Come For The Banter - Stay For The Disappointment
Nucks Fan Rebuild & Retool Center - Come For The Banter - Stay For The Disappointment
At long last, this torturous experiment, which has felt like near decades, is over. Oh, and it's the last game of this utterly cursed Canucks season, too!
Vancouver Canucks (25-48-8) vs. Edmonton Oilers (40-30-11)
Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB
6:00 pm PST; 9:00 pm EST
TV: Sportsnet
Radio: Sportsnet 650
This has been exhausting.
It's dragged on and on, and despite claims along the way that things were going to get better, it didn't. So finally, we can be put out of our misery for a couple weeks at least, and say good riddance to the 2025-26 Vancouver Canucks. In a season that started with a simple statement: A lot of things would have to go right for this team to make the playoffs, ended because quite simply, nothing went right at all.
It's going to take some time to perform the post mortem on this team, and go over everything that led to what is going to end up as quite likely the worst season in franchise history, given that they didn't have the expansion excuse from the team's early days. This was a frustrating, embarrassing, and unacceptable year, and you should expect massive, sweeping changes in the days ahead. You should also not get your expectations up for this, as I would be surprised if there were any changes that would impact the team in a positive way. Yeah, that's the level of confidence I have in this organization at the moment.
I do think it's a safe bet that the coaching staff is done here, and rightfully so. Adam Foote was a disastrous choice by the organization, clearly not ready to be an NHL coach, and if he ever could be, definitely not the right fit for this squad. There are a lot of things that need to happen to fix this god-awful mess, but this is absolutely Step One.
A house cleaning is what is needed here. New faces with new ideas and perspectives, because there just doesn't seem to be a plan right now at all, and the damage that has been development-wise up and down the lineup has been devastating. But most of all, it's time for new ownership.
The Aqualini family shouldn't be allowed within a thousand kilometers of a hockey franchise. Since the heartbreak of losing Game Seven in 2011, Francesco has been chasing that high, heavily involved in so many operational decisions, and they've all ended up in various incarnations of the flaming hubris we see before us. I realize it's too much to hope for another ownership group like the Canucks had in the Griffiths Family, but change has to come, and it cannot fully be realized under this ownership.
And so, with nothing left but a few possible moral victories tonight, the Canucks head into their final game of the season, and a chance to one last funny thing before they go. The outcome of this game can absolutely affect who the Edmonton Oilers play in round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and while it's nowhere near anything that makes this season worth it, it's the least they can do for this fan base, who have suffered so much.
The Oilers could end up playing the Anaheim Ducks, or... with a loss, and a Kings win, face off against Los Angeles again in the first round, which is really a win/win/win, because there's two losers of three in whatever scenario happens here. And if things really go sideways for the Oilers, they'll drop to the WildCard Two slot, which means a date with the Colorado Avalanche. I would so love to see that, because the Avs will absolutely feast on the Oilers defense/goaltending. The Canucks need to do their part, and set the ball rolling for some post-season disappointment in Edmonton.
LINEUPS
From the nhl dot com dealy... here's what to expect tonight:
Canucks projected lineup
Drew O'Connor -- Marco Rossi -- Linus Karlsson
Liam Ohgren -- Teddy Blueger -- Brock Boeser
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Nils Hoglander
Curtis Douglas -- Ty Mueller -- Aatu Raty
Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson -- Tom Willander
Elias Nils Pettersson -- Kirill Kudryavtsev
Kevin Lankinen
Nikita Tolopilo
Scratched: Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Victor Mancini, Max Sasson
Injured: Filip Chytil (facial fracture), Thatcher Demko (hip surgery), Derek Forbort (undisclosed), Evander Kane (upper body)
Oilers projected lineup
Matthew Savoie -- Connor McDavid -- Zach Hyman
Vasily Podkolzin -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Jack Roslovic
Colton Dach -- Josh Samanski -- Trent Frederic
Curtis Lazar -- Adam Henrique -- Kasperi Kapanen
Mattias Ekholm -- Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse -- Connor Murphy
Jake Walman -- Ty Emberson
Connor Ingram
Tristan Jarry
Scratched: Owen Michaels, Spencer Stastney
Injured: Jason Dickinson (lower body), Leon Draisaitl (lower body), Mattias Janmark (shoulder), Max Jones (lower body)
Looks like no changes for the Canucks tonight, and I wouldn't read too much into Draisaitl being out, but it's telling that the Oilers are gonna be desperate for a win tonight with the lineup they're icing.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Much to Westy's delight, this will be the last battle hymn that isn't John Tesh adjacent. From their 2020 album 'A Silent Soul Screams Loud', this is PYOGENESIS, with 'Will I Ever Be The Same?'.
