The Canucks will need another effort like the one in Winnipeg if they want to keep this game in reach.
Recent articles from Always90four
