Come For The Banter - Stay For The Disappointment
Nucks Fan Rebuild & Retool Center - Come For The Banter - Stay For The Disappointment
Unlike pretty much every other game in this historic losing streak, the Canucks probably deserved a better fate than they were dealt on Monday night against the Islanders. The problem is, things are so bad with the Canucks that they simply cannot make a mistake, because when they do, it ends up in the back of their net.
Vancouver Canucks (16-28-5) vs. Washington Capitals (24-20-6)
Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC
7:00 pm PST; 10:00 pm EST
TV: Sportsnet Pacific
Radio: Sportsnet 650
Honestly, it's hard to be mad at the Canucks over that loss to the Islanders on Monday evening. They fought hard, and gave the Islanders all they could handle. In the end, mistakes made were costly, and ended being the difference, as well as another failure from one of the NHL's most inept penalty kills. I though overall it was a much better effort team-wise, but still, we're at 11 games and counting right now, and something has to give.
The last time these teams met was a fairly eventful contest. Tyler Myers had a goal and an assist, Elias Pettersson got his first of the year, as did Teddy Blueger. Blueger's goal put the Canucks up 4-0, and they were able to hang on for the 4-3 win. It was a costly one, though. Tom Wilson's garbage hit on Filip Chytil went unpunished, and Chytil is still out of the lineup, recovering from concussion issues.
If there's a team they might be able to bump the slump against, maybe it's Washington? They've lost 3 straight, are 10-10-3 on the road and have not won a road game this season where their opponents scored first. They're also 0-5 in shootouts this season. I shouldn't have to tell you that it really doesn't matter how they win, but getting one just for everyone's mental health should be the priority.
And while we know it's hard to bring yourself to watch the Canucks right now, what with the at times unwatchably horrid hockey they're playing, world events, and new episodes of The Traitors, but this could potentially be the last visit of Alexander Ovechkin to Rogers Arena, so this one will be worth the watch, I am sure. Oh, and a little payback to Tom Wilson probably wouldn't hurt, while they're at it.
LINEUPS
From that nhl dot com thang, here's what we should likely see on the ice tonight:
Capitals projected lineup
Connor McMichael -- Dylan Strome -- Ryan Leonard
Aliaksei Protas -- Justin Sourdif -- Tom Wilson
Alex Ovechkin -- Nic Dowd -- Anthony Beauvillier
Brandon Duhaime -- Hendrix Lapierre -- Ethen Frank
Jakob Chychrun -- John Carlson
Martin Fehervary -- Matt Roy
Rasmus Sandin -- Declan Chisholm
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: Trevor van Riemsdyk, Dylan McIlrath, Sonny Milano, Ivan Miroshnichenko
Injured: Pierre-Luc Dubois (lower body)
Canucks projected lineup
Evander Kane -- Elias Pettersson -- Jake DeBrusk
Drew O’Connor -- David Kampf -- Brock Boeser
Liam Ohgren -- Teddy Blueger -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Max Sasson -- Linus Karlsson
Elias Pettersson -- Filip Hronek
Zeev Buium -- Tyler Myers
Marcus Pettersson -- Tom Willander
Kevin Lankinen
Jiri Patera
Scratched: P.O. Joseph, Arshdeep Bains, Aatu Raty
Injured: Thatcher Demko (lower body), Marco Rossi (lower body), Filip Chytil (concussion protocol), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
The big news is that Teddy Blueger is good to go and will be in the lineup tonight, which shows you just how badly the Canucks are hurting for good news of any kind at the moment. That means Arshdeep Bains is going back to Abbotsford. With Demko and Forbort likely done for the season, that means Chytil (who could play soon) and Rossi (scheduled to be back after the Olympic break) are the only ones left still hoping to get back in. Washington is mostly healthy, with just Pierre-Luc DBag the only one out at the moment, and it will be Kevin Lankinen vs Logan Thompson in goal.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Yesterday saw a new tune drop from Bay Area thrash pioneers EXODUS, and it's an absolute beast of a track! I know there's a lot of hype for the upcoming Megadeth swan song, but this is the album I will be waiting impatiently for. From the album entitled 'Goliath', this is '3111', featuring Rob Dukes on vocals. Dukes rejoined the band last year, after serving in that role from 2005-2014.
Enjoy the game, folks! Fuck Fascism and Fuck Trump! Go Canucks Go!
After what was quite possibly the most embarrassing period of hockey by this team that I have ever witnessed in over 50 years of punishing myself by following them, the Canucks moved out another big piece as Kiefer Sherwood is a San Jose Shark, thus ensuing games against them are going to go back to being just fucking miserable again.