Well, this is the end of the road, for both the Canucks, and yours truly.
My journey with Nucks Misconduct is coming to a close, as of this last game preview. When I had first stumbled across the site back in early 2009 I think it was (or maybe 2008) I was doing a podcast called 'We Are All Canuckleheads', and was encouraged to post it in the Fanposts section. Zan and Yankee encouraged me to do a few writeups for the section, and a short time later, invited me to come aboard as a contributor. I had just finished a couple decades of music journalism (A music video show in Kamloops, a number of zines, and later, a radio show at CFBX Radio in Kamloops), so writing about hockey was new-ish for me. I had been around the old CDC boards back in the day, but still, after getting burnt out on music writing, this was a fresh challenge. What I hadn't counted on, was how things would take off the way they did. If you had told me that not long after I started, I would get mentioned in the Province (RIP Botch), get name dropped by Ron MacLean on HNIC, and be in the media scrums at the 2011 Finals, I would have laughed at you.
We've been through a lot, both as Canucks fans, and as the crew keeping this site going. While none of it has ended the way I had hoped, I will be eternally grateful for the chance to express my love and passion for this team, and the game of hockey, and for the incredible support we've received over the years.
I wanna thank Sean and Mike, for seeing something in me I didn't know existed. You took a gamble on me, and I hope it paid off for you. Thanks to Travis Hughes, and Steph Driver for all the amazing support and help as I went from occasional contributor to Editor, and back again.
To all of the folks who have had a cup of coffee and more with us, thank you. We've been an incredible stepping stone to some of the mainstays of coverage for fans in this market, and for that I will always be proud as hell.
I want to thank Trevor, who was amazing in the short time we had him, and who I was proud to share the leadership with. You'll always be a big part of this site's heritage, and we know what happened is not gonna stop you. You're way too talented for that.
Thursday, I feel like I didn't get to know you well enough, but I feel so good knowing that in my absence, there's someone like you putting together the kind of articles we built this site on. All the best, buddy!
And I couldn't wrap things up without thanking my wife Laurie, whose support, critical eye, occasional photoshop and editing advice helped make my contributions better. Love you, baby.
Finally, Jimmi and Westy. I feel like I am letting you guys down, but I suppose trying to keep going with nothing left in the tank could be viewed the same way. It has been an honour getting to know you guys, and I am proud of the way you both became such massive pieces of what makes NM like no other. I know the last few years have been rough, but the way you refused to let this site die, you should be proud as hell. Cheers, my friends. We'll have that beer one day, for sure.
And to all of you, from the beginning, to the end of my chapter. Thank you. It has been an honour to have you take time to hear what I had to say. I have some health challenges that leave me not able to keep doing this, but it's possible there might be an occasion or two where I pop in for a lil rant (if the guys will have me, that is).
Go Canucks Go.
10 p.m. ET; SNP, FDSNSC
Once more into the breach of tedious LA hockey. Only fitting the last home game of this long and tedious season would feature the Kings of Sleepy Hockey. We're so fortunate.
Coming home after the victorious tour of SoCal to face the tedium of the team that made the 1st game of the tour so tedious.
Maybe the freshly energetic young Canucks can push the tedium into the LA net multiple times. Or... pad that 8-32-5 home record to the 33rd side.
Final ROG game of the season... which is sorta weird. There's been ROG games this season that felt quite final. Over and over. And over.
Enjoy this actual final ROG game. If the Nucks can help us enjoy it, that'd be great.
Game Day Chatter
Asked #Canucks Tom Willander about the young guys becoming leaders. This was part of his answer: "I think it's obviously very important that the young guys come in and want to achieve something and they aren't just happy with being here."
— Adam Kierszenblat (@adamkblat.bsky.social) April 14, 2026 at 12:14 PM
If these are the final few games for Adam Foote, he will become the second coach in #Canucks to coach at least 70 games and record fewer than 30 wins. The only other coach on that list is Vic Stasiuk, who went 22-47-9 with Vancouver.
