It's another Hughes family reunion as Quinn and the Canucks take on brothers Jack and Luke in a battle for Hughes family supremacy. Also, the New Jersey Devils are involved.
Vancouver Canucks (16-8-1) vs New Jersey Devils (11-10-1)
7:00 PM PST
ROGERS ARENA, VANCOUVER, BC
SPORTSNET PACIFIC, MSG NETWORK, NHL NETWORK
Fresh off a big Pacific Division win Saturday night in Calgary, the Canucks are back at it, after a luxurious two day break. A win tonight is vital, in that it will move them to within two points of first place Vegas, and also ensure that the LA Kings stay at least two points behind them.
After struggling through November compared to their torrid start to the season, the Canucks kicked December off on the right foot Saturday night with a 4-3 win over the Flames in Calgary. They're beginning a stretch of five straight at home, beginning with a team that they've been finding hard to handle of late: the New Jersey Devils.
It's the first time that Quinn Hughes will face off against both of his siblings in an NHL game, and while the Canucks will be focused on securing two points, the eyes of hockey fans across North America are definitely trained on tonight's contest. The Devils have won four of the last five meetings between these teams, including both games last year. And while the Canucks have been one of the true surprises of the NHL this season, the Devils have too, only not in a good way. Many had the Devils pencilled in to be Cup contenders in the East, but they've stumbled out of the gate, and find themselves four points out of a wild card slot in the Eastern Conference. They're 4-6-0 in their last ten games, and are hoping this Western road swing will help them get back on track.
And while the Hughes brothers matchup is getting all the press, there's one other factor to tonight's game that shouldn't be overlooked. Travis Green is set for his first appearance behind the visitors bench since he was fired as the Canucks head coach two years ago today. If that's not some sort of universal karma/schedule guy trying to mess with people, I dunno what is.
LINEUPS
We found this potential lineup spray-painted on the side of a transport trailer parked alongside Highway 1 out in the valley, but I am pretty sure they got it from nhl dot com.
Devils projected lineup
Erik Haula -- Jack Hughes -- Tyler Toffoli
Ondrej Palat -- Nico Hischier -- Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier -- Dawson Mercer -- Alexander Holtz
Curtis Lazar -- Michael McLeod -- Nathan Bastian
Jonas Siegenthaler -- Simon Nemec
Kevin Bahl -- John Marino
Colin Miller -- Luke Hughes
Vitek Vanecek
Akira Schmid
Scratched: Chris Tierney
Injured: Tomas Nosek (foot), Dougie Hamilton (torn pectoral muscle)
Suspended: Brendan Smith
Canucks projected lineup
Ilya Mikheyev -- Elias Pettersson -- Sam Lafferty
Andrei Kuzmenko -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Teddy Blueger -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Nils Aman -- Linus Karlsson
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Ian Cole -- Noah Juulsen
Nikita Zadorov -- Tyler Myers
Thatcher Demko
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Phillip Di Giuseppe, Mark Friedman
Injured: Pius Suter (lower body), Carson Soucy (foot), Guillaume Brisebois (concussion)
No changes for the Canucks, as PDG continues to ride pine in favour of Linus Karlsson, while Sam Lafferty continues his improbable run on the Canucks first line. With every passing game, that signing looks better for Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin. While it may not sit well with some, Noah Juulsen is in again in favour of Mark Friedman.
The Devils found out recently that they'll be without Dougie Hamilton long term after he suffered a torn pectoral muscle. It'll be Vitek Vanacek vs Thatcher Demko in the crease tonight.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
While the UK may be the birthplace of heavy metal, it always seemed somewhat lacking when it came to contributions to thrash metal. Apart from bands like Xentrix, Onslaught and Hellbastard, UK thrash acts never really seemed to move the needle. That's all changed over the last decade, with the New Wave Of Thrash Metal. Bands like Evile, SSS, Shrapnel and Pest Control have put out some fantastic stuff, and while the first three may be a little more familiar to metal heads, Pest Control is one you don't wanna sleep on.
Born in Leeds during the lockdown, their debut album 'Don't Test The Pest' is holding up as one of the better thrash discs of 2023. Check out their video for 'Enjoy The Show'!
This one should be fun! Enjoy the game, eh? Go Canucks Go!
10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY
There are many stories to cover with this game.
Story 1.
