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CANUCKS ARMY GDT#3 – CANUCKS VS. BLUES
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Always90four
Oct 18, 2016, 15:00 EDTUpdated:
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In what surely will be an absolute barn burner at Rogers Arena, the undefeated Vancouver Canucks take on the undefeated St. Louis Blues. This has Tyson/Holyfield hype written all over it. The Canucks are coming off, dare I say, an impressive win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday and there has to be some kind of momentum building for this club.
Bo Horvat was reunited with Sven Baertschi and Jake Virtanen and surprise, surprise a goal came out of the group. Tonight we’ll see if the Canucks can continue befuddling their fans with another strong outing. 
It’s early but what if the Canucks are semi-good?
I’ll stop.
BROADCAST INFO
TV: SNET-VAN
RADIO: TSN 1040
PUCK DROP: 7PM
LINEUPS
Somehow the fans are getting what they want when it comes to deciding the Canucks lines. Willie Desjardins tooled the combinations a bit and had instant success. With Horvat in his proper spot, Brandon Sutter was flanked by Markus Granlund and Jannik Hansen. 
Seeing Sutter as an effective centre really makes the Canucks a more well-rounded team. It was tough to make a case for him last year as someone that belonged on this team but with so many injuries, he never had a chance.
Looks like Ryan Miller will be back in the net. He’s coming off a 2-1 shutout victory against the Flames on opening night. Let’s not argue about whether it was or wasn’t one, he got the W.
Vancouver Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
Defensive Pairings
 
Alexander Edler
 
Chris Tanev
 
Ben Hutton
 
Erik Gudbranson
 
Luca Sbisa
 
Philip Larsen
This Blues team is pretty interesting already and we haven’t even hit November yet. Newly acquired Nail Yakupov is lighting the lamp and fellow former Oiler David Perron is jumping over the boards every time Yakupov does. Some might feel the Blues are boring but there is some serious talent on that roster. Don’t overlook this lineup.
Jake Allen should start after Carter Hutton started and won last game against the New York Rangers.
St. Louis Blues lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:

REASONS TO WATCH THIS GAME
  • It doesn’t sound overly exciting but the Canucks through two games are right in the middle of the pack for FOW%. Manny Malhotra is already paying dividends at the centre postion, and I’ll sound like a broken record but a healthy Sutter gives the Canucks three solid pivots. Having puck possession seems to be a good thing in the NHL.
  • On to the advanced stats, did you know the Canucks, yes the Canucks, LEAD the NHL through two games in CF% 5v5? Am I reading way too much into this stat? Absolutely. Take the small victories as you can get them. 
  • Ryan Miller could be in for a memorable season this year if Willie Desjardins uses him properly in tandem with Jacob Markstrom. This early on there isn’t much to go on except the play we’ve seen and he’s been positionally sound and his play during overtime and the shootout gives the Canucks a chance to win a few more games if they can’t lock it down in regulation.
  • Ben Hutton scored his first goal of the season on Sunday, might he score another? Last year, he tallied the same amount but he now has a full season under his belt and he’ll be looked upon to factor into an offense that is welcoming literally anyone to score goals. There’s a good chance Erik Gudbranson won’t be lighting the lamp too much so Hutton should probably work on that shot a bit more.
  • Injuries dismantled the Canucks last year and Alex Edler was no exception. Starting the year healthy gives the Canucks two effective defensive pairings and the Sbisa/Larsen duo might end up being alright too! In the game against Calgary, Edler showed flashes of his old self and I wonder if he still has the strength to be a top defender for the Canucks. He can give this team a big advantage if his stick isn’t exploding and the puck starts hitting the back of the net.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
1 year ago, we found out how hard Parayko can shoot the puck. (@Canucks you may want to have extra glass on hand for tomorrow just in case) pic.twitter.com/9OWukpPhy5
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 17, 2016
Sounds like a challenge St. Louis. 
MY TAKE
The Blues owned the Canucks last season winning all three games against them, however, the six games prior went the Canucks way. When you play a team only three times a year, you want to make them count. For now, the Canucks are making this interesting so flipping the switch is entirely possible.
WILL THE CANUCKS WIN?
Would it be wrong if I said yes? I love a good storyline so YES, the Canucks will beat the Blues. They’ve now won in a shootout and OT so why not be ahead after 60 minutes? I’ll be horribly wrong at some point so let’s ride this as long as possible.

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