— Adam Kierszenblat (@adamkblat.bsky.social) April 14, 2026 at 12:59 PM
Game Day Lineups
Kings projected lineup
Artemi Panarin -- Anze Kopitar -- Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore -- Quinton Byfield -- Alex Laferriere
Joel Armia -- Scott Laughton -- Jared Wright
Mathieu Joseph -- Samuel Helenius -- Taylor Ward
Mikey Anderson -- Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson -- Brandt Clarke
Brian Dumoulin -- Cody Ceci
Darcy Kuemper
Anton Forsberg
Scratched: Jacob Moverare
Injured: Jeff Malott (undisclosed), Alex Turcotte (undisclosed), Andrei Kuzmenko (meniscus)
Canucks projected lineup
Drew O’Connor -- Marco Rossi -- Linus Karlsson
Liam Ohgren -- Teddy Blueger -- Brock Boeser
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Nils Hoglander
Curtis Douglas -- Ty Mueller -- Aatu Raty
Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson -- Tom Willander
Elias Pettersson -- Kirill Kudryavtsev
Kevin Lankinen
Nikita Tolopilo
Scratched: P.O. Joseph, Max Sasson, Victor Mancini
Injured: Evander Kane (undisclosed), Filip Chytil (facial fracture), Thatcher Demko (hip surgery), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Status report
The Kings did not hold a morning skate after a 5-3 win at the Seattle Kraken on Monday. ... Kuemper is expected to start after Forsberg started the previous four games. ... The Canucks will dress the same 18 skaters they used in a 4-3 overtime win at the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
Game Day Battle Hymn
Keep on keepin' on. Maybe winning, maybe losing. Going out in style. Maybe.
F*uck the war mongering fascists and enjoy the game. As best you can.
8 p.m. ET; KTTV, Victory+, SNP
Last night's game was a delightful way to segue into the final 3 games of the season. 3 comebacks. 3 ties. One beauty of Lanky Time.
Remember to tell the grandkids about it when they discover your dusty old Canucks memorabilia and ask whatever happened to the team.
So thoughtful of NHL schedulers to give us one final road B-2-B to enjoy. Since their fate is sealed, could the Canucks win 2 in a row, on the road?
Not likely. Expectations are not Canucks fans' friends.
Enjoy what we can while we can. It's almost over.
Game Day Chatter
Hell yeah! Great win in our game 7 last night 😍 #Canucks
— Geordie Canuck (@geordiecanuck.bsky.social) April 12, 2026 at 1:14 AM
13 NHL wingers have a cap hit between $5-6 million this season, including Jake DeBrusk. He's 4th in goals and 5th in points on that list. Not bad on a terrible #Canucks team.
— Noah Strang (@noahstrang.bsky.social) April 12, 2026 at 9:45 AM
When there's nothing to play for, Nucks find something.
The NHL standings since April 1. #Canucks with a late-season surge as per usual
— Adam Kierszenblat (@adamkblat.bsky.social) April 12, 2026 at 11:47 AM
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Game Day Lineups
Canucks projected lineup
Liam Ohgren -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser
Drew O’Connor -- Marco Rossi -- Linus Karlsson
Nils Hoglander -- Teddy Blueger -- Jake DeBrusk
Max Sasson -- Curtis Douglas -- Aatu Raty
Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson -- Tom Willander
Elias Nils Pettersson -- Pierre-Olivier Joseph
Nikita Tolopilo
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Victor Mancini, Ty Mueller
Injured: Evander Kane (undisclosed), Filip Chytil (facial fracture), Thatcher Demko (hip surgery), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Ducks projected lineup
Chris Kreider -- Leo Carlsson -- Troy Terry
Alex Killorn -- Mikael Granlund -- Beckett Sennecke
Jeffrey Viel -- Mason McTavish -- Cutter Gauthier
Tim Washe -- Ryan Poehling -- Ian Moore
Jackson LaCombe -- Jacob Trouba
Pavel Mintyukov -- John Carlson
Tyson Hinds -- Drew Helleson
Lukas Dostal
Ville Husso
Scratched: Olen Zellweger, Frank Vatrano
Injured: Jansen Harkins (hand surgery), Ross Johnston (lower body), Radko Gudas (lower body)
Status report
Neither team will hold a morning skate. ... Tolopilo is expected to start after Lankinen returned from a three-game absence because of an upper-body injury and made 28 saves in a 4-3 shootout victory at the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. ... Gauthier returned to practice Saturday; he has missed five games with an upper-body injury and said he plans to play. ... Gudas, a defenseman, practiced in a regular jersey and will be a game-time decision; he has also missed five games.
Game Day Battle Hymn
Dreams... Remember when we had dreams of Nucks playoff games, what we had and what we lost?
F*uck the war mongering fascists and enjoy the game. As best you can.
10 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, CITY, SN, CBC
This is almost it. Four more chances for the Nucks to win another game this season. Possible?
Sure. Probable? Not so much.
Since Footey is still determined to win and jump the shark, perhaps Canucks win one more time for a coach that has done so much for this team.