The obvious is Zadorov playing his first game the Nucks against his last team. I would say that tonight would be a good time to endear yourself to your new team by hitting the shit out of the Flames. Zadorov is also playing for his next contract....which I doubt is with Vancouver. Nikita knew he wasn't going to get big numbers playing with the Flames this year. He saw what Petey and Hronek have put up so far...heck, Tyler Myers has 11 points so far this year. Nikita wants points and the Canucks need defense. Quite a pair.
The second story is one of my own:
Well, Taco won't reach Willie D's level of success, but he has done a great job so far. Now he needs to do something that all these coaches had trouble with.....find a system that creates wins while the injury faeries feast on the players at certain times. He has the help of his GM, who seems willing to make trades this year to get this team to the playoffs.
The third story is Petey
I demand Petey gets going. I don't have any power over this...but dammit!......I demand it.
Please...pretty please....come on Petey. We all love you....start scoring.
Canucks projected lineup
Ilya Mikheyev -- Elias Pettersson -- Andrei Kuzmenko
Phillip Di Giuseppe -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Teddy Blueger -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Nils Aman -- Sam Lafferty
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Nikita Zadorov -- Tyler Myers
Ian Cole -- Noah Juulsen
Thatcher Demko
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Linus Karlsson, Mark Friedman
Injured: Pius Suter (lower body), Carson Soucy (foot), Guillaume Brisebois (concussion)
Flames projected lineup
Andrew Mangiapane -- Elias Lindholm – Yegor Sharangovich
Connor Zary -- Nazem Kadri -- Martin Pospisil
Jonathan Huberdeau -- Mikael Backlund -- Blake Coleman
A.J. Greer -- Adam Ruzicka -- Dillon Dube
MacKenzie Weegar -- Rasmus Andersson
Noah Hanifin -- Chris Tanev
Dennis Gilbert -- Jordan Oesterle
Jacob Markstrom
Dan Vladar
Scratched: Walker Duehr, Ilya Solovyov
Injured: Jakob Pelletier (shoulder), Kevin Rooney (shoulder)
Status report
Demko is expected to start for the seventh time in eight games. ... Zadorov, traded to the Canucks by the Flames for two draft picks Thursday, will make his Vancouver debut. ... Markstrom will make his seventh start in 10 games. -NHL.COM
Game Day Battle Hymn
This video seems to have quite a few guys that can play the guitar somewhat reasonably....and their is a short guy in a hat and high heels that tells them to hold his beer, and proceeds to rip shit up with a guitar solo that makes my hand hurt just watching it.
Time for the Canucks to wake up.
Go Coconuts Go!
10 p.m. ET; SNP, BSSC, BSSD
I had been waiting 21 games for the Canucks of yore to appear and lo and behold, they appeared in San Jose, losing to the last place Sharks. In the last podcast with Jimmi, I bemoaned the tactic of pulling the goalie down 2 goals. While some would say that it has produced results to pull the Canucks back to one-goal deficits with time left, I would say that the team has put itself in the position to have to pull the goalie. There is no way that Vancouver should lose to SJ on paper, and yet this team found a way to do so. The puck luck that appeared so often for the Canucks in the first 10 games has turned on the Canucks. Hitting posts, pucks going through the crease and disallowed goals are now the luck the Canucks have. That was 2 points that the Canucks gave away.
The Canucks face an Anaheim team that was humiliated by the Oilers 8-2 in their last game. The Ducks are a team of promise that are missing some important pieces to make it to the next level. They have some young forwards like Zegras (injured), MacTavish, Terry and Mintyukov, who are surrounded by some vets like Henrique, Killorn and Fowler. Their special teams are middle of the league, but have allowed 12 more goals against than goals for 5vs5.
The Canucks beat the Ducks all 4 times they played them last year and there should be no logical reason for the Nucks to lose any games against them this year....of course logic sometimes disappears when it comes to the Canucks. Petey feasted on the Ducks last year with 11 points and so hopefully he can find his scoring touch. Petey has 1 point in his last 4 games, and while I have said I think he is injured, his faceoffs have actually gone up over the past couple games. You usually wouldn't increase someone's faceoffs if they had a hurt hand or wrist.....so maybe it's a leg. Who knows?
