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CANUCKS ARMY GDT# 63 – CANUCKS VS. SHARKS…AGAIN
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Always90four
Mar 3, 2016, 15:00 ESTUpdated:
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The Canucks face the Sharks for the second time in less than a week and will play them again on Saturday. San Jose took the first game 4-1 but I have a feeling the Canucks were thinking about the deadline so they didn’t want to impress too much as they may get traded. Tonight should be a different looking Canucks team and the youth is furthering its presence.
Rebuilding takes time but it’ll be worth it.

BROADCAST INFO

TV: SNET-P
RADIO: TSN 1040
PUCK DROP: 7:00 PM (NOTE THE START TIME, ITS GENERIC)

LINE COMBOS

The Sedin roulette wheel is taking bets and Emerson Etem is the latest member to get a chance. Jannik Hansen’s injury (Ribs. Mmmm ribs… wait, no, he hurt them) has afforded Brendan Gaunce an emergency call-up and it may be the last time he flies away from Utica. Radim Vrbata is excited to play again, he has to be, he’s still a Canuck. Ben Hutton will look to build on his courageous performance from the Islander game and I think we are witnessing the birth of the next great Canucks defenseman, seriously.
Ryan Miller sat last game but will start tonight. He’s been alright this year, let’s see what he can do.
Vancouver Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
Defensive Pairings
 
Ben Hutton
 
Chris Tanev
 
Dan Hamhuis
 
Matt Bartkowski
 
Luca Sbisa
 
Alex Biega
The Sharks are icing basically the same lineup they did the last time they played Vancouver so no surprises are coming. Today, the Sharks are in the playoffs but I think the Canucks would like to spoil that party.
Martin Jones (not Tom Jones’ nephew…I think) will start. Apparently it’s his 10th consecutive start, so let’s have a pre-game ceremony for him.
San Jose Sharks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:

REASONS TO WATCH THIS GAME

  • Brendan Gaunce is back! We missed him and it may be time for him to stick on the big club. He brings one NHL goal with him and a 33 point season in Utica. His gear never made it in time for last game so he should be in the lineup tonight. Yet another prospect turned pro….this is good.
  • I may have said this before but Daniel Sedin is 2 goals away from top 10 status. This roller coaster season has still produced a 35 year old that can hang in the top 10 in goals, amazing. He still gets it done and the Canucks would be lost without Daniel or his Captain brother Henrik.
  • Let’s go back to last game against the Islanders. It was late, the Canucks were down a goal and they almost tied it up, thanks in large part to rookie Ben Hutton. He held the line like a champ, set up two chances and almost scored. He is everything we want in a defensman and he’s only getting better. Take a look at the end, not everything is there but he was a stud.
  • As this season comes to a close, Willie Desjardins will most likely start adjusting his lineup if the team starts losing the playoff chase. That being said, we may just see another call-up and this team may start taking shape for the future. Gaunce, Horvat, Virtanen, McCann, Hutton, Biega and maybe Pedan soon enough could all be full-time members of the Canucks. This is a reason worth watching, this is what the Canucks are going to be. Is it boring? Yes. Is it frustrating? YES. But if you’re reading this which obviously you still are, you believe in the turnaround. 
  • Is Jake Virtanen still hitting people? I haven’t seen a “murder” of his in forever, he’s due. I guess he’s been busy making plays. We need more oompf, Jake!

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

MY TAKE

I’m optimistic the Canucks can win. The Sharks are making waves though and that Jumbo Joe and Little Joe combo is unreal. I wish we had that. Anyways, the Canucks do have some gaps and when you have Yannick Weber as a forward, you have problems. The Canucks lose this one, but take it to OT.

WHAT’D I MISS?

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