A record-matching, heart-breaking season. Thanks, Footey.
This win-at-all costs Footework puts Joseph back in the line up... although there's rumours of an AHL call up.
Good times. For not much longer.
Game Day Chatter
Tonight will be Kevin Lankinen's 90th start since joining the #Canucks last season. Here is how the starts have been divided for Vancouver over the last two years: Lankinen- 89 (90th tonight) Demko- 43 Tolopilo- 18 Šilovs- 9 Patera- 1
— Adam Kierszenblat (@adamkblat.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 1:32 PM
#Canucks last week for EP40 to get a winning goal, this season. Seems like a distant dream for his last, bend it like Elias slapshot.
— JDavid (@jdavidh.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 9:21 AM
#Canucks Recall Defenceman Kirill Kudryavtsev From The AHL @thehockeynews.bsky.social thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouve...
— The Hockey News Vancouver Canucks (@thncanucks.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 12:17 PM
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Game Day Lineups
Canucks projected lineup
Drew O’Connor -- Elias Pettersson -- Jake DeBrusk
Liam Ohgren -- Marco Rossi -- Brock Boeser
Max Sasson -- Teddy Blueger -- Linus Karlsson
Curtis Douglas -- Aatu Raty -- Nils Hoglander
Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson -- Tom Willander
Elias Pettersson -- Pierre-Olivier Joseph
Nikita Tolopilo
Jiri Patera
Scratched: Ty Mueller, Victor Mancini
Injured: Kevin Lankinen (upper body), Evander Kane (undisclosed), Filip Chytil (facial fracture), Thatcher Demko (hip surgery), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Sharks projected lineup
Collin Graf -- Macklin Celebrini -- Will Smith
William Eklund -- Alexander Wennberg -- Kiefer Sherwood
Igor Chernyshov -- Michael Misa -- Tyler Toffoli
Barclay Goodrow -- Zack Ostapchuk -- Adam Gaudette
Dmitry Orlov -- Vincent Desharnais
Shakir Mukhamadullin -- Mario Ferraro
Sam Dickinson -- Nick Leddy
Yaroslav Askarov
Alex Nedeljkovic
Scratched: Pavol Regenda, Philipp Kurashev, John Klingberg, Ty Dellandrea
Injured: Ryan Reaves (upper body)
Status report
The Sharks held an optional morning skate. ... Chernyshov and Gaudette each will return after being a healthy scratch for a 6-1 loss at the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. ... Forwards Dellandrea and Regenda will come out.
Game Day Battle Hymn
Almost summertime. The best Nucks season. So full of false hope and unfulfilled promise.
F*uck the war mongering fascists and enjoy the game. As best you can.
10:30 p.m. ET; FDSNW, SNP
The Final Five. Going through the motions. The Footey career saving motions. Not the coach anyone wanted - except former captain what's-his-name - his lasting FU to Nucks fans. Foote is a terrible coach that deserves another chance. In NY or NJ or Minni or Philly, anywhere but here.
This game will be the last time the Nucks face Kopi. Until next week. We can only speculate, but seems the cruel and twisted NHL Schedulers wanted LA to scuffle their way back into the playoffs by beating the Nucks - only to be eliminated by the tOil for the eleventeenth time. Makes for great TV.
Going to be a few seasons before the Nucks scuffle into the 2nd season - the billionaire's profiteering series. While Franny took the fun out of the team, he's also taking the profit out. Seems fair. Except for how miserable it feels.
In a week or so we'll find out if Franny has the guts to account for his mistake in begging JR to run the team aground. Spoiler alert: He doesn't.
Next week or month, we can hope some or all of the management team / coaches are fired unceremoniously. Or ceremoniously with the GoT walk of shame down Davies. That'd be fine too.
Game Day Chatter
Too bad we can't scratch Footey for the final five...
Based on morning skate, it looks like the #Canucks will be scratching Ty Mueller for the second straight game.
— Adam Kierszenblat (@adamkblat.bsky.social) April 9, 2026 at 11:22 AM
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As Kent reminded us about the Canucks. It can always get worse.