The Canucks injuries have led to another change in the back end as Cole McWard will get the start tonight over Mark Friedman. Hopefully McWard can help get the puck out of the Canucks end faster and limit chances up the middle. Splitting Hronek and Hughes does not help create two better pairings, so keeping them together means the 2nd pairing has to be better at moving out of the defensive zone and not force the forwards to skate it out. I am still not sold on Noah Juulsen being an NHL defenseman, and it shows how bare the defensemen cupboard is.
Ducks projected lineup
Alex Killorn -- Adam Henrique -- Troy Terry
Frank Vatrano -- Mason McTavish -- Ryan Strome
Max Jones -- Benoit-Olivier Groulx -- Jakob Silfverberg
Ross Johnston -- Sam Carrick -- Brock McGinn
Cam Fowler -- Jackson Lacombe
Pavel Mintyukov -- Ilya Lyubushkin
Urho Vaakanainen -- Tristan Luneau
John Gibson
Lukas Dostal
Scratched: Leo Carlsson, Brett Leason
Injured: Radko Gudas (lower body)
Canucks projected lineup
Ilya Mikheyev -- Elias Pettersson -- Andrei Kuzmenko
Anthony Beauvillier -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Teddy Blueger -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Nils Aman -- Sam Lafferty
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Ian Cole -- Noah Juulsen
Cole McWard -- Tyler Myers
Thatcher Demko
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Akito Hirose, Phillip Di Giuseppe, Mark Friedman
Injured: Pius Suter (lower body), Carson Soucy (foot), Guillaume Brisebois (concussion)
Status report
Gudas, a defenseman, is day to day after leaving in the second period of an 8-2 loss at the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. … Carlsson appears to be a healthy scratch for a second straight game with the Ducks continuing to manage the rookie forward's workload. ... The Canucks held an optional morning skate Tuesday, but coach Rick Tocchet confirmed Kuzmenko will return to the top line after being scratched the past two games. … McWard will make his season debut in place of Friedman; how the second and third defense pairs are deployed is to be determined. ... Demko is expected to start for the fifth time in six games. ... Suter, a center who has not played since Nov. 12, experienced a setback in his recovery last week, according to Tocchet; there is no firm timetable for his return. … Di Giuseppe, a forward, could be a scratch for the first time this season. - NHL.com
LATE NEWS
Well....that's answers one question about salary cap....but doesn't address the defenseman issue.
Game Day Battle Hymn.
There seem to be a bunch of you guitar enthusiasts on here and while I don't freely listen to some of the same genres, I can appreciate some good guitar pickin'. My tastes tend to move towards from rock to blues and this lady has covered each quite well. Bonnie Raitt is a favorite of mine. Enjoy.
Go Coconuts Go!
10 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, SNP, SNO, SNE, CITY
The Canucks have to be happy about winning last night. Getting revenge in Seattle after losing their first meeting in Vancouver is a nice way to rebound after the lose in Colorado. The third and fourth line made the win possible as Dakota Joshua, Teddy Blueger, Conor Garland and Nils Aman all stood out. Aman especially after signing a new 2 year contract yesterday. The Canucks had another stellar 2nd period and lead the league in 2nd period goals. The Canucks have a chance to end the road trip with a winning record.
The Canucks also have to be concerned with last night's performance. The top two lines were unable to get going, even after shaking up the lines. Yes, Sam Lafferty got a goal on the first line, as did Miky, but Petey and Miller were unable to get many chances. Petey does have one of his wrists taped and so an injury is plausible at this point. Brock had at least 3 great chances, but was unable to capitalize. The team was outshot in the first two periods before taking control of the game in the third period. The powerplay has been 0-10 in its last 4 games and has dropped to 29% overall, which puts the team 4th in the league.
I pointed out in the gamethread last night that the Canucks don't play LA until Feb 29th and then play them 3 more times after. That is some strange scheduling shit from the NHL. You don't see one of your main rivals until the last quarter of the year and then play them repeatedly. It's the opposite with San Jose, as they play one more time Dec 23rd and are done for the year. The Canucks need all the points they can from teams like the Sharks, so they can have a cushion into December, where they play a bunch of teams they have struggled against in the past.
Not much to say about the Sharks that hasn't been said in the past two meetings. San Jose has struggled with a weaker roster and just can't get much going in the way of scoring. The Canucks are looking for their 12th win in a row against them.
The Canucks did not skate today, so the lineups may change again, but until Taco lets us know.....