Vancouver Canucks (16-27-5) vs. New York Islanders (26-17-5)
Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC
7:00 pm PST; 10:00 pm EST
TV: Sportsnet Pacific
Radio: Sportsnet 650
At the end of the day, this is a pretty decent return for Sherwood, and the stockpiling of draft picks shows that they're actually taking this rebuild seriously. And that's good, because that game on Saturday night was one that is going to have a direct impact on butts in the seats for the remainder of the season.
The Oilers, minus Leon Draisaitl, absolutely savaged the Canucks in the second period, and it was difficult to watch. When the Oilers got their first goal, you could literally feel the spirit leaving the collective bodies of the Canucks, and that game was over before they finished announcing who scored. It's reached the point, and dear god I completely and utterly despise the phrase and having to use it, but the fan base would just LOVE a moral victory of some kind, any kind, right now. And it seems so distant it feels as though it's not real.
And it feels like Sportsnet dropping a Quinn Hughes feature where he raves about how good the Wild are compared to the Canucks is pretty cruel. I'll post the link, but honestly, I can't read stuff like this right now, it's just piling on, and this fan base has suffered enough, thank you very much.
And then there's the whole making history thing tonight. The Canucks can set a new mark of infamy with a loss as they have dropped ten straight, which they haven't done since the Mark Messier days. They face a team that most times wouldn't be a tremendous threat, as the New York Islanders, while they sit second in the Metropolitan Division, are hardly a team considered to be front runners, and given the log jam over there, could easily drop out of contention with just a handful of losses at the wrong time.
The Isles are without Bo Horvat, who's banged up but should be good to go for Team Canada over in Italy at the Olympics next month. Even then, they still have a decent enough team, in spite of the 4-1 loss at the hands of the Canucks a month ago today. Keep an eye on Matthew Schafer, he's still proving to be one of the front runners in the Calder race, and is a lot of fun to watch.
LINEUPS
From the ol' nhl dot com doodad, here's tonight's supposed lineups:
Islanders projected lineup
Anders Lee -- Mathew Barzal -- Anthony Duclair
Jonathan Drouin -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Simon Holmstrom
Maxim Tsyplakov -- Calum Ritchie -- Emil Heineman
Kyle MacLean -- Casey Cizikas -- Marc Gatcomb
Matthew Schaefer -- Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech -- Tony DeAngelo
Adam Boqvist -- Scott Mayfield
Ilya Sorokin
David Rittich
Scratched: Cole McWard, Max Shabanov
Injured: Ethan Bear (wrist), Pierre Engvall (ankle), Bo Horvat (lower body), Kyle Palmieri (lower body), Alexander Romanov (shoulder), Semyon Varlamov (knee)
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser
Evander Kane -- David Kampf -- Drew O'Connor
Liam Ohgren -- Aatu Raty -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Max Sasson -- Linus Karlsson
Marcus Pettersson -- Filip Hronek
Zeev Buium -- Tyler Myers
Elias Nils Pettersson -- Tom Willander
Kevin Lankinen
Jiri Patera
Scratched: P.O Joseph, Arshdeep Bains
Injured: Thatcher Demko (lower body), Marco Rossi (lower body), Filip Chytil (concussion protocol), Teddy Blueger (lower body), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
So... with Nikita Tolopilo and Victor Mancini headed back to Abbotsford, that means Jiri Patera and Elias Pettersson are back up, but it will be Kevin Lankinen back in the crease for the Canucks tonight. There was some hope that Teddy Blueger and Filip Chytil would be ready for tonight, but it does not appear that either of them will be skating tonight.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Going back to the 80's today to check out one of the first wave Bay Area thrash bands that never caught on when the labels started snapping up all the bands of that scene. With a sound not too far removed from EXODUS, your guess is as good as mine why they didn't move to that next level. Maybe it was the 'how the fuck do you pronounce that?' name, but musically it's worth a listen if you dig the old school stuff. Off 'Annihilation Principle', here's a great cover of the Dead Kennedys classic 'Holiday In Cambodia'.
Enjoy the game, if that's possible. Fuck fascism! Go Canucks Go!
Nobody said tanking was easy, and while the benefits are obvious, maybe these guys could throw us a bone? We're used to the losses, but this is getting ridiculous.
Vancouver Canucks (16-26-5) vs. Edmonton Oilers (23-17-8)
Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC
7:00 pm PST; 10:00 pm EST
TV: Sportsnet, CBC, City
Radio: Sportsnet 650
There was a point in this season where you could go "Well, at least the Canucks are decent enough on the road, right?" So what do you do when that's no longer a thing?
