logo
CanucksArmy has no direct affiliation to the Vancouver Canucks, Canucks Sports & Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
Canucks Army GDT #60 – Canucks @ Bruins
alt
Rhys Jessop
Feb 24, 2015, 16:13 ESTUpdated:
Comments
After an impressive 4-0 win over the Metropolitan-leading New York Islanders on Sunday, the Canucks have traveled to Boston to take on the slumping Boston Bruins. Both teams saw a significant player go down with a long-term leg injury recently, and both teams are scraping and clawing to make the playoffs in their respective conferences. 
It’s not a matchup that has the firepower it once did, but these are still two heated rivals that have motivation to put forth their best efforts tonight. Read past the jump for a preview.

Broadcast Info

Puck Drop: 4:00 PM PST
TV: Sportsnet Pacific/360
Radio: TSN 1040

Lineups

Defensive Pairings
 
Dan Hamhuis
 
Yannick Weber
 
Luca Sbisa
 
Alex Biega
 
Ryan Stanton
 
Adam Clendening
Nick Bonino is a game time decision tonight, and will play with Shawn Matthias and Radim Vrbata. Brandon McMillan will draw into the lineup if Bonino can’t go. Eddie Lack will start and Jacob Markstrom will back-up as Ryan Miller is out 4-6 weeks with a leg injury.
Defensive Pairings
 
Zdeno Chara
 
Dougie Hamilton
 
Torey Krug
 
Adam McQuaid
 
Dennis Seidenberg
 
Matt Bartkowski
David Krejci will miss 4-6 weeks with a knee injury, so Ryan Spooner will centre Milan Lucic and David Pastrnak. Gregory Campbell is out with an upper body injury. Tuukka Rask will start in net.

Head to Head

Storylines

  • Eddie’s Team – With Ryan Miller shelved for the foreseeable future with a right leg injury, Eddie Lack gets his chance once again to stake his claim to Vancouver’s starting position. Lack has posted solid numbers this season, stopping 91.7% of shots he’s faced overall and 92.2% of the shots he’s seen at even strength. This undersells his performance somewhat though, as he’s 13th in the NHL in adjusted 5v5 save percentage this season, which is slightly ahead of Henrik Lundqvist, Tuukka Rask, and Roberto Luongo and just 0.6% behind Cory Schneider, who sits 4th in the league with a minimum of 20 GP. Jacob Markstrom has so far been a sieve at the NHL level in his career, so it’s likely Lack gets the vast majority of starts. Hopefully Willie Desjardins avoids running him into the ground as John Tortorella did one year ago around this time.
  • Bonino’s Back – Despite going into a long slump after a white-hot start to his Canucks tenure, Nick Bonino has acquitted himself nicely as a cost-controlled middle-6 centre who provides value above what his salary pays him. Linden Vey hasn’t been able to step up in Bonino’s absence, and Shawn Matthias proved far more effective on left wing, so Bonino’s return will definitely help stabilize Vancouver’s depth forward group and offset some of the offense that will be lost as a result of the coming offensive regressions of Zack Kassian and Bo Horvat.
  • Beantown Bound – What can be said that hasn’t already been said about the Bruins and Canucks? Vancouver doesn’t exactly have a sparkling history in Boston, getting their doors blown off in the 2011 Cup Final, and “game eight” which featured the highlight of Cody Hodgson’s career and Brad Marchand injuring Sami Salo on a dirty low-bridge hit proved to be the crescendo of the 2011-2012 season. While old grudges still surely run hot, both teams are battling for their playoff lives, as both are just three points up on the final playoff spot in their respective conferences. A win tonight is a must for either squad.

Breaking News