Canucks projected lineup
Sam Lafferty -- Elias Pettersson -- Ilya Mikheyev
Anthony Beauvillier -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Teddy Blueger -- Conor Garland
Phillip Di Giuseppe -- Nils Aman -- Nils Hoglander
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Ian Cole -- Cole McWard
Mark Friedman -- Tyler Myers
Casey DeSmith
Thatcher Demko
Scratched: Andrei Kuzmenko, Akito Hirose
Injured: Pius Suter (undisclosed), Carson Soucy (foot), Guillaume Brisebois (concussion)
Sharks projected lineup
William Eklund -- Tomas Hertl -- Mike Hoffman
Fabian Zetterlund -- Mikael Granlund -- Anthony Duclair
Kevin Labanc -- Nico Sturm -- Luke Kunin
Givani Smith -- Ryan Carpenter -- Jacob MacDonald
Mario Ferraro -- Ty Emberson
Nikita Okhotiuk -- Kyle Burroughs
Calen Addison -- Matt Benning
Kaapo Kahkonen
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scratched: Nikolai Knyzhov, Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Injured: Logan Couture (lower body), Alexander Barabanov (broken finger), Fabian Zetterlund (upper body), Jan Rutta (upper body), Filip Zadina (upper body
Status report
Neither team conducted a morning skate Saturday... DeSmith is projected to start after Demko made 23 saves in a 5-1 win at the Seattle Kraken on Friday. ... Kahkonen will start after Blackwood made 22 saves in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Friday. ... Zadina is day to day after being injured Friday, Sharks coach David Quinn said. - NHL.COM
Game Day Battle Hymn
I will give it up to Kent, he knows his music. At least the genre he loves....metal. The Japanese metal he put on yesterday was outside the box and will be hard to counter. But I was in the car today and low and behold, a song from my childhood came across the waves on a station in Latin America.... Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy".
I know. The song was good enough to spawn a movie with Sylvester Stallone & Dolly Parton.
Take that Kent.
Go Coconuts Go!
Injuries are beginning to mount alongside the losses. The Canucks face more adversity as they start a back to back with an almost 840 mile trip in between.
Vancouver Canucks (13-5-1) vs Seattle Kraken (8-8-5)
CLIMATE PLEDGE ARENA, SEATTLE, WAS
7:00PM PST
SPORTSNET PACIFIC
The underwhelming feeling that followed the loss in Denver on Wednesday night is nothing compared to the oh so familiar feeling of "Dear god, what now?" when it comes to injuries the Canucks have been dealing with over the last few days. With Carson Soucy and Pius Suter now listed on injured reserve, requiring the Canucks to put in a call to Abbotsford for forwards to bolster the beleaguered lineup.
It's not all bad news, thankfully.
It was looking as though they wouldn't have either of them available for tonight's contest, but it's not just the guys who are out that give cause for concern. Whether it's an injury he's playing through or an illness, something is clearly not right with Elias Pettersson for these past few games. He's out there, and sure he's getting points here and there, but he definitely isn't the same EP40 we saw earlier in the campaign.
We could go on about the frustration that was Wednesday's game against the Avalanche (and believe me, there's an f'ing list of shit I could talk about), but much like the team themselves, the focus must stay on the task at hand, and with tonight's contest the first of five straight against Pacific Division opponents, these are must win games if the Canucks want to keep the distance they've built between themselves and their rivals.
A chance for payback is always good, and when you look at that 4-3 loss to the Kraken a few days ago, it's definitely a game where the Canucks deserved a better fate. Bad bounces, a goaltender playing far above his average for the season, and some questionable calls made for a frustrating loss, but that can all be erased tonight with a win. Fatigue will definitely be an issue though, as the Canucks have played a lot of hockey over the past three weeks, and with a jaunt down to San Jose tomorrow night, it's definitely something to keep in mind.
One thing they'll have to do is play smart. Avoiding the penalty box is going to ensure they can roll all four lines and keep the top six from getting burnt out. They have the luxury of a backup goaltender they can rely on, and we'll see Casey DeSmith in the crease for one of these two contests. Finishing the month on a high note as they head to December is important, and with the Vegas Golden Knights and first place in the Pacific still within striking distance, getting on a roll will help that in a big way.
