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Canucks Army THE GAME DAY – Canucks Vs. Bruins
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Photo credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Always90four
Feb 22, 2020, 15:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 22, 2020, 01:47 EST
THE INTRO
If tonight’s game between the Canucks and Bruins didn’t scream MUST SEE, you probably cheer for someone else. The Bruins have won five straight and 11 of their last 12 games. Simply put, the Bruins are very good. The Canucks, on the other hand, have only won two of their last eight games. Vancouver had won seven of their last eight games prior to this current run so it’s really tough to figure out what the Canucks are doing right now.
Will there be retribution for the hit on Elias Pettersson the last time they met or is it a non-factor? Do the Canucks have a team that can actually beat the Bruins? That’s the real question. Hockey Night in Canada brings out the best.
Let’s Do This!™
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
The odds for tonight’s game are: (VAN +125/ BOS -145) courtesy of OddsShark.com
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
CBC / SN 650 / 7:00 PM
LINEUPS
No changes to the lineup for tonight’s game. Practice didn’t have any surprises to offer. Expect Jacob Markstrom to start again in this high-profile game.
Canucks lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
LWCRWForwards
Tanner Pearson

TANNER PEARSON
Rating: 73.5#46 LW
Bo Horvat

BO HORVAT
Rating: 75.5#25 C
Loui Eriksson

LOUI ERIKSSON
Rating: 69.4#134 RW
FL1 Rating
Rating: 72.81#30 FL1
J.T. Miller

J.T. MILLER
Rating: 76.5#13 LW
Elias Pettersson

ELIAS PETTERSSON
Rating: 77.4#17 C
Tyler Toffoli

TYLER TOFFOLI
Rating: 75.8#23 RW
FL2 Rating
Rating: 76.54#1 FL2
Antoine Roussel

ANTOINE ROUSSEL
Rating: 71.1#99 LW
Adam Gaudette

ADAM GAUDETTE
Rating: 70.7#118 C
Jake Virtanen

JAKE VIRTANEN
Rating: 72.3#72 RW
FL3 Rating
Rating: 71.36#24 FL3
Tyler Motte

TYLER MOTTE
Rating: 68.7#138 LW
Jay Beagle

JAY BEAGLE
Rating: 67.7#163 C
Brandon Sutter

BRANDON SUTTER
Rating: 72.0#88 RW
FL4 Rating
Rating: 69.44#26 FL4
DEFENSIVE PAIRINGSDefense
Alexander Edler

ALEXANDER EDLER
Rating: 74.4#25 LD
Troy Stecher

TROY STECHER
Rating: 71.1#92 RD
DL1 Rating
Rating: 72.73#24 DL1
Quinn Hughes

QUINN HUGHES
Rating: 76.6#8 LD
Chris Tanev

CHRIS TANEV
Rating: 71.4#85 RD
DL2 Rating
Rating: 73.95#12 DL2
Jordie Benn

JORDIE BENN
Rating: 70.8#105 LD
Tyler Myers

TYLER MYERS
Rating: 73.1#43 RD
DL3 Rating
Rating: 71.94#13 DL3
GOALIES
Jacob Markstrom

JACOB MARKSTROM
Rating: 72.5#8 G1
David Backes was traded to the Ducks for Ondrej Kase. Kase could be in the lineup tonight. The Bruins beat out the Flames last night and they’re ready to add another W. This team is rolling right now.
Bruins lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
LWCRWForwards
Brad Marchand

BRAD MARCHAND
Rating: 80.8#4 LW
Patrice Bergeron

PATRICE BERGERON
Rating: 80.8#8 C
David Pastrnak

DAVID PASTRNAK
Rating: 84.4#2 RW
FL1 Rating
Rating: 82.00#1 FL1
Jake DeBrusk

JAKE DEBRUSK
Rating: 74.8#34 LW
David Krejci

DAVID KREJCI
Rating: 75.3#29 C
Danton Heinen

DANTON HEINEN
Rating: 71.4#101 RW
FL2 Rating
Rating: 73.85#13 FL2
Anders Bjork

ANDERS BJORK
Rating: 70.3#117 LW
Charlie Coyle

CHARLIE COYLE
Rating: 75.2#32 C
Karson Kuhlman

KARSON KUHLMAN
Rating: 72.2#81 RW
FL3 Rating
Rating: 72.58#9 FL3
Joakim Nordstrom

JOAKIM NORDSTROM
Rating: 68.5#139 LW
Sean Kuraly

SEAN KURALY
Rating: 70.6#119 C
Chris Wagner

CHRIS WAGNER
Rating: 69.1#140 RW
FL4 Rating
Rating: 69.42#27 FL4
DEFENSIVE PAIRINGSDefense
Zdeno Chara

ZDENO CHARA
Rating: 74.4#24 LD
Charlie McAvoy

CHARLIE MCAVOY
Rating: 77.6#7 RD
DL1 Rating
Rating: 76.01#3 DL1
Torey Krug

TOREY KRUG
Rating: 79.2#2 LD
Brandon Carlo

BRANDON CARLO
Rating: 75.4#17 RD
DL2 Rating
Rating: 77.32#1 DL2
Matt Grzelcyk

MATT GRZELCYK
Rating: 74.6#22 LD
Jeremy Lauzon

JEREMY LAUZON
Rating: 72.7#53 RD
DL3 Rating
Rating: 73.66#4 DL3
GOALIES
Tuukka Rask

TUUKKA RASK
Rating: 74.5#3 G1
GAME NOTES AND A STAT OR TWO
  • Vancouver has allowed three goals or more in seven of the last nine games. The Bruins will score in bunches so Jacob Markstrom better have eaten his Wheaties today.
  • The Canucks have allowed a ton of shots in the last few months and yet for the last two games straight they’ve only surrendered 28 shots. The last time they allowed fewer than 30 shots was against the Sharks on Jan 18 when they gave up 18. Three of the previous four games prior to Jan 18 also had games of less than 29 shots allowed. Travis Green has a system that has given up 30 shots in 36 of 60 games this season. They’re playing with fire.
  • Jacob Markstrom has entered into the top-10 in wins. He’s currently at 22. He’ll need to beat the Bruins tonight to tie the man ahead of him, Tuukka Rask.
  • Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller are tied with 24 goals apiece. It’s likely both of these players will hit 30 but the stretch run needs to have some magic in it because it doesn’t feel like there are a lot of goals in this team right now.
  • Quinn Hughes has 47 points prior to tonight’s game. It’s entirely possible he finishes second in defensive scoring and gets a Norris nomination. Putting up a few points against the Bruins would be a big deal for Eastern voters. Quinn has done so much already, why not this?
#CANUCKSTWITTER
Good point:
MY 94 CENTS
The last time this space was occupied, I called a 4-0 Bruins win. Pretty amazing, right? Tonight, the Canucks have a few things to prove: they’ve been put to shame a few times in the last week, they’re PP isn’t quite back yet and they haven’t really stepped up since the Grzelcyk hit. Time to get ready for the playoffs, Canucks.
Jake gets back to scoring, Toffoli scores and the Canucks squeak out a 5-4 victory.
AND ANOTHER THING…