That road trip couldn't have gone any worse for the Canucks, honestly. Losing every single game, along with another handful of players has sealed their fate, and the rest of the season will just be them riding it out, playing the kids and hopefully, having it all pay off with a top three draft pick come June.
And while that sounds simple, it's really not. There's a lot that needs to be done, selling off of assets, and making sure which ones to keep to build a new core around. And the hardest part? They need to sell the team to new owners. It's not going to be quick. It's going to be painful. But it's the only way out of this godforsaken mess.
And now, with the potential to set a new low with the most consecutive losses, and the penalty kill operating at a 50% clip during that road trip, they return home to face the league's best power play in the Edmonton Oilers. I am already feeling uneasy at just how bad they're going to look tonight.
35 games to go, and most of them are at home. For some teams, that would be reassuring. For the worst team on home ice in the NHL? Not so much. And it's a rough schedule, too. 8 straight at home, a game every second night. No chance to practice in between, really. No extended periods to let nagging injuries heal. This is a nightmare scenario.
LINEUPS
Via that nhl dot com place, this is what will likely shake down tonight:
Oilers projected lineup
Vasily Podkolzin -- Connor McDavid -- Zach Hyman
Trent Frederic -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Kasperi Kapanen
Isaac Howard -- Jack Roslovic -- Matthew Savoie
Andrew Mangiapane -- Curtis Lazar -- Mattias Janmark
Mattias Ekholm -- Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse -- Ty Emberson
Jake Walman -- Spencer Stastney
Tristan Jarry
Calvin Pickard
Scratched: Leon Draisaitl, Alec Regula, Connor Ingram
Injured: Adam Henrique (upper body)
Canucks projected lineup
Liam Ohgren -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser
Jake DeBrusk -- David Kampf -- Evander Kane
Drew O’Connor -- Aatu Raty -- Conor Garland
Arshdeep Bains -- Max Sasson -- Linus Karlsson
Marcus Pettersson -- Filip Hronek
Zeev Buium -- Tyler Myers
Tom Willander -- Victor Mancini
Nikita Tolopilo
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: P.O Joseph, Nils Hoglander
Injured: Thatcher Demko (lower body), Kiefer Sherwood (undisclosed), Marco Rossi (lower body), Filip Chytil (concussion protocol), Teddy Blueger (lower body), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Lots going on here, so let's start with the big news. No Leon Draisaitl, as he's returned to Germany to deal with a sick family member. Unfortunate for him and the Oilers, but potentially a ray of light for the Canucks if they hope to not hit double digits on this losing skid. It's Nikita Tolopilo in goal tonight, as Kevin Lankinen is ill, so much so they had a third goaltender at the morning skate, but he will dress tonight, apparently. Chytil and Blueger are almost ready to return, likely Monday against the Islanders, but not tonight.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Just playing this track from SEPULTURA's classic 'Chaos A.D.' album, for no particular reason.
Enjoy the game, folks. Fuck Fascism! Go Canucks Go!
7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, SNP
Early games...sheesh.
What can I say about this team that is new and refreshing to read?
They suck?.....no, that's not it. They don't actually suck. They have the same issues as better Canuck teams. They can't score and they have a mental shutdown for 5-10 minutes and teams scores several goals against them. The Canucks might have a shot of a winless 2026.
I will throw my two cents into the trade situation right now.
Trade: Sherwood, Boeser, and Kane now. Hopefully Demko gets back this year and you trade him at the draft. I would keep Garland for now.
You keep Petey for now as well. No, he isn't worth $11.6 million a year, but I would keep him over Boeser just for the two-way play.