What being a #Canucks fan is like
— Adam Kierszenblat (@adamkblat.bsky.social) April 8, 2026 at 4:53 PM
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Game Day Lineups
Canucks projected lineup
Drew O’Connor -- Elias Pettersson -- Jake DeBrusk
Liam Ohgren -- Marco Rossi -- Brock Boeser
Max Sasson -- Teddy Blueger -- Linus Karlsson
Curtis Douglas -- Aatu Raty -- Nils Hoglander
Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson -- Tom Willander
Elias Pettersson -- Victor Mancini
Nikita Tolopilo
Jiri Patera
Scratched: P.O. Joseph, Ty Mueller
Injured: Kevin Lankinen (upper body), Evander Kane (undisclosed), Filip Chytil (facial fracture), Thatcher Demko (hip surgery), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Kings projected lineup
Artemi Panarin -- Anze Kopitar -- Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore -- Quinton Byfield -- Alex Laferriere
Joel Armia -- Scott Laughton -- Jared Wright
Jeff Malott -- Samuel Helenius -- Taylor Ward
Mikey Anderson -- Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson -- Brandt Clarke
Brian Dumoulin -- Cody Ceci
Anton Forsberg
Darcy Kuemper
Scratched: Mathieu Joseph, Jacob Moverare
Injured: Alex Turcotte (undisclosed), Andrei Kuzmenko (meniscus)
Status report
Lankinen traveled with the Canucks for the three-game California road trip but the goalie will miss his third straight game. … Byfield will play after missing practice Wednesday for maintenance.
Game Day Battle Hymn
Seven Days of Falling. That's all that's left of this failed season. A week today Nucks play their last game. Thankfully. Until then we can enjoy one of the best bass patterns in all of jazz. Well... not all... but still... we're in a rebuild. Gotta start at the bottom. Or even better... at the top.
F*uck the war mongering fascists and enjoy the game. As best you can.
10 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNP, SCRIPPS
If this was a 'normal' Nucks season and having been beaten by Vegas a week ago on the strip, the Nucks would be seeking some payback. Maybe they will tonight. Play the spoiler to keep the Knighties out of the playoffs. Or maybe they just want to collect their pay cheques and forget a most forgettable season.
Such a clusternuck of a season, we're looking forward to a clean sweep of management and coaching.... and yet... maybe Franny having heard about the joys of owning a cap floor team, doesn't want to pay for a coach to not coach. Although, he already did that this season.
While it will be good to see the young Nucks get more ice in the remaining games, we're looking forward to May 5th. When the Nucks, having locked up last place for the first time in franchise history, discover it's really lotto day in Florida.
We'll have a few months to ponder how the Canucks will screw up the hard-earned 3rd overall pick.
Oh well... soon enough this miserable season will be over and we can look forward to the misery of next season's battle of the basement. Exciting!
Game Day Chatter
Keep Footey? B-b-but haven't we lost enough?
Coaching hires don't always work out. Happens in every sport. Sometimes, it's best to move on, especially when the organization has a coach in the minors who is ready to be promoted. In the #Canucks case, keeping Foote means most likely losing Malhotra.
— Adam Kierszenblat (@adamkblat.bsky.social) April 7, 2026 at 1:03 PM
I swear to god if this happens after fucking around letting Tank Commander Foote drive off the cliff I will do something drastic #Canucks
— firstname lastname (@jc-roper.bsky.social) April 7, 2026 at 12:47 PM
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Our goal now is to get Vegas out of a playoff spot. #ATeamLikeThat #Canucks #IHoldGrudges 💙💚🏒🤓
— 🇨🇦Cathy Canucks(🇬🇱🇺🇦) (@cathyrd.bsky.social) April 7, 2026 at 12:20 PM
The Canucks are guaranteed last place unless Gary bettman decides to change the rules again, ala Roberto Luongo. In the meantime we await the nhl draft lottery on May 5th. #Canucks #Luongo
— 🇨🇦 🍁🇨🇦 Genes Is Grateful 🇨🇦 🍁🇨🇦 (@creativewaves.bsky.social) April 7, 2026 at 1:12 PM
Footey has broken Lanky and now it's time for Tolo to shine.
