logo
CanucksArmy has no direct affiliation to the Vancouver Canucks, Canucks Sports & Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
Canucks Army Preseason Game Day 4 – Canucks @ Oilers
alt
Photo credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
Always90four
Sep 19, 2019, 14:30 EDTUpdated: Sep 19, 2019, 14:12 EDT
Comments
Things are progressing nicely for your Vancouver Canucks. They hold a 2-1 record to start the exhibition schedule and have a chance to put another W on the board tonight when they take on the Oilers again, this time in Edmonton.
Goaltending has been a strength early on in the first few games for the Canucks, as Thatcher Demko makes a case for more starts this season as his play has been elevated due to his strong positioning and lack of rebounds.
The Oilers didn’t look out of place against a stronger Canucks lineup last game and they’ll definitely have more household names in the game this evening for the home crowd.
Expect to see more of the Canucks defense on display tonight and look for the Oscar Fantenburg / Brogan Rafferty pairing to make some noise.
Let’s Do This!™
TELEVISION / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SN1 / SN650 / 6:00 PM (PACIFIC)
LINEUPS
Here are the lines according to practice yesterday. Brock Boeser will not suit up and could make his debut against the Kings on Saturday so it’s tough to say who they slot in on the top line this evening.
Canucks lines:
As far as the Oilers are concerned, they’re a bit all over the place so there hasn’t been anything concrete posted yet. Stay tuned to the Oilers Twitter page for an update. Most likely, Connor McDavid will not be playing; they’ll find a way to show him every chance they get though.
GAME NOTES AND OTHER INTERESTING THINGS NOT SEEN ANYWHERE ELSE
  • Is it too early to mention Corsi? No? OK. Nikolay Goldobin leads the Canucks in CF% with a 45.16 rating. It’s not even close, folks. If leading the Canucks after three preseason games isn’t a tell-tale sign of making the Canucks, what are we even doing? I was once told there needs to be a larger sample size but when you look at it, they’ve played three of eight games so that’s basically a half-season of the preseason. Big enough sample for me.
  • Jacob Markstrom hasn’t played a game yet and somewhere online, it’s been decided he’s already lost the starter’s job. It’s probably being debated deep, deep, down on Reddit. Thankfully, the Canucks have a goalie tandem they can rest easy with this season. They’ve improved at every position this offseason including in net. A full training camp for both goalies to work with Ian Clark gets Markstrom and Demko on the same page and will hopefully translate into fewer rebounds, more saves, and more wins.
  • Lost in all the noise of preseason headlines is the quiet return of a healthy Sven Baertschi. This is such a huge win for both the Canucks and Baertschi. It’s tough to know how close Sven is to a career-ending hit, much like the unknown future of Sidney Crosby and his concussion history, so seeing him practice without any talk of relapse is awesome. Baertschi has been a pretty consistent part of the Canucks success in the last few seasons and if he can hold on, a line of Horvat, Miller, and Baertschi could pay big dividends on the second line.
  • Rarely do preseason games highlight the star players. Everyone wants to see the stars rack up the stats but it just doesn’t happen. That being said, the Jay Beagle line may be the one that gets the spotlight this evening. Think about it: no one is talking about Tim Schaller and Tyler Motte is due for some spectacular goals that don’t matter. This line takes the cake tonight.
  • Maybe James Neal plays, maybe he doesn’t. The Flames botched that one. Whether it be Leon Draisaitl or McDavid that gets him, he has a bounce-back season. However it shakes down, he’s golfing in April.
#CANUCKSTWITTER
MY 94 CENTS
I have my eye on Bo Horvat and JT Miller having a good game. No expectation of goals but I want to see their breakouts, I want to see what kind of finish they have and do they get any PP time?
I also want Kole Lind to be in this game and raise the bar. I want him to succeed so bad and these are the games that help build confidence. Imagine… Kole Lind with Bo Horvat and JT Miller. I approve of this thought.
AND THERE IT IS…

Uncategorized

Breaking News