Game Day Chatter
Game Day Lineups
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Linus Karlsson
Drew O’Connor -- Max Sasson -- Brock Boeser
Liam Ohgren -- David Kampf -- Conor Garland
Arshdeep Bains -- Aatu Raty -- Evander Kane
Zeev Buium -- Tyler Myers
Marcus Pettersson -- Filip Hronek
Tom Willander -- Victor Mancini
Kevin Lankinen
Nikita Tolopilo
Scratched: P.O Joseph, Nils Hoglander
Injured: Thatcher Demko (lower body), Kiefer Sherwood (undisclosed), Marco Rossi (lower body), Filip Chytil (concussion protocol), Teddy Blueger (lower body), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Blue Jackets projected lineup
Cole Sillinger -- Adam Fantilli -- Kirill Marchenko
Boone Jenner -- Sean Monahan -- Kent Johnson
Dimitri Voronkov -- Charlie Coyle -- Mathieu Olivier
Danton Heinen -- Brendan Gaunce -- Mikael Pyyhtia
Zach Werenski -- Dante Fabbro
Ivan Provorov – Damon Severson
Erik Gudbranson -- Jake Christiansen
Elvis Merzlikins
Jet Greaves
Scratched: Zach Aston-Reese, Egor Zamula, Dysin Mayo
Injured: Isac Lundestrom (lower body), Brendan Smith (knee surgery), Miles Wood (lower body), Mason Marchment (upper body), Denton Mateychuk (upper body)
Status report
Bains will enter the lineup for Hoglander, a forward, and Willander will replace Joseph, a defenseman. ... Forwards Chytil, Blueger and Sherwood each skated Thursday. ... Gudbranson will return after missing 38 games because of a hip injury. … Severson will play after missing a 5-3 win against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday because of illness. ... Defensemen Zamula and Mayo will come out.
Game Day Battle Hymn
When I think of this season so far, I associate it with the imagery of the following song.
Is it still Go Canucks Go?.....or tank boys tank?
Tonight, we get a look at a team in utter disarray. The entire league is watching things fall apart here, and wondering just what the hell is going on with this embarrassment of a franchise. And now they have to play the Ottawa Senators!
Vancouver Canucks (16-24-5) vs. Ottawa Senators (20-19-5)
Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, ON
4:00 pm PST; 7:00 pm EST
TV: Sportsnet Pacific, TSN 5
Radio: Sportsnet 650
Last night, the Canucks were doing the usual Canucks thing: Somehow managing to stay close, when they really had no business being in it. And then the third period came, and just over a minute later, the game was over. I don't know if this is an intentional tank, but it's an effective one. The Canucks are just getting embarrassed right now, as they move to winless in seven straight, and a chance to either stop it in it's tracks, or hit a new low as they take on a team struggling in their own right, the Ottawa Senators.
You may have seen the news last week, where some rumours about widespread infidelity amongst Senators players exploded, and Sens GM Steve Staios made things definitely better by commenting about it in a way that changed minds from "Did this really happen?" to "Oh, god! This definitely happened!" While things are not quite as drastic, the Sens have also lost four straight in regulation, and with their chances of battling back for a wild card slot in the East starting to fade, they're definitely going to come out fighting tonight.
After a rough night for Nikita Tolopilo in the crease against the Habs, the Canucks will turn to Kevin Lankinen to try and stop the bleeding, but honestly, with the impotent power play, god-awful penalty kill, and defence that seems like nothing more than a concept, he too could be in for a difficult evening. It's a tough week for the Canucks, as they have the final game of this road trip on Thursday in Columbus, then it's back home after one day of rest and surprise! It's McDavid and Draisaitl and another chance to get clowned on Hockey Night In Canada!
LINEUPS
From that nhl dot com thingy, here's tonight's list of combatants:
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Linus Karlsson
Conor Garland -- David Kampf -- Brock Boeser
Liam Ohgren -- Max Sasson -- Drew O’Connor
Evander Kane -- Aatu Raty -- Nils Hoglander
Tom Willander -- Filip Hronek
Zeev Buium -- Tyler Myers
Marcus Pettersson -- Victor Mancini
Kevin Lankinen
Nikita Tolopilo
Scratched: Arshdeep Bains, P.O Joseph
Injured: Thatcher Demko (lower body), Kiefer Sherwood (undisclosed), Marco Rossi (lower body), Filip Chytil (concussion protocol), Teddy Blueger (lower body), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Senators projected lineup
Fabian Zetterlund -- Tim Stutzle -- Drake Batherson
Brady Tkachuk -- Dylan Cozens -- Claude Giroux
Ridly Greig -- Shane Pinto -- Michael Amadio
Nick Cousins -- Lars Eller -- David Perron
Jake Sanderson -- Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot -- Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven -- Jordan Spence
Leevi Merilainen
Hunter Shepard
Scratched: Kurtis MacDermid, Nikolas Matinpalo, James Reimer
Injured: None
Zeev Buium will return to the lineup tonight, after being a healthy scratch in Montreal, but who comes out is anyone's guess. P.O. Joseph isn't an automatic, so we'll just wait and see what Adam Foote does tonight. No other changes, it would appear.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
This album celebrated it's 40th anniversary last week, and what an absolute gamechanger it was. One of the first true crossover albums, these NYHC kids put out an album still revered by many to this day. From 'Life Of Dreams', this is CRUMBSUCKERS, and 'Shits Creek'.