Game Day Lineups
Golden Knights projected lineup
Brett Howden -- Jack Eichel -- Pavel Dorofeyev
Ivan Barbashev -- Mitch Marner -- Mark Stone
Brandon Saad -- Tomas Hertl -- Colton Sissons
Cole Smith -- Nic Dowd -- Keegan Kolesar
Brayden McNabb -- Shea Theodore
Noah Hanifin -- Rasmus Andersson
Jeremy Lauzon -- Ben Hutton
Carter Hart
Adin Hill
Scratched: Akira Schmid, Kaedan Korczak, Reilly Smith
Injured: Alexander Holtz (upper body), William Karlsson (lower body)
Canucks projected lineup
Drew O’Connor -- Elias Pettersson -- Jake DeBrusk
Liam Ohgren -- Marco Rossi -- Brock Boeser
Max Sasson -- Teddy Blueger -- Linus Karlsson
Curtis Douglas -- Aatu Raty -- Nils Hoglander
Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson -- Tom Willander
Elias Nils Pettersson -- Victor Mancini
Nikita Tolopilo
Jiri Patera
Scratched: Ty Mueller, P.O. Joseph
Injured: Kevin Lankinen (upper body), Evander Kane (undisclosed), Filip Chytil (facial fracture), Thatcher Demko (hip surgery), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Status report
The Golden Knights held an optional morning skate but based on participation, it appears Reilly Smith, a forward, and Korczak, a defenseman, will come out for Hutton, who has been scratched 17 of the past 19 games, and Saad, who has been scratched for 13 games. ... Hart will make his third straight start since returning Apr. 2 from a lower-body injury that kept him out almost three months. … Lankinen is day to day after the goalie was a late scratch for a 7-4 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Saturday. … Kane is day to day; the forward played Saturday after missing the previous two games with an injury coach Adam Foote said he has been battling through for a couple of weeks; Hoglander will replace him in the lineup. ... Chytil, who has been out since being hit in the face by a shot during a Feb. 18 practice, could rejoin practice before the season ends, but Foote indicated the forward won’t play any games.
Game Day Battle Hymn
As this dreadful season winds down with sounds of our whines wavering in exhaustion... let's get symphonic!
F*uck the war mongering fascists and enjoy the game. As best you can.
7 p.m. ET; SNP, Utah16
Back home after the most successful road tour of the year. So much was accomplished.
Worst beat best. What a game that was. Maybe the only game we want to remember from this season of forgettable performances. Something to tell the grandkids... we watched the hapless Canucks score 8 goals. In a single game! And didn't give up 10.
Even better... Nucks have secured 32nd place. It wasn't easy, but that Footey coaching mojo has finally paid off. No other loser team in the league can claim the shame, the stench of last place. It's ours!
Young and old Nucks are free to win out all their remaining games. So many games. Or not enough games to ensure a couple more wins. Whatever.
This afternoon, the ROG will be filled with the wool of hockey, the tusks of leftover coyotes. Or something.
Record setting season! With still more records to smash into little fragments of our tears!
Game Day Chatter
Heading into tonight's game, the 2025-26 #Canucks are tied for the third lowest goal-differential in franchise history: 1984-85: -117 1972-73: -106 1971-72/2025-26: -94
— Adam Kierszenblat (@adamkblat.bsky.social) April 4, 2026 at 10:52 AM
More happy thoughts.
A Loss Saturday Night Would Ensure The 2025-26 #Canucks Secure A Franchise Record @thehockeynews.bsky.social thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouve...
— The Hockey News Vancouver Canucks (@thncanucks.bsky.social) April 4, 2026 at 12:00 PM
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Game Day Lineups
Mammoth projected lineup
Clayton Keller -- Nick Schmaltz -- Lawson Crouse
Kailer Yamamoto -- Logan Cooley -- Dylan Guenther
JJ Peterka -- Michael Carcone -- Kevin Rooney
Alexander Kerfoot -- Kevin Stenlund -- Brandon Tanev
Mikhail Sergachev -- MacKenzie Weegar
Nate Schmidt -- John Marino
Ian Cole -- Sean Durzi
Karel Vejmelka
Vitek Vanecek
Scratched: Nick DeSimone
Injured: Barrett Hayton (upper body), Jack McBain (lower body)
Canucks projected lineup
Drew O’Connor -- Marco Rossi -- Brock Boeser
Liam Ohgren -- Elias Pettersson -- Linus Karlsson
Max Sasson -- Teddy Blueger -- Jake DeBrusk
Curtis Douglas -- Ty Mueller -- Aatu Raty
Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson -- Tom Willander
Elias Pettersson – Pierre-Olivier Joseph
Kevin Lankinen
Nikita Tolopilo
Scratched: Victor Mancini, Nils Hoglander
Injured: Evander Kane (undisclosed), Filip Chytil (facial fracture), Thatcher Demko (hip surgery), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Status report
Neither team was to hold a morning skate on Saturday. … McBain, a forward, left in the second period of a 6-2 win at the Seattle Kraken on Thursday and did not practice Friday, but coach Andre Tourigny did not have an update on his status. … Rooney was recalled from Tucson of the American Hockey League on Friday. ... Vancouver did not practice Friday. Mancini, a defenseman who was scratched the past two games, could come into the lineup for Joseph or defenseman Elias Pettersson. Hoglander, a forward who also was a healthy scratch in a 5-2 loss at the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, could return in place of Raty or Mueller, who made his season debut at Minnesota.
