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CANUCKS ARMY GDT# 3 – CANUCKS @ DUCKS
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Always90four
Oct 12, 2015, 17:26 EDTUpdated:
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The Anaheim Ducks will host the Canucks in their home opener this evening and wouldn’t ya know it, some bloke named Kevin Bieksa will be in the lineup. “Juice” joins former Canuck Ryan Kesler in what will most likely be a spirited affair. Now I’m Jim Hughson all of a sudden! Its no secret that the Ducks/Canucks rivalry has a history, but with Bieksa on the other side now, a new chapter will be written. Don’t pass on this one, something Kesler knows all too well.

BROADCAST INFO

TV: SPORTSNET VAN
RADIO: TSN 1040
PUCK DROP: 7PM

LINEUPS

Vancouver Canucks Lines courtesy of Daily Faceoff (subject to change)
After an illness kept Alex Edler out of the lineup against Calgary, look for him to slot back in. Yannick Weber was a nice surprise and hopefully we get to see more of him soon. I know you’re all sick of me asking but might we see young Jake Virtanen tonight? He was the last off the ice for morning skate, so probably not. Ryan Miller will start because Richard Bachman stayed on the ice late as well and, well, is Richard Bachman.
Anaheim Ducks lines courtesy of Daily Faceoff (subject to change)
Jakob Silfverberg is back after a lethal hit by former Canuck Raffi Torres. Shawn Horcoff is a Duck now which I guess is news if you accidentally clicked on Canucks Army instead of Oilers Nation. As stated above, Kevin Bieksa is a Duck now and he’s paired with a guy named Hampus. Kevin Bieksa now wears the # 2, one closer to being a goalie which the Ducks probably wouldn’t mind seeing someone else. Frederik Anderson will get the start for Anaheim, but I’m sure they’re not thrilled with that.

REASONS TO WATCH THIS GAME

  • Some of you are thinking it, what if Luca Sbisa passes to Bieksa like old times? Entirely possible I’m thinking but the upside is something would go wrong with that plan and it would end up on Bo Horvat’s stick and lately, he hasn’t missed.
  • Jared McCann scored his first NHL goal last game and it was a beauty! Willie D hasn’t been keen on putting rookies in the lineup on his teams, but Bo Horvat did enough last year to warm up the coach. It seems to be working. McCann against a way better opponent will be his first big test.
  • Patrick Maroon is no stranger to getting under the Canucks skin or the occasional fight. A good bet for some quick cash online against Dorsett or Prust, or heck even McCann too! Maroon is a punk and hopefully he doesn’t shy away like usual.
  • Resident super thug Daniel Sedin might have an axe to grind against Kevin Bieksa. Maybe he didn’t give back Daniel’s copy of the 1988 smash hit TWINS on Blu-ray or maybe he blocked him on Facebook. I should note Bieksa does all his blocking on twitter so the Facebook theory probably is wrong. After Daniel Sedins big tussle with Deryk Engelland, he’s a marked man now.
  • The Canucks are undefeated in regulation this season (ok only 2 games) but getting a win over what many believe to be this year’s Stanley Cup Champions (I don’t see it) is a big boost early in the season. Plus, now we get to boo Kes AND Bieksa. That should be fun.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING


“Uh ya, Kevin? So you block A LOT of people on Twitter. Why are you so bitter?”

MY TAKE

It sure would be nice to beat the Ducks. They’re basically a blend of old Canucks (Kesler, Bieksa, Santorelli) and Oilers (Horcoff, Cogliano) and really that shouldn’t make them better now that you can find them in one place. The Canucks had a good effort on Saturday and their first real test against the Ducks should be a welcome sight. If Edler is back to 100% he brings a lot to the table. Ben Hutton could get his first because why not in a game where he shouldn’t be the story line. Canucks squeeze out a 3-2 win. 

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