Enjoy the game, folks. Fuck fascists, worldwide. Go Canucks tank!
There haven't been many brutal losses for this team so far, but Saturday night's embarrassment against the Leafs is a hard one to swallow. And having Thatcher Demko get hurt yet again? The rotten cherry on top of a shit sundae, really.
Vancouver Canucks (16-23-5) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (25-14-6)
Bell Centre, Montreal, PQ
4:30 pm PST; 7:30 pm EST
TV: Amazon Prime
Radio: Sportsnet 650
There have been games the Canucks have played this season that were boring. Some of them, hard to sit through. But what we saw on Saturday, was probably the first top to bottom performance where they just didn't seem to care. Getting through this season has been accomplished because nights like Saturday really weren't a thing. Sure, they'd gotten outplayed, but they were visibly trying, and that's going to at least hold some people's interest as the losses pile up. But that was one of the most difficult performances to sit through in a while.
So what now? With their number one goalie yet again on the shelf, and let's be honest here, his future now in doubt given the number of injuries he's suffered over the past few seasons, how are they going to respond after what was easily their worst game of the season? And it's not just Demko that went down, as they're going to be without Kiefer Sherwood for up to three weeks after suffering an injury Saturday night, something that takes the excitement out of getting Conor Garland back tonight.
And tonight they're taking on a Montreal team that is finally coming into it's own, playing well in spite of a ton of injuries, sitting just two points back of first place in the Atlantic Division. They've got speed, skill and goaltending, and could be a legit threat in the East this spring.
LINEUPS
From the nhl dot com ting, here's yer lineups:
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Linus Karlsson
Conor Garland -- David Kampf -- Brock Boeser
Liam Ohgren -- Max Sasson -- Drew O’Connor
Evander Kane -- Aatu Raty -- Nils Hoglander
Tom Willander -- Filip Hronek
Pierre-Olivier Joseph -- Tyler Myers
Marcus Pettersson -- Victor Mancini
Nikita Tolopilo
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Arshdeep Bains, Zeev Buium
Injured: Thatcher Demko (lower body), Kiefer Sherwood (undisclosed), Marco Rossi (lower body), Filip Chytil (concussion protocol), Teddy Blueger (lower body), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Canadiens projected lineup
Cole Caufield -- Nick Suzuki -- Alexandre Texier
Juraj Slafkovsky -- Oliver Kapanen -- Ivan Demidov
Zachary Bolduc -- Phillip Danault -- Brendan Gallagher
Sammy Blais -- Joe Veleno -- Owen Beck
Mike Matheson -- Noah Dobson
Lane Hutson -- Alexandre Carrier
Kaiden Guhle -- Arber Xhekaj
Jakub Dobes
Jacob Fowler
Scratched: Sam Montembeault, Jayden Struble
Injured: Patrik Laine (lower body), Kirby Dach (broken foot), Jake Evans (lower body), Josh Anderson (upper body), Alex Newhook (broken ankle)
While some may look at Zeev Buium being a healthy scratch as something to freak out about, this really looks like a coach trying to send a message to a young player who's been inconsistent over the last few games, and I don't think we should read anything more into it. You gotta feel for Arshdeep Bains though, who can't get into a game even after Saturday night's shit show. Nikita Tolopilo is your starter tonight, called up from Abbotsford yesterday after Demko flew back to Vancouver for further evaluation.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Iron Reagan. I Won't Go. Turn this one up!
Enjoy the game, hahaha. Fuck you fascists, you're bound to lose. Go Canucks tank!
The Canucks rattled off a perfect tank performance in the Motor City on Thursday night, and thanks to a Winnipeg Jets win last night, are currently in possession of last place in the NHL. And while I am perfectly content for this to continue on its merry way on their quest to secure Gavin McKenna, I find myself, as always, wanting a win tonight. Weird, right?
Vancouver Canucks (16-22-5) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (21-15-7)
Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
4:00 pm PST; 7:00 pm EST
TV: Sportsnet, CBC
Radio: Sportsnet 650
While I am sure that much of the narrative tonight will be focused on the struggles of the poor, hard done by Leafs and their tormented fan base, we should probably not spend too much time feeling bad for a team that sits two points out of a playoff spot. And while the Canucks were literally within grasping distance of one themselves a week ago, they are now 10 points back of Utah and San Jose for a wild card slot in the West, and that is simply far too much ground for this team to make up with the time remaining in the season.
