The Vancouver Canucks will play their final preseason game tonight when they host the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena. There isn’t quite as much on the line as there was when these teams last met here in Game 7 of their second-round Stanley Cup Playoff series last May.
Both teams will ice lineups that are close to the ones they’ll use when the regular season starts next week.

What we saw

At long last, JT Miller will make his first appearance in exhibition action, and captain Quinn Hughes will suit up for the second time in the preseason. 
Teddy Blueger will slide into the lineup for the first time after recovering from a late summer medical procedure. And Arshdeep Bains gets one last chance to impress the coaching staff before the opening night roster is set. Bains will skate on left wing on the team’s fourth line tonight with Blueger and Kiefer Sherwood.
With all of their top guns in the lineup, the Canucks will also be able to ice their top power play unit. Jake DeBrusk will get the first opportunity to play the bumper role. 
The Canucks second power play unit at morning skate consisted of Conor Garland, Nils Höglander, Daniel Sprong, Danton Heinen and Filip Hronek.
Arturs Silovs makes his third start of the preseason and is slated to go the distance in goal tonight.
Akito Hirose joined the main group on the ice for the morning skate but was a limited participant. Still, the fact that he was able to suit up is promising for his recovery from a concussion suffered last Saturday in Calgary. Meanwhile, Rick Tocchet said Pius Suter, who suffered an upper-body injury on Monday in Edmonton, skated on his own prior to the full team taking to the ice. Tocchet did not have a timeline for Suter’s return to full team participation.
The Oilers are expected to ice a lineup full of star power, including both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Former Canuck Vasily Podkolzin appears set to lineup on the fourth line tonight.

What we heard

Rick Tocchet on the energy at morning skate with the full group together for the first time this preseason: “I saw a lot of excitement. Some guys haven’t played and some guys have only played one game. So I think guys are excited to play. I think, too, you get down to numbers and we’ve had some really good practices. This is somewhat basically our team, so you’re going to see a lot more excitement there.”
Quinn Hughes on whether two preseason games was always the plan for him: “It was just kind of the way it worked out. Last year I played three and felt really good. This year I feel good and this is my second today, I mean, I just play as many as I’m told to play.”
JT Miller is excited to work with Jake DeBrusk on the power play: “I’m more comfortable being on that (left) side again. With a righty in the middle, it’s not really an attractive place for me to play. Having that threat to shoot in the middle like we used to with Horvat, it’s nice. We’re talking alot and it’s just finding tendancies. Things will click once we start playing games.”
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