LINEUPS
Canucks projected lineup
Sam Lafferty -- Elias Pettersson -- Ilya Mikheyev
Anthony Beauvillier -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Teddy Blueger -- Conor Garland
Phillip Di Giuseppe -- Nils Aman -- Nils Hoglander
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Mark Friedman -- Tyler Myers
Ian Cole -- Cole McWard
Thatcher Demko
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Andrei Kuzmenko, Akito Hirose
Injured: Pius Suter (undisclosed), Carson Soucy (foot), Guillaume Brisebois (concussion)
Kraken projected lineup
Jared McCann -- Matty Beniers -- Jordan Eberle
Jaden Schwartz -- Alexander Wennberg -- Brandon Tanev
Eeli Tolvanen -- Yanni Gourde -- Oliver Bjorkstrand
Tye Kartye -- Pierre-Edouard Bellemare -- Kailer Yamamoto
Vince Dunn -- Adam Larsson
Jamie Oleksiak -- Will Borgen
Brian Dumoulin -- Justin Schultz
Joey Daccord
Chris Driedger
Scratched: Jaycob Megna
Injured: Andre Burakovsky (upper body), Philipp Grubauer (undisclosed)
Well, some might be surprised by this, but if you are, you haven't really been paying attention to how Rick Tocchet runs things, as we'll see a pretty significant lineup shuffle, as well as Andrei Kuzmenko listed as a healthy scratch tonight. We knew there was going to be regression after his incredible debut last season, and if the Canucks had been truly struggling this season, this might have happened sooner. This is clearly an attempt to send a message to both player and team that things cannot rest solely on the shoulders of the stars, so watch for a response both tonight, and tomorrow when Kuzmenko returns to the lineup.
Will these lines hold? Who knows. I'm all here for the team actually trying to address issues instead of just shuffling along when things obviously need a shakeup.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Some more Japanese metal weirdness for you. With 'Pardon Me, I Have To Go Now', this is HANABIE. You're welcome.
Enjoy the game. Go Canucks Go! Make sure to check out the post game wrap up and then we'll do this all again tomorrow.
With the losing skid snuffed out after a 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks, the Canucks are on the road for a hellacious 3 games in 4 nights that features a ridiculous amount of travel. They can do themselves a massive favour if they start it off with a win over the Avs tonight.
Vancouver Canucks (13-5-1) vs Colorado Avalanche (11-6-0)
7:00PM PST
Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Sportsnet Pacific
It wasn't perfect, and the Canucks still look like a tired team, but they got the job done against a San Jose team that looked a hell of a lot better than the one they embarrassed a couple weeks back. While it's good they stopped the losing before it became a genuine streak, it certainly doesn't bode well heading into tonight's contest against one of the best in the West, with the altitude and issues related to that in consideration.
That's not to say we should just write this one off, mind you. The Avs have been struggling of late, just 5-5 in their last ten, and four of those are in the last three weeks. Those losses saw them outscored 23-8, including a 7-0 loss in Vegas and an 8-2 stomping at home to the St Louis Blues. It's not that they're not good, but it does show you even good teams, especially when they have to deal with injury issues, can struggle. Something to keep in mind over the next few weeks.
A lot of the hype heading into tonight is about the matchup between Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar, and while it's going to be a treat to see two of the NHL's best defencemen go head to head. But for me, this is a test for the Vancouver Canucks, and a chance for them to show they're ready to take this next step against a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. That's far more important to me than any one player's night. Sure, we'd love to see Quinn show everyone why he's quite likely the best in the NHL right now, but it's not the most important thing here. I'd take Hughes getting held off the scoresheet if the Canucks can roll outta Denver with two points in their pockets tonight.
One thing they'll need to do is get another one of those games from Thatcher Demko, and if there's a spot where the Canucks have a clear advantage over the Avs, it's in goal. They're going to need to make sure they all show up for one of those lunch pail kind of nights on defence. The Avs, in spite of recent struggles, are still very capable of scoring in bunches. That means things will need to be a hell of a lot tighter than they have been over the past few games, and more like what we saw when they played Dallas, for example.
LINEUPS
This potential lineup was found scrawled on the back a program for Beetlejuice: The Musical. Or maybe it was on nhl dot com.