So with the Canucks clearly going to benefit by staying in the basement and getting a top three draft pick in an extremely deep draft, we are faced with a conundrum. Keep the tank a rollin', or hope for the Canucks to stick it to the Leafs again. They've won three straight, and four of the last five, including a 3-0 win in Toronto last season.
It could also be an audition for some Canucks players, as the Leafs will likely look to load up at the deadline should they battle into a playoff spot, and that means guys like Kiefer Sherwood and Evander Kane could make an impression with strong games here tonight as the Canucks sell off more parts to prepare for the draft and a better future.
The Leafs could also want to have a look at Thatcher Demko, as they've been sunk by subpar goaltending for years now, and let's face it, if getting a big return for Demko is going to make things better down the road, that's something they have to look at.
LINEUPS
From that site known as nhl dot com, this is what they think these teams will roll with today:
Canucks projected lineup
Evander Kane -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser
Liam Ohgren -- Max Sasson -- Linus Karlsson
Jake DeBrusk -- David Kampf -- Kiefer Sherwood
Drew O'Connor -- Aatu Raty -- Nils Hoglander
Marcus Pettersson -- Tom Willander
Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek
Elias Pettersson -- Tyler Myers
Thatcher Demko
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Arshdeep Bains
Injured: Conor Garland (upper body), Marco Rossi (lower body), Filip Chytil (concussion protocol), Teddy Blueger (lower body), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Maple Leafs projected lineup
Matias Maccelli -- John Tavares -- William Nylander
Mathew Knies -- Auston Matthews -- Max Domi
Bobby McMann -- Scott Laughton -- Steven Lorentz
Easton Cowan -- Nicolas Roy -- Nicholas Robertson
Morgan Rielly -- Brandon Carlo
Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Troy Stecher
Simon Benoit -- Philippe Myers
Joseph Woll
Dennis Hildeby
Scratched: Matt Benning, Calle Jarnkrok
Injured: Anthony Stolarz (upper body), Chris Tanev (groin), Dakota Mermis (lower body), Dakota Joshua (kidney), Jake McCabe (lower body)
No changes for the Canucks today, apart from Demko getting the crease. I am going to post this info from Thomas Drance without the link, because it's on the nazi/casm site and I will not link to it:
#Canucks took line rushes as follows in Toronto on Saturday morning:
DeBrusk-Pettersson-Karlsson
Öhgren-Sasson-Boeser
DOC-Kampf-Sherwood
Kane-Räty-Höglander
M. Pettersson-Hronek
Buium-Myers
D-Petey - Willander
Extras: Joseph, Bains
Red non-contact: Garland, Blueger, Chytil
As you can see, at least as far as the rushes this morning were concerned, Evander Kane has been moved to the 4th line and I couldn't be happier. Linus Karlsson gets a well deserved look on the top line, as well as Liam Ohgren getting second line minutes tonight would make me happy.
As far as the Leafs, they are pretty banged up, but will get William Nylander back in the lineup for this one, which will increase the likelihood of them playing better tonight.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Things are pretty stupid of late, so here's something to just let you turn your brain off and scream into the void, as one of Japan's best dropped a new one yesterday. Here's 'Iconic' from the amazing HANABIE.
Enjoy the game. Fascists can fuck off. Go Canucks Tank!
Another game where they came out strong, and not being able to capitalize on early chances led to their downfall. And now it's onto a similar opponent as they faced Tuesday as the move to Detroit to battle the Red Wings.
Vancouver Canucks (16-21-5) vs. Detroit Red Wings (25-15-4)
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
4:00 pm PST; 7:00 pm EST
TV: Sportsnet Pacific
Radio: Sportsnet 650
The Magical Misery Tour rumbles into Detroit, as the Canucks look to rebound from a 5-3 loss to their expansion cousins in Buffalo on Tuesday evening. And while the Sabres are battling hard to make the playoffs for the first time in forever, the Wings are a point out of first place in the Atlantic Division and very much looking like they'll stay in the mix heading towards the spring. And if you're a Canucks fan, that power play of Detroit's is going to be a major issue tonight. If the Canucks want any chance of pulling out a win, they'll need to stay out of the box as well as kill off any power plays for one of the NHL's best with the man advantage.
While the Canucks didn't play horrible, there were definitely some passengers in that game, and I really think a benching would do a world of good to correct garbage like this:
Unbelievable. Credit where it's due, he's been better of late, but that's just lazy, selfish behaviour.
This will be the second meeting against the Wings this season, the first one an absolutely frustrating 4-0 loss that saw the Canucks outshoot and outplay the Wings, only to get utterly goalie'd by John Gibson in that loss. The Wings are red hot of late, with an 8-3-1 record in their last 12 games, and are especially solid in close games at home this season, sporting an 8-0-1 mark in one goal games.