Game Day Battle Hymn
We're waiting. Could be a long wait. Enjoy the process.
F*uck the war mongering fascists and enjoy the game. As best you can.
8 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, SNP
Wild and crazy game last night! Worst beats best 8-6 is the best part of the worst season. So far.
Today is a different kind of Wild game. Expect it a cold, calculated game from our former cold, calculated traitor D. And we just don't care.
Besides... we have cranial flat-spots to heal from last night. So much bouncing on the couch, smacking our skulls on the ceiling. The outcome of this game means nothing to us. Kind of.
We have already witnessed the greatness this team can attain. At least for one game a season. That's enough. Almost.
If the hungover, jet-lagged Nucks win again or if a Douglas Fir crushes a certain traitor, that'd be a nice bonus.
If the Nucks lose, they will math-o-magically secure 32nd place for the season. Win-win.
So much winning in such a short time. And so much not winning in a long time. Both can be true.
Game Day Chatter
Very funny, what was the real score? #Canucks 🥴
— TheDarkCanuck🇨🇦 (@bigherbs.bsky.social) April 1, 2026 at 10:05 PM
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Meanwhile...stats are a funny thing too.
Points Per Game is always a funny stat to base a player's season on because there is a chance that both #Canucks center Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser could finish with a higher points per game this year compared to last year.
— Adam Kierszenblat (@adamkblat.bsky.social) April 2, 2026 at 9:46 AM
Game Day Lineups
Canucks projected lineup
Drew O’Connor -- Marco Rossi -- Brock Boeser
Liam Ohgren -- Elias Pettersson -- Linus Karlsson
Max Sasson -- Teddy Blueger -- Jake DeBrusk
Curtis Douglas -- Aatu Raty -- Nils Hoglander
Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson -- Tom Willander
Elias Pettersson -- P.O. Joseph
Nikita Tolopilo
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Victor Mancini, Ty Mueller
Injured: Evander Kane (undisclosed), Filip Chytil (facial fracture), Thatcher Demko (hip surgery), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Wild projected lineup
Kirill Kaprizov -- Ryan Hartman -- Mats Zuccarello
Marcus Johansson -- Joel Eriksson Ek -- Matt Boldy
Vladimir Tarasenko -- Danila Yurov -- Bobby Brink
Yakov Trenin -- Michael McCarron -- Marcus Foligno
Quinn Hughes -- Brock Faber
Jonas Brodin -- Jared Spurgeon
Jake Middleton -- Zach Bogosian
Filip Gustavsson
Jesper Wallstedt
Scratched: Nick Foligno, Daemon Hunt, Hunter Haight, Robby Fabbri, Nico Sturm, Jeff Petry
Injured: None
Status report
The Canucks did not hold a morning skate; Tolopilo is expected to start after Lankinen made 24 saves in an 8-6 win at the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday. … Mueller was called up from Abbotsford of the American Hockey League on Wednesday but it’s not clear if the forward will play. ... Spurgeon returns after missing one game with an undisclosed injury. … Yurov goes into the lineup after being scratched the past two games and forward Nick Foligno comes out after playing 11 straight since joining the team after a March 6 trade from the Chicago Blackhawks. “He’s healthy, just a night off,” Wild coach John Hynes said. … Hughes will face Vancouver for the first time since he was acquired by Minnesota in a trade on Dec. 12.
Game Day Battle Hymn
Not much further to go - enjoy the ride.
F*uck the war mongering fascists and enjoy the game. As best you can.
8:30 p.m. ET; ALT, SN, TVAS
For weeks... months... we've had this game penciled penned-in as a scheduled loss. The best team in the league vs the worst one. Any questions?
Maybe. Perhaps having obliterated the Flams 9-2 in their previous game will have the Avs playing like the generous host. Maybe they need to lose a few games and avoid the Prez Trophy curse.
Let's pretend they intend to lose a scheduled win. Why not?
In other breaking Nucking news this morning, it was reported that Willie Desjardins will be replacing Alvin.
That and other shocking news!
Game Day Chatter
How's that for a header? 👀 #Canucks
— 🇨🇦 Trent Leith 🏳️🌈 (@trentleith.bsky.social) April 1, 2026 at 9:40 AM
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Meanwhile...
#Canucks Kevin Lankinen will start for the seventh time in the last eight games. He will have played in all eight games.
— Adam Kierszenblat (@adamkblat.bsky.social) April 1, 2026 at 10:35 AM
Appears having completed his historic moment in Nucks history, Kane ain't playing. Weird how that works.
