10 p.m. ET; SNP, BSMW
I hate to call the last game a snooze fest, but that's what it was. So much so that both Boeser and JT played less than 15 minutes. Pius Suter led the forwards in minutes with 17:10. When your team has a defensive system that is being played properly, the other team will still get shots, but the rebounds and dangerous zone shots will be reduced and you don't need to play the big guns.
That probably won't be the case tonight, as the Nucks face a team they haven't beaten in 2024. This is the final game between the Nucks and Blues this year, having split the first two games. The Blues played a very strong defensive game against the Canucks on Jan 4th as they won 2-1. The Blues didn't even let Miller or Petey have a shot that night, which led to the resurrection of the Lotto Line in the next game. Funny enough, the Lotto Line might disappear tonight after their lack of performance in the past couple games.
You would think that being first in the division at this point would bring some ease to my mind, but the next two games against lower teams are wins that are needed as other teams have also had some incredible runs to get back into the race.
I also want to state that I would like to see this team stand pat at the deadline. Let's see what this team turns into in the playoffs and then address those concerns before the draft. Trying to find a piece to at this point would be changing for the sake of changing.
Get ready for this tonight
Blues projected lineup
Pavel Buchnevich -- Robert Thomas -- Jordan Kyrou
Brandon Saad --Brayden Schenn -- Jake Neighbours
Alexey Toropchenko -- Kevin Hayes -- Nathan Walker
Nikita Alexandrov -- Oskar Sundqvist -- Sammy Blais
Nick Leddy -- Colton Parayko
Torey Krug -- Matthew Kessel
Marco Scandella -- Justin Faulk
Joel Hofer
Jordan Binnington
Scratched: Scott Perunovich, Adam Gaudette
Injured: Kasperi Kapanen (lower body)
Canucks projected lineup
Elias Pettersson -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Ilya Mikheyev -- Pius Suter -- Andrei Kuzmenko
Dakota Joshua -- Teddy Blueger -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Nils Aman -- Sam Lafferty
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Nikita Zadorov -- Tyler Myers
Ian Cole -- Noah Juulsen
Casey DeSmith
Thatcher Demko
Scratched: Linus Karlsson, Mark Friedman
Injured: Carson Soucy (hand), Phillip Di Giuseppe (lower body), Guillaume Brisebois (concussion)
Status report
The Blues did not hold a morning skate Wednesday following a 4-3 win at the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, but Hofer is expected to start after Binnington made 32 saves at Calgary in his third straight start. … DeSmith will start after Demko played four of the past five, including making 31 saves in a 2-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday. … Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said he is considering breaking up his top line despite being 8-0-1 since they were put together for the first time this season, with Pettersson moving to center a second line. … Myers and Hronek swapped spots against Chicago, but were back in their usual positions, with Hronek alongside Hughes on the top defense pair, at practice Tuesday. - NHL.com
Game Day Battle Hymn
There are open complaints about my musical choices.....that is your right. I openly complain about Kent's. Unfortunately for you, you have not asked to write for us and thereby you don't have the power to pick the songs! In the spirit of bugging people, I bring you a catchy diddy that my family hates when I play it loudly at 6 am. Enjoy!!!!...............or don't.
Go Canucks Go!