LINEUPS
From the folks at the nhl dot com, here's what we are likely gonna see this afternoon...
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Linus Karlsson
Evander Kane -- Max Sasson -- Brock Boeser
Drew O'Connor -- David Kampf -- Kiefer Sherwood
Liam Ohgren -- Aatu Raty -- Nils Hoglander
Marcus Pettersson -- Tom Willander
Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek
Elias Pettersson -- Tyler Myers
Thatcher Demko
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Arshdeep Bains
Injured: Conor Garland (upper body), Marco Rossi (lower body), Filip Chytil (concussion protocol), Teddy Blueger (lower body), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Red Wings projected lineup
Emmitt Finnie -- Dylan Larkin -- Marco Kasper
Alex DeBrincat -- Andrew Copp -- Patrick Kane
James van Riemsdyk -- J.T. Compher -- Lucas Raymond
John Leonard -- Michael Rasmussen -- Mason Appleton
Simon Edvinsson -- Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot -- Axel Sandin-Pellikka
Albert Johansson -- Jacob Bernard-Docker
John Gibson
Cam Talbot
Scratched: Travis Hamonic, Elmer Soderblom
Injured: None
No changes apart from swapping out Joseph and Pettersson on the back end again, but honestly Kane should be parked for that incident, and it's frustrating he won't be.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
If there was one band that shaped my worldview growing up, it's these guys right here. Always unflinchingly against fascism.
If you're one of the types of Canucks fans who just wants to see them win, and don't have the stomach for a tank (no judgement!), you must be thrilled that they're on the road for the next six games, starting with the ridiculously hot Buffalo Sabres (and yes, that does look really odd).
Vancouver Canucks (16-20-5) vs. Buffalo Sabres (21-15-4)
Keybank Centre, Buffalo, NY
4:00 pm PST; 7:00 pm EST
TV: Sportsnet Pacific
Radio: Sportsnet 650
Before we get started, I feel like it would be wrong to not point out how the NHL's schedulers did it to the Canucks once again. This road trip, starting tonight in Buffalo, then heads west to Detroit, before going back to Toronto on Saturday. You know, the Toronto that's right near Buffalo. It's not a huge amount, but all those extra miles add up over the course of the season.
There honestly wasn't a lot to complain about with Saturday's loss. It was the back end of a back to back, against a very well rested team, and they managed to get a point out of it, and if not for a mistake in the last minute, could well have been heading to a shootout again, where they likely would have come out on top again. Still, for all you tank aficionados out there, they managed to stay close to the Jets for last place. And isn't that the real victory?
The Canucks dropped a 3-2 decision when these teams met in Vancouver on Dec 11th, and would very much like to kick off another successful road trip like their last one with a win against a team that had just rattled off 10 straight wins before losing to Columbus the other night. To say this run the Sabres are on is a surprise might be understating things by a lot, especially given they fired their GM in the middle of it, but I do feel happy for Sabres fans, who have endured even more garbage from their team than we have.
While it can still all go sideways for them, this win streak has them in the mix and giving the team and fan base hope for the first time in ages, and that's got to feel good. And that sets them up for a unique situation in a month or so: the chance to be buyers and not sellers, at the trade deadline.
For the Canucks, they'll start the trip with Conor Garland still on the injured list, but there's some good news on the injury front, as Filip Chytil has made the trip with the team, and should be cleared to return to the lineup at some point on this six game swing.
LINEUPS
From the nhl dot com thingy, here's what you can expect to see this afternoon...
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Linus Karlsson
Evander Kane -- Max Sasson -- Brock Boeser
Drew O'Connor -- David Kampf -- Kiefer Sherwood
Liam Ohgren -- Aatu Raty -- Nils Hoglander
Marcus Pettersson -- Tom Willander
Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek
Pierre-Olivier Joseph -- Tyler Myers
Thatcher Demko
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Elias Pettersson, Arshdeep Bains
Injured: Conor Garland (upper body), Marco Rossi (lower body), Filip Chytil (concussion protocol), Teddy Blueger (lower body), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Sabres projected lineup
Peyton Krebs -- Tage Thompson -- Josh Doan
Jason Zucker -- Josh Norris -- Alex Tuch
Zach Benson -- Ryan McLeod -- Jack Quinn
Jordan Greenway -- Noah Ostlund -- Beck Malenstyn
Mattias Samuelsson -- Rasmus Dahlin
Bowen Byram -- Owen Power
Jacob Bryson -- Zach Metsa
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Colten Ellis
Scratched: Josh Dunne, Tyson Kozak
Injured: Michael Kesselring (lower body), Alex Lyon (lower body), Conor Timmins (broken leg), Jiri Kulich (blood clot), Justin Danforth (lower body)
Apart from PO Joseph in and D Elias Pettersson back out, there's no changes from Saturday night's loss to the Bruins.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Some sad news in the Canadian metal news with the passing of Mike 'M-Bro' Embro, the original drummer of RAZOR, late last week. Embro was featured on the first four albums by the band, most notably the debut 'Evil Invaders', which featured a video for the title track that turned the Canadian metal scene on it's head in 1985 thanks to airplay on Muchmusic. Here's that video for you. RIP M-Bro.
