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Canucks Army Game Day 64 – Canucks @ Avalanche (The Race To Game 83 Edition)
Photo credit: © Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
By Always90four
Feb 27, 2019, 13:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 27, 2019, 03:05 EST
THE INTRO
Somehow, some way, the Canucks made it through the NHL Trade Deadline, depending on who you ask.
Vancouver will have a new look defense tonight with the departure of Erik Gudbranson going to Pittsburgh. Luke Schenn impressed in his Canucks’ debut and will be in the lineup until at least Alex Edler’s return. It’s good to see change.
Colorado sits at 66 points in the West so this is one of those “four-point games” people talk about. Vancouver needs to do exactly what they did against Anaheim the other night in a 4-0 victory and if they get close, this one keeps the Canucks in the hunt.
Let’s Do This!™
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SNP / SN 650 / 6:30 PM
LINEUPS
Guillaume Brisebois is back! Will he play or won’t’ he? Anything is possible in this new world of Canucks hockey. Alex Edler and Sven Baertschi are skating again with a possibility of Edler returning to the lineup on the road trip. Thatcher Demko should be ready for a start but Jacob Markstrom’s shutout might make that a bit tough.
See above for starting goaltender.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 RYAN SPOONER Rating: 70.5#149 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 75.9#46 C |  JOSH LEIVO Rating: 72.7#72 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 73.05#30 FL1 |
 NIKOLAY GOLDOBIN Rating: 70.3#105 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 78.9#26 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 81.6#4 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 76.96#8 FL2 |
 ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 72.8#71 LW |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 72.6#92 C |  MARKUS GRANLUND Rating: 71.5#82 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 72.29#17 FL3 |
 LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 70.6#115 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 67.5#179 C |  TYLER MOTTE Rating: 68.8#120 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 68.96#31 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 BEN HUTTON Rating: 71.5#90 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 73.1#48 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 72.31#28 DL1 |
 DERRICK POULIOT Rating: 70.8#99 LD |  ALEX BIEGA Rating: 72.0#69 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 71.42#26 DL2 |
 ASHTON SAUTNER Rating: 73.5#46 LD |  LUKE SCHENN Rating: 68.0#102 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.74#22 DL3 |
Vladislav Kamenev will miss the rest of the season after getting surgery on his shoulder. Matthew Nieto is out 6-8 weeks with an LBI and Derick Brassard was brought in because of this.
You’re caught up with the Avs!
Semyon Varlamov might just start for the Avalanche tonight. This GDT has been batting almost 100% in this category.
Avalanche lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 MIKKO RANTANEN Rating: 79.7#11 LW |  NATHAN MACKINNON Rating: 86.1#3 C |  ALEXANDER KERFOOT Rating: 74.8#38 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 80.21#6 FL1 |
 GABRIEL LANDESKOG Rating: 78.8#15 LW |  CARL SODERBERG Rating: 75.9#47 C |  JT COMPHER Rating: 72.6#76 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 75.77#13 FL2 |
 TYSON JOST Rating: 72.7#73 LW |  DERICK BRASSARD Rating: 71.3#133 C |  MATT CALVERT Rating: 71.4#101 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 71.78#20 FL3 |
 SVEN ANDRIGHETTO Rating: 71.5#94 LW |  SHELDON DRIES Rating: 71.2#135 C |  GABRIEL BOURQUE Rating: 67.7#124 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.14#25 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 SAMUEL GIRARD Rating: 74.2#36 LD |  ERIK JOHNSON Rating: 74.1#35 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 74.12#22 DL1 |
 RYAN GRAVES Rating: 73.1#50 LD |  TYSON BARRIE Rating: 77.9#16 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 75.54#5 DL2 |
 PATRIK NEMETH Rating: 71.4#94 LD |  NIKITA ZADOROV Rating: 70.7#104 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 71.03#20 DL3 |
YOUR INFORMATIONAL NEEDS FOR TONIGHT’S GAME
- Bo Horvat never went more than a game in October without scoring a goal until Oct 24 which then led to a six-game drought into November. An 11-game lull from Dec 22-Jan 18 had to have been tough to swallow but his five goals in his last 12 games are promising. Bo has emulated Elias Pettersson with his stick-swinging defensive abilities and has maintained his dedication to getting in the dirty areas. Horvat has more than earned the Captaincy and even if the team doesn’t make the playoffs this season, they should honour Bo with the letter in the last home game, it’s time.
- Brock Boeser is also due for a resurgence. He hasn’t scored in three games which has happened a few times this season and on a few occasions this year he’s had multi-goal performances after being shutout. As Bo took over the second spot on the goal list in Vancouver with his two-goal game, Brock will need to return serve. It doesn’t hurt Boeser has 3G / 1A in the two games he’s played against the Avalanche this season. Bet on Brock tonight.
- This year’s Canucks’ team has some unlikely heroes. It hasn’t been all EP40, Boeser, and Markstrom but the players that have dug deep in the hot areas and more specifically how they have coped in high-danger situations. The Canucks currently have six players above 50% in HDGF: Antoine Roussel (61.29), Troy Stecher (55.00), Josh Leivo (53.85), Derrick Pouliot (53.49), Elias Pettersson (52.94), and Alex Biega (50.00). Ashton Sautner has only played three games so he was left off. These numbers aren’t overwhelmingly positive but it does show high-danger scoring chances are being steered away from Markstrom and that these players are helping lead the rush towards more goals the other way.
- The season series between VAN/COL has been entertaining, to say the least. The Canucks have scored 12 goals in two games against the Avalanche while allowing half of that. A 7-6 OT victory earlier in the season did tip the scale a bit. Might we see another marathon of goals?
- Elias Pettersson has the Calder pretty much wrapped up but even still, he’s 19 points ahead of Rasmus Dahlin while playing 11 fewer games. To be fair, Pettersson is basically carrying the Canucks as a forward which is where the offense is expected to originate from while Dahlin is on the back end and may direct traffic but doesn’t get the same chances Pettersson does. Regardless, Petey is amazing and he might even eclipse the Bure mark.
MY 94 CENTS
OK, the Canucks beat the Ducks and they didn’t allow a goal. That should be exciting and it is, but they beat a team they should have beat. There are a lot of teams they should have been victorious against this season and going forward they’ll need every possible victory if they think they can make the playoffs.
It’s quite unlikely but for the sake of seeing this season play out, I’ll amuse myself with the chance it could happen. The one thing that has ultimately been their downfall, and no I’m not going to reference EG again, is the PP. They have the personnel to make it successful but the thinking is stale and watching teams like Tampa execute time after time is proof that Vancouver’s power-play needs a lot of work.
Canucks get back to normal and are a step closer to Jack Hughes.
THE TWITTER TAKE
This was a from a few days ago but you have to think even with Gillis inheriting the team he did, he knew when to pounce, right or wrong. Benning still needs to go beyond “the draft”.
Breaking News
- Scenes from practice: Maintenance days once again for Canucks veterans Hronek, Boeser & Kane; all expected to play vs. LA
- Blackfish: Cootes matches career high while Patterson sets new ones, plus a CHL/NCAA postseason primer
- WWYDW: What is your three-item wish-list for the 2026 Canucks offseason?
- Which NHL teams are most likely to be interested in an Elias Pettersson trade this summer?
- The Stanchies: Canucks keep things interesting in 5-3 loss to Ducks