CanucksArmy THE PLAYOFF GAMEDAY G6: Canucks Vs. Golden Knights
By Always90four
3 years agoTHE INTRO
From stick gate to Demko’s arrival, Tyler Toffoli and Tyler Myers, Instagram Johnny and the sword that binds us; this series has been the gift that keeps on giving.
Tonight, it’s Game 6 between the Canucks and the Golden Knights, and once again it’s for most of the marbles. Vegas has put some bulletin board material up and they’d like to stomp the Canucks out of this series altogether.
Are the Canucks too naive to understand the magnitude of the moment or do they simply not care who they’re facing? They’ve been outshot, out-chanced, and out-scored in the series. But the Canucks might be living in the Golden Knight’s heads more than they think. It’s possible they feel threatened that the lowly play-in team has them checking themselves.
This game has so much more going on for it than we realize.
Let’s Do This!™
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SN / SN 650 / 6:45 PM
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
The odds for tonight’s game are: VAN +205/ VGK -245 courtesy of OddsShark.com
LINEUPS
The Lotto Line was reunited and it felt so good. Does Travis Green keep them together or does the line of Elias Pettersson, Tyler Toffoli, and Tanner Pearson get another chance? There are a handful of players that haven’t made their mark in this series and Pearson would be the one that needs a boost.
As for the defence, there isn’t likely to be any changes there.
Unless Jacob Markstrom has miraculously healed his groin (or so it’s been rumoured), Thatcher Demko may see his second consecutive start in the playoffs. Stay tuned for this one.
CANUCKS lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 J.T. MILLER Rating: 78.5#7 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 74.8#34 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 74.1#41 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 75.80#12 FL1 |
 TANNER PEARSON Rating: 73.7#38 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 77.7#14 C |  TYLER TOFFOLI Rating: 75.9#25 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 75.78#4 FL2 |
 ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 71.0#97 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 70.2#130 C |  BRANDON SUTTER Rating: 70.1#131 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 70.44#26 FL3 |
 TYLER MOTTE Rating: 68.8#144 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 68.4#163 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 72.0#78 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 69.73#23 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 74.3#26 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 71.9#63 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 73.11#23 DL1 |
 QUINN HUGHES Rating: 75.2#15 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 71.0#90 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.12#16 DL2 |
 OSCAR FANTENBERG Rating: 70.9#100 LD |  TYLER MYERS Rating: 72.6#50 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 71.74#15 DL3 |
There have been no changes in this series for Vegas and the way they have played, there are no signs they’ll adjust what they have.
Robin Lehner has to be the starter tonight. There should be no logical reason that Marc-Andre Fleury is put into play. That being said, if Vegas somehow lost, would they stick with him two days in a row?
GOLDEN KNIGHTS lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 MAX PACIORETTY Rating: 81.1#2 LW |  WILLIAM KARLSSON Rating: 76.6#23 C |  MARK STONE Rating: 79.8#5 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 79.18#4 FL1 |
 JONATHAN MARCHESSAULT Rating: 75.5#22 LW |  PAUL STASTNY Rating: 74.8#36 C |  REILLY SMITH Rating: 76.8#17 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 75.71#5 FL2 |
 NICK COUSINS Rating: 71.9#91 LW |  NICOLAS ROY Rating: 72.9#59 C |  ALEX TUCH Rating: 73.4#49 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 72.71#4 FL3 |
 WILL CARRIER Rating: 70.3#116 LW |  CHANDLER STEPHENSON Rating: 71.5#101 C |  RYAN REAVES Rating: 70.5#106 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.75#12 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEC MARTINEZ Rating: 73.3#50 LD |  SHEA THEODORE Rating: 78.2#5 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 75.73#10 DL1 |
 BRAYDEN MCNABB Rating: 73.1#55 LD |  NATE SCHMIDT Rating: 75.5#18 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 74.31#4 DL2 |
 NICK HOLDEN Rating: 74.4#24 LD |  ZACH WHITECLOUD Rating: 73.5#35 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 73.95#3 DL3 |
GAME NOTES, STATS, AND SERIOUSLY WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING?
- Brandon Sutter has not scored since the series-clinching game against the Wild. He doesn’t have a point in this series. Sutter had a chance to be a hero last game but maybe the game of hockey was waiting for a bigger moment to showcase the PK specialist.
- Elias Pettersson has three goals in each of the official playoff series this season. He’s factored in on some pretty important goals and his drive cannot be questioned. What will Pettersson’s next feat be? A breakaway dangle?
- Quinn Hughes isn’t the defensive leader in the playoffs for points anymore, he’s not even the rookie leader. Cale Makar is tied with Hughes while Miro Heiskanen is tied with Pettersson for 2nd in scoring. It might not be about points for Hughes going forward in this game but what he can do to keep the puck in the offensive zone instead of being worn out defending scoring chances against?
- The Canucks were badly outshot in Game 5 and there’s a good chance that is repeated in Game 6 but as we all saw, it’s goals that matter the most so if Thatcher Demko/Jacob Markstrom can hold the fort down long enough, a 2-1 game might be doable once again.
- Will Kevin Bieksa be in the Canucks corner two games in a row? Does he have something planned for an encore?
- Just win, Canucks. Game 7’s are the best to watch.
THE TWITTER TAKE
MY 94 CENTS
Should we even be here? Did the Canucks alter the time continuum? Why am I out of ranch dressing? I’d love to know the answers to all of these questions. The adjustment of putting Thatcher Demko in the series was something Vegas hadn’t seen yet in the series, as a starter anyway.
Now that the Canucks have played that card, they’ll need to win on skill this time around and that might be the toughest task they’ve faced so far. The Golden Knights owned essentially every aspect of Game 5 and yet the Canucks found a loophole and exposed it.
Tonight, the Canucks will try and force their way to a Game 7, a game where many may not have expected them to be. Game 6 comes first and you know what, why not? Why can’t the Canucks be the winning team?
The Bubble™ has proven nothing is as it seems, left is right, up is down, bad is good. This could be the game that surprises us all the most.
Expect the unexpected.
AND ANOTHER THING…
There isn’t much more the Canucks can do but oh, what if they do the greatest things?
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