THE INTRO
Clinch or clench? The Canucks go into tonight’s game up three games to two and have a chance to move on to the second round. They haven’t seen the semi-finals since 2011 so there’s a bit riding on this one. Don’t expect the St. Louis Blues to go easily, in fact, they’ll want to force Game 7 by any means necessary.
Tyler Motte will get more attention tonight which will play into the Canucks hands nicely and give Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson more room to work. Getting under the Blues skin will also be key and again, Antoine Roussel needs to be a factor… for the good.
This one is going to be a blast!
Let’s Do This!™
TV / RADIO / PUCK DROP
SN / SN 650 / 6:45 PM
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
The odds for tonight’s game are: VAN +115/ STL -135 courtesy of OddsShark.com
LINEUPS
Word is Alex Edler (lacerated ear) should play tonight. Everyone knows losing one top defenseman is tough, losing two is monumental. There are also rumours that Tyler Toffoli could play as well. Don’t hold your breath on that one but it’s interesting. Other than that, don’t expect Travis Green to mettle with the lineup.
Jacob Markstrom has a chance to move his team to the next round. He’ll be on tonight.
CANUCKS lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 J.T. MILLER Rating: 78.5#7 LW |  ELIAS PETTERSSON Rating: 77.7#14 C |  BROCK BOESER Rating: 74.1#41 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 76.78#11 FL1 |
 TANNER PEARSON Rating: 73.7#38 LW |  BO HORVAT Rating: 74.8#34 C |  LOUI ERIKSSON Rating: 69.7#123 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 72.73#24 FL2 |
 ANTOINE ROUSSEL Rating: 71.0#97 LW |  BRANDON SUTTER Rating: 70.1#131 C |  ADAM GAUDETTE Rating: 70.2#130 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 70.44#26 FL3 |
 TYLER MOTTE Rating: 68.8#144 LW |  JAY BEAGLE Rating: 68.4#163 C |  JAKE VIRTANEN Rating: 72.0#78 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 69.73#23 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 ALEXANDER EDLER Rating: 74.3#26 LD |  TROY STECHER Rating: 71.9#63 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 73.11#23 DL1 |
 QUINN HUGHES Rating: 75.2#15 LD |  CHRIS TANEV Rating: 71.0#90 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 73.12#16 DL2 |
 OSCAR FANTENBERG Rating: 70.9#100 LD |  JORDIE BENN Rating: 70.9#101 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 70.90#26 DL3 |
Ivan Barbashev is back in the lineup and Sammy Blais’ face seems to be ok a few nights after having it caved in by Antoine Roussel. There will likely be no other changes.
Jake Allen has to start. There is no way that Jordan Binnington comes back in, right?
BLUES lines courtesy of Dailyfaceoff.com:
| LW | C | RW | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
 JADEN SCHWARTZ Rating: 77.0#12 LW |  RYAN O’REILLY Rating: 75.8#28 C |  DAVID PERRON Rating: 75.3#27 RW | FL1 Rating Rating: 76.04#13 FL1 |
 OSKAR SUNDQVIST Rating: 72.2#76 LW |  BRAYDEN SCHENN Rating: 76.6#22 C |  TYLER BOZAK Rating: 73.0#59 RW | FL2 Rating Rating: 73.95#11 FL2 |
 ZACH SANFORD Rating: 73.3#43 LW |  ROBERT THOMAS Rating: 72.7#66 C |  SAMMY BLAIS Rating: 70.6#105 RW | FL3 Rating Rating: 72.21#11 FL3 |
 IVAN BARBASHEV Rating: 71.3#93 LW |  JACOB DE LA ROSE Rating: 68.2#148 C |  JORDAN KYROU Rating: 72.9#62 RW | FL4 Rating Rating: 70.79#11 FL4 |
| DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
 MARCO SCANDELLA Rating: 72.3#66 LD |  ALEX PIETRANGELO Rating: 78.5#4 RD | DL1 Rating Rating: 75.40#10 DL1 |
 ROBERT BORTUZZO Rating: 72.4#53 LD |  COLTON PARAYKO Rating: 76.9#11 RD | DL2 Rating Rating: 74.64#4 DL2 |
 VINCE DUNN Rating: 76.0#10 LD |  JUSTIN FAULK Rating: 74.1#30 RD | DL3 Rating Rating: 75.07#1 DL3 |
GAME NOTES, STATS, AND ONE INTERESTING THING
- Jake Virtanen had a 73.33 CF% and a 94.10 xGF% last game. In a vacuum, that’s incredible. Unlikely he goes two games like that but for a guy everyone had out of the lineup, he stepped up when he needed to matter the most. Oh, and #shotgunjake is back.
- After tonight’s game, Jacob Markstrom will lead the playoffs in saves and shots against. He’s only about 20 back, yikes! We all would like to see fewer five-alarm saves but he’s been 100% on those this postseason. Markstrom has been the Canucks best player not named Hughes so far.
- Elias Pettersson is two points off the lead in the playoffs. J.T. Miller is just three back. Pettersson hasn’t looked electric and at the same time, he has been a hot knife through butter. How great would it be to see Pettersson unleash the slapshot we’ve seen so often for two goals? St. Louis has kept Petey in check for the most part but it just feels like we’re so close to seeing him dominate the game.
- Why has Quinn Hughes been so dangerous every time he has the puck? He has the speed, the hands, and the button-hook spins like Drew Doughty. He gets out of trouble at the tip of a hat and has kept play moving on every shift. The fact that he’s leading all defensemen in points doesn’t even register anymore. Hughes has become all-world in less than a month.
- Tyler Motte is two points back of being the top-producing Tyler in the playoffs. He’s T1 in SHP and first in SHG. By the end of the playoffs, whenever that is for Vancouver, is it possible that Motte is the best Tyler left standing?
THE TWITTER TAKE
🐟💥💨 @HalfordTSN @JasonBroughTSN pic.twitter.com/XxkcdDdDUH
— Tommy the Tractor Guy (@tommykippes) August 21, 2020
MY 94 CENTS
If you’ve listened to me you’ll know that the Canucks played a dynamic style of hockey last game and kept their feet moving. They’ll need to do that again tonight and capitalize on any power play they get. St. Louis has taken some boneheaded penalties this series and the Canucks can put them away if they play smart.
It’s also been proven that the game isn’t over until it says 0:00. That Markstrom save at the buzzer is living proof.
Expect an energetic game from both teams.
AND ANOTHER THING…
Someone will still complain if the Canucks win.
