Flying Skate Army THE GAME DAY – Canucks Vs. Avalanche
By Always90four
4 years agoTHE FLYING INTRO
You’ve waited all season, OK it’s only been 20 games, but it’s time for the Canucks to shine on Hockey Night in Canada in the best jersey they own: the flying skate. Today’s GDT is a special “skate” edition of THE GAME DAY and will focus on all things skate. Maybe we’ll talk about who spends the most time on the ice, maybe we’ll chat jerseys and apparel or maybe, just maybe we’ll discuss the team the Canucks have become this season.
For now, it’s the Canucks versus the Avalanche and the Canucks haven’t fared all that well in their special edition jerseys since the Millionaires jersey. Vancouver will need big games from their top line and probably a solid contribution from the Bo Horvat line as well. Is this current Canucks team the one we’ll get for the rest of the season? I predicted it will be depending on the result tonight.
I’m wrong a lot, though.
Let’s Do This!™
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
The odds for tonight’s game are: (VAN -182/ COL +120) courtesy of OddsShark.com
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
CBC (HNIC) / CKNW (SN 650) / 7:00 PM
LINEUPS
Will the Lotto Line get back together or is Josh Leivo getting a third-consecutive start with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser? Defensive pairings will be the same so the only possibility is Zack MacEwen gets in for maybe Loui Eriksson. Everything else will probably stay put.
At the time of writing this, a goalie hasn’t been chosen for tonight. Thatcher Demko is making waves and has had the hotter hand lately so it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that he starts.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 JOSH LEIVO Rating: 73.5#55 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 76.0#44 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 80.2#4 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 76.54#18 FL1 |
 TANNER PEARSON Rating: 74.9#36 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 77.0#33 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 71.5#88 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 74.44#18 FL2 |
 SVEN BAERTSCHI Rating: 74.1#42 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 69.6#171 C |  J.T. MILLER Rating: 73.8#44 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 72.51#20 FL3 |
 TIM SCHALLER Rating: 71.4#110 LW |  TYLER GRAOVAC Rating: 69.2#176 C |  LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 71.4#89 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.66#25 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 77.1#13 LD |  TYLER MYERS Rating: 74.1#38 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 75.60#13 DL1 |
 QUINN HUGHES Rating: 73.4#52 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 72.1#70 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 72.78#20 DL2 |
 JORDIE BENN Rating: 73.0#64 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 73.7#47 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 73.33#9 DL3 |
The Avalanche were roughed up by the Oilers, mainly Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl so they’ll want to bounce back tonight. Expect to see the same lines as below. Jayson Megna is back in town but Willie D won’t be putting him out with Mackinnon.
The injury bug has ravaged the Avs from top to bottom. Mikko Rantanen is week to week, Gabriel Landeskog is out indefinitely, Colin Wilson is out, Nikita Zadorov was at the optional Friday practice but his newly-repaired jaw will likely keep him out.
Philipp Grubauer has been out for four games but he practiced Friday and could play tonight.
Avalanche lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 MATT CALVERT Rating: 71.4#111 LW |  NATHAN MACKINNON Rating: 86.1#2 C |  JOONAS DONSKOI Rating: 71.9#82 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 76.46#20 FL1 |
 VALERI NICHUSHKIN Rating: 71.3#112 LW |  NAZEM KADRI Rating: 77.1#31 C |  JT COMPHER Rating: 72.7#68 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 73.71#22 FL2 |
 MATTHEW NIETO Rating: 71.6#108 LW |  TYSON JOST Rating: 71.8#123 C |  ANDRE BURAKOVSKY Rating: 70.9#97 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.42#24 FL3 |
 JAYSON MEGNA Rating: 69.8#131 LW |  VLADISLAV KAMENEV Rating: 71.5#135 C |  T.J. TYNAN Rating: 72.9#64 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 71.42#15 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 SAMUEL GIRARD Rating: 74.7#30 LD |  ERIK JOHNSON Rating: 74.6#29 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 74.63#21 DL1 |
 RYAN GRAVES Rating: 73.0#6 LD |  CALE MAKAR Rating: 75.1#2 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 74.03#14 DL2 |
 IAN COLE Rating: 71.9#85 LD |  KEVIN CONNAUTON Rating: 70.8#96 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 71.35#24 DL3 |
SKATE NOTES AND A STAT OR TWO
- Alex Edler has done a lot of skating this season. He ranks seventh in the NHL in total ice time with 498:01, that’s just over eight full games. EIGHT! Colorado’s Erik Johnson is the closet Avalanche player with 425:53, ranked a respectable 51st. Just when we all thought the new defense was going to give Edler a break, Travis Green decides to test him to see if he can perform as a robot.
- Vancouver hasn’t been all that successful in their commemorative jerseys. It started with their 40th-anniversary jersey on opening night; a loss to the Los Angeles Kings. It was followed by the whole “indoor/outdoor” Heritage Classic. In the Millionaires jersey, they lost to the Senators and then subsequently lost their franchise netminder, they brought them back again against the Avalanche and Red Wings, both losses. The skate jersey returned a few seasons ago but was soiled when the Maple Leafs beat them 5-2. Tonight, it’s the revised version of the skate jersey and all the new fabrics that come with it. Tonight, the curse is broken.
- Both the Canucks and Avalanche have spent a fair amount of time on the PK while on the road. The Canucks have been shorthanded 46 times while the Avs have put themselves in trouble 37 times away from home. They’ve both allowed only seven goals away from home on the PK but the Canucks at home have been one of the least penalized teams in the league. The odds of Colorado doing most of the skating tonight are very good.
- Only Sven Baertschi and Bo Horvat have registered a point in the skate jersey with Baertschi scoring a goal and Horvat getting an assist. There are four current Canuck players that wore it against the Leafs in that game: Horvat, Baertschi, Virtanen, and Tanev.
- J.T. Miller is well on his way to eclipsing Russ Courtnall as the more dominant #9 in the skate jersey. Courtnall had 18 points in 13 games when he came over from Dallas in 94/95 and put up 26 goals and 65 points a season later. Miller has eight goals and 19 points through 20 games and if the Lotto Line reunites, it’s not impossible to think he could score 30.
#FLYINGSKATETWITTER
Stanchion calls his shot
Fire… just fire
MY 94 CENTS
Hopefully, by puck drop, there are a lot more of these. The skate jersey has defined my fandom with the Canucks, the alias should be obvious, and it seems like there are so many others that feel the same way. Tonight, win or lose, they’ll look sharp and the fans will be rewarded esthetically for their suffering. One day, these will return full time.
What I’d like to discuss is the tandem of Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko. We are so quick to create a goalie controversy every time there’s a challenger to the throne. STOP! These are two goalies who can push each other and if Markstrom can sign at a nice clip, this tandem can flourish for more than just a couple of years.
As the Canucks trek further into the season, having multiple netminders at the top of their game will pay massive dividends when the players in front of them can’t put the puck in the net beyond a goal or two. Enjoy the nice things while we have them.
I wouldn’t be surprised if people complained if the Canucks ever did win the Cup when the team didn’t shut out their opponent each game. Focus on the other five guys on the ice.
AND ANOTHER SKATE RELATED THING…
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