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Canucks Army THE GAME DAY – Canucks @ Leafs

Photo credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

By Always90four

Feb 29, 2020, 11:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 29, 2020, 02:21 EST

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THE INTRO

It doesn’t get any bigger than this: tonight the Canucks take on the Maple Leafs in the heart of Canada, the center of the hockey universe, Toronto. Vancouver will have to get a memory wipe ala MIB to forget about their performance against the Senators and focus on beating a Leafs team that is quite fragile right now.

The Canucks aren’t fragile but it’s tough to say what they are as they waxed the Bruins, scored a comeback win against the Canadiens and then just failed against Ottawa. What are the Canucks going to be tonight?

Hopefully, winners.

Let’s Do This!™

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

The odds for tonight’s game are: (VAN / TOR ) courtesy of OddsShark.com

TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP

CBC / SN 650 / 4:00 PM

LINEUPS

As it’s an early game, changes won’t be posted until midday. After the spanking the Senators gave Vancouver, there has to be some kind of change for today. Thatcher Demko will get the start but Louis Domingue should play tomorrow. Big Zack MacEwen should be back in but it’s tough to say who he takes out, maybe Loui or Roussel?

Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:

LW	C	RW	Forwards
TANNER PEARSON Rating: 73.3#51 LW	BO HORVAT Rating: 76.2#26 C	LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 70.1#124 RW	FL1 Rating Rating: 73.19#25 FL1
J.T. MILLER Rating: 78.0#7 LW	ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 77.2#18 C	TYLER TOFFOLI Rating: 77.6#9 RW	FL2 Rating Rating: 77.61#1 FL2
ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 70.2#117 LW	ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 70.9#107 C	JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 72.9#65 RW	FL3 Rating Rating: 71.35#23 FL3
TYLER MOTTE Rating: 68.8#140 LW	JAY BEAGLE Rating: 68.2#157 C	BRANDON SUTTER Rating: 71.1#99 RW	FL4 Rating Rating: 69.36#29 FL4

DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS	Defense
ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 74.9#15 LD	TROY STECHER Rating: 71.6#74 RD	DL1 Rating Rating: 73.28#20 DL1
QUINN HUGHES Rating: 77.5#6 LD	CHRIS TANEV Rating: 71.3#84 RD	DL2 Rating Rating: 74.41#8 DL2
OSCAR FANTENBERG Rating: 70.8#105 LD	TYLER MYERS Rating: 73.3#45 RD	DL3 Rating Rating: 72.02#14 DL3

GOALIES
THATCHER DEMKO Rating: 67.1#38 G1

It’s somewhat laughable what the Leafs have had to endure via the injury bug. Jake Muzzin is the latest one to go down with a broken hand so he’s out about four weeks. Morgan Rielly is getting closer to returning from a broken foot but he’s still out. Cody Ceci is out with an ankle injury and won’t be in the lineup for some time still. Last but not least, Andreas Johnsson is out after getting knee surgery.

He’s done for the year because the Leafs aren’t going very far.

Leafs lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:

LW	C	RW	Forwards
ZACH HYMAN Rating: 74.4#36 LW	AUSTON MATTHEWS Rating: 82.1#8 C	MITCH MARNER Rating: 77.0#11 RW	FL1 Rating Rating: 77.84#5 FL1
WILLIAM NYLANDER Rating: 76.4#14 LW	JOHN TAVARES Rating: 78.6#14 C	CALLE ROSEN Rating: 73.1#58 RW	FL2 Rating Rating: 76.03#5 FL2
PIERRE ENGVALL Rating: 71.7#86 LW	ALEXANDER KERFOOT Rating: 71.3#97 C	KASPERI KAPANEN Rating: 72.2#78 RW	FL3 Rating Rating: 71.72#18 FL3
KYLE CLIFFORD Rating: 70.6#109 LW	FREDERIK GAUTHIER Rating: 68.7#151 C	JASON SPEZZA Rating: 71.1#100 RW	FL4 Rating Rating: 70.14#17 FL4

DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS	Defense
TRAVIS DERMOTT Rating: 71.4#90 LD	JUSTIN HOLL Rating: 71.8#72 RD	DL1 Rating Rating: 71.58#28 DL1
RASMUS SANDIN Rating: 72.0#72 LD	TYSON BARRIE Rating: 75.7#20 RD	DL2 Rating Rating: 73.85#14 DL2
MARTIN MARINCIN Rating: 70.6#109 LD	TIMOTHY LILJEGREN Rating: 72.6#61 RD	DL3 Rating Rating: 71.60#18 DL3

GOALIES
FREDERIK ANDERSEN Rating: 66.7#42 G1

GAME NOTES AND A STAT OR TWO

It’s clear the Canucks have a unicorn in Quinn Hughes. The top eight defensemen in the league in points are all plus players except Hughes who sits at -5. Who really cares about plus-minus? In this case, me. Not only should he be the favourite for the Calder but he should also be looked at for the Norris. He’s fourth in points for defenders, he’s one point back of the league-lead in defensemen power-play points. Say that ten times fast. Hockey Night in Canada might have a field day if Hughes notches a few points before the first intermission.
Auston Matthews is at 44 goals thus far and he’s a sure thing to score 50. Will that matter if the Leafs flop out again this season? Everything is going the opposite of what the Leafs would like but they continue to impress with their star forwards. They should make the postseason but if they’re the Marlies on steroids, that won’t go very far.
Vancouver has climbed up to third in the league on the power play. The Canucks sit at 24.6% so let’s hope they can run up the score against the Leafs tonight and take over second from the Bruins.
After tonight’s game, the Canucks should crack the millennium mark for blocked shots. They sit seven back prior to puck drop. The Leafs are 160 blocked shots behind. Easily less bruised shins in Toronto.
Expect a sore neck after tonight’s game. The Leafs have 719 giveaways this season, which is good for fifth in the league. On the flip side, the Canucks have 477. That seems good?

#CANUCKSTWITTER

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1:00 AM · Feb 29, 2020

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MY 94 CENTS

I don’t even know about this team. Should the Canucks be a team to beat today? Sure. Can they easily lose 6-1? Yup. Toronto needs a head shake as well so this game is really fitting for the two most popular teams in Canada. Vancouver needs to figure their game out or they just flat out lose this one.

I’m unimpressed as of publication.

AND ANOTHER THING…