Game Day Lineups
Canucks projected lineup
Drew O’Connor -- Marco Rossi -- Brock Boeser
Liam Ohgren -- Elias Pettersson -- Linus Karlsson
Max Sasson -- Teddy Blueger -- Jake DeBrusk
Curtis Douglas -- Aatu Raty -- Nils Hoglander
Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson -- Tom Willander
Elias Pettersson -- P.O Joseph
Kevin Lankinen
Nikita Tolopilo
Scratched: Victor Mancini
Injured: Evander Kane (undisclosed), Filip Chytil (facial fracture), Thatcher Demko (hip surgery), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Avalanche projected lineup
Artturi Lehkonen -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Martin Necas
Gabriel Landeskog -- Brock Nelson -- Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton -- Nazem Kadri -- Logan O’Connor
Parker Kelly -- Jack Drury -- Joel Kiviranta
Devon Toews -- Sam Malinski
Brett Kulak -- Josh Manson
Nick Blankenburg -- Brent Burns
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood
Scratched: Zakhar Bardakov
Injured: Cale Makar (upper body), Nicolas Roy (upper body)
Status report
Kane will not play; Canucks coach Adam Foote said the plan is to manage the forward through the end of Vancouver's four-game road trip, at the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. ... Makar will "miss some time" after the defenseman left in the second period of a 9-2 win against the Calgary Flames on Monday, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said; the coach added the injury was "nothing serious" and Makar would not be shut down for the remainder of the regular season.
Game Day Battle Hymn
Nucks need to play at a higher level on higher ground.
F*uck the war mongering fascists and enjoy the game. As best you can.
10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, SNP
The road to the end of the Canucks season has been full of bumps, potholes and worse, 2nd periods.
Lucky for us, win-now Vegas management has taken the heat off the Kane and Footey saga. Torts is back behind the bench. Not ours, luckily.
While we can fantasize about the Nucks picking 1st overall, does seem the NHL 'Surprise!' narrative will feature the Cats getting the 1st overall and returning the Cup to SoBeach next season. How exciting!
Meanwhile, we have to watch a Monday game in Vegas. Rogers rules. At least the game won't be spoiled by Amazon baseball commentary. The Footey-coached Nucks can spoil it enough on their own.
Maybe the best we can hope for is a bench brawl where Torts fights Footey. And wins. ;--)
Game Day Chatter
If only...
Okay, so I'm not normally a "fire the coach!" kinda guy, but the #Canucks have the opportunity to do the funniest thing right now... www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/...
— Erin Butler (@eleighbutler.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 4:39 PM
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Bruce Cassidy the new #Canucks head coach?
— Ralph In The Ridge🇨🇦 (@ralphintheridge.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Meanwhile...
That Evander Kane's 1000th game is happening in Las Vegas is not the most subtle way for his biographer to put a button on his career. #Canucks
— Erin Butler (@eleighbutler.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 11:33 AM
Game Day Lineups
Canucks Projected Lines
Drew O’Connor -- Marco Rossi -- Brock Boeser
Liam Ohgren -- Elias Pettersson -- Linus Karlsson
Evander Kane -- Teddy Blueger -- Jake DeBrusk
Curtis Douglas -- Aatu Raty -- Nils Hoglander
Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson -- Victor Mancini
Elias Nils Pettersson -- Tom Willander
Kevin Lankinen
Nikita Tolopilo
Scratched: Max Sasson, P.O Joseph
Injured: Filip Chytil (facial fracture), Thatcher Demko (hip surgery), Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
Golden Knights projected lineup
Ivan Barbashev -- Jack Eichel – Mark Stone
Pavel Dorofeyev -- Brett Howden -- Mitch Marner
Reilly Smith -- Tomas Hertl -- Keegan Kolesar
Cole Smith – Nic Dowd -- Colton Sissons
Brayden McNabb- Shea Theodore
Noah Hanifin-- Kaedan Korczak
Rasmus Andersson – Jeremy Lauzon
Adin Hill
Akira Schmid
Scratched: Braeden Bowman, Ben Hutton, Brandon Saad
Injured: Carter Hart (lower body), William Karlsson (lower body), Jonas Rondbjerg (lower body),
Status Report
Elias Nils Pettersson returns to the lineup after being scratched in the Canucks’ 7-3 loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday. … Vegas will dress the same 18 skaters from their 5-4 shootout loss to the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
Game Day Battle Hymn
Can't play the Blues in Vegas. Only the slots. And the losing. So much losing.
F*uck the war mongering fascists and enjoy the game. As best you can.