Enjoy the game, folks. Fuck fascists, and fuck Trump. Go Canucks Tank!
Despite a valiant comeback effort, the Canucks dropped a trick shot competition to the Kraken ahead of a rematch with Boston tonight. There were some good things that did happen, though, most notably, a massive game from Jake DeBrusk.
Vancouver Canucks (16-20-4) vs. Boston Bruins (21-18-2)
Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC
7:00 pm PST; 10:00 pm EST
TV: Sportsnet, CBC, City TV
Radio: Sportsnet 650
It was a surprise, but not a shock, when Jake DeBrusk had been made a healthy scratch a couple games ago, and while he didn't respond immediately, this was definitely a response, as he put up a three point night for the Canucks and was hands down the best player on the ice. Sadly, it wasn't enough, as the Canucks dropped a rare shootout to the Kraken, and now sit two points above the Winnipeg Jets in last place for the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes.
The Jets are in Ottawa tonight to take on the Senators, while the Canucks are taking on a Boston Bruins team that hasn't played since stomping a 6-2 mudhole in the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night. As well as the Canucks have been in the tail end of back to back games, this seems like a less than ideal scenario for them if they're looking to get back into the playoff hunt. It's their last game before heading off to do their 6 game Eastern road swing which will include the Eastern Canadian teams, and it kicks off Tuesday against the hottest team in the NHL: The Buffalo Sabres???
If there were anything working in the Canucks' favour, it's that before that win in Edmonton, the Bruins had lost 7 of their previous 8 games, the 5-4 shootout win by the Canucks on Dec 20th being part of that run. Still, this is a Bruins team very much in the mix over in the East, and with how genuinely dreadful the Canucks have been at home this season, I am not particularly hopeful they're going to emerge victorious from this one, regardless of what their record in the second game of back to backs may say.
LINEUPS
This is totally on the nhl dot com thingy, but here's what to expect tonight:
Bruins projected lineup
Alex Steeves -- Elias Lindholm -- Morgan Geekie
Casey Mittelstadt -- Pavel Zacha -- Viktor Arvidsson
Marat Khusnutdinov -- Fraser Minten -- David Pastrnak
Mikey Eyssimont -- Sean Kuraly -- Mark Kastelic
Nikita Zadorov -- Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm -- Jonathan Aspirot
Mason Lohrei -- Andrew Peeke
Jeremy Swayman
Joonas Korpisalo
Scratched: Jeffrey Viel, Vladislav Kolyachonok
Injured: Tanner Jeannot (undisclosed), Jordan Harris (ankle), Henri Jokiharju (undisclosed)
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Linus Karlsson
Evander Kane -- Max Sasson -- Brock Boeser
Drew O'Connor -- David Kampf -- Kiefer Sherwood
Liam Ohgren -- Aatu Raty -- Nils Hoglander
Marcus Pettersson -- Filip Hronek
Zeev Buium -- Tyler Myers
Elias Pettersson -- Tom Willander
Kevin Lankinen
Thatcher Demko
Scratched: P.O Joseph, Arshdeep Bains
Injured: Conor Garland (upper body), Marco Rossi (lower body), Filip Chytil (concussion protocol), Teddy Blueger (lower body), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Looks like the only changes are Joseph out and EP25 in, as well as Kevin Lankinen getting the crease tonight. The Bruins are going with Swayman in goal again tonight.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
A lil Christmas present from US death metallers MOLDER, covering the EXODUS classic 'Piranha' off 'Bonded By Blood'. Vocalist Aaren Pantke has absolutely nailed Paul Baloff's vocal tone here, and he would definitely approve. Love the 'demo tape' cover here, too.
Enjoy the game, folks. Fuck fascists everywhere. Go Canucks Go!