Canucks projected lineup
Andrei Kuzmenko -- Elias Pettersson -- Ilya Mikheyev
Phillip Di Giuseppe -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Teddy Blueger -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Sam Lafferty -- Anthony Beauvillier
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Ian Cole -- Noah Juulsen
Mark Friedman -- Tyler Myers
Thatcher Demko
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Akito Hirose
Injured: Pius Suter (undisclosed), Carson Soucy (foot), Guillaume Brisebois (concussion)
Avalanche projected lineup
Valeri Nichushkin -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Jonathan Drouin -- Ryan Johansen -- Tomas Tatar
Miles Wood -- Ross Colton -- Logan O'Connor
Andrew Cogliano -- Fredrik Olofsson -- Joel Kiviranta
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Bowen Byram -- Josh Manson
Jack Johnson -- Caleb Jones
Alexandar Georgiev
Ivan Prosvetov
Scratched: Kurtis MacDermid, Samuel Girard
Injured: Artturi Lehkonen (upper body)
Looks like we'll see the same lineup as we saw on Monday in the win over the Sharks. The Avs are going to be without D Samuel Girard, who is away from the team for personal reasons.
GAME DAY CHATTER
With three games in four nights, and the Canucks leaving Pius Suter at home, we should expect a call-up from Abbotsford to ensure that they have enough forwards to get through this.
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Got an absolutely breathtaking cover of DIO's 'Rainbow In The Dark' from Denver doom metal crew KHEMMIS for you today. This is off their live mini album 'Doomed Heavy Metal'. It's only available digitally through Nuclear Blast Records, but if you like your metal slow and sludgy, these guys are well worth a listen.
Enjoy the game, everyone. Go Canucks Go!
The Canucks look to end their 2 game losing streak against San Jose.
10 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNP, NBCSCA
The Canucks have lost two in a row for the second time this year. I won't blame it on the podcast that Jimmi and I did. I will blame it on a team that has looked tired and was outplayed for long stretches in both of the losses. The good news from those losses was that the Canucks were able to score 4 even strength goals....of course we can't ignore the 9 even strength goals against in those games. Taco must be a little concerned that the system breaks down when new players are inserted into roles.
The Sharks, after giving up 20 goals in their first 2 games of the month, have gone 3-3, including a 5-1 victory over St Louis in their last game. I am not saying the Sharks have turned into a juggernaut, but I think the Canucks will have a challenge tonight, as the Sharks definitely want to get some revenge after the embarrassment of the last game. The Canucks 10-0 record against the Sharks could be in jeopardy.
Going the tweets this morning, there are some interesting things floating around, like Nils Hoggy being talked about in trade speculation. I would have said hell yes to this in August, but the way he has been playing, at his cap hit, makes me think it would be a "no" from me right now. Sportsnet put this graphic up after the last game:
Here are some other interesting stats before this game:
This stat is a surprise as I never really saw a game where the Nucks were hitting the shit out of another team. I am not really sure what constitutes a hit in this league, but I wish that Myers would throw his body around some more. This stat is very misleading as I would argue that timing of a hit or the result of a hit (turnover) might be more valuable to study than just tracking the hits themselves.
Ian Cole is playing over 20 minutes of ice time a game, the most he has ever played. This is what happens when the Canucks lose a defenseman. Cole is 34 years old and playing too many minutes because the call-ups aren't trusted to play more.
Let's hope the Canucks realize that they are playing a less-skilled team and take advantage of the speed they have and score some PP goals to keep the Sharks honest in the own end. The Canucks don't need to have their first 3 game losing streak of the year.
Sharks projected lineup
William Eklund -- Tomas Hertl -- Fabian Zetterlund
Filip Zadina -- Mikael Granlund -- Anthony Duclair
Mike Hoffman -- Luke Kunin -- Kevin Labanc
Givani Smith -- Ryan Carpenter -- Jacob MacDonald
Mario Ferraro -- Ty Emberson
Nikita Okhotiuk -- Kyle Burroughs
Calen Addison -- Jan Rutta
Mackenzie Blackwood
Kaapo Kahkonen
Scratched: Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Nikolai Knyzhov, Nico Sturm
Injured: Logan Couture (lower body), Alexander Barabanov (broken finger), Matt Benning (undisclosed)
Canucks projected lineup
Andrei Kuzmenko -- Elias Pettersson -- Ilya Mikheyev
Phillip Di Giuseppe -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Teddy Blueger-- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander--Sam Lafferty -- Anthony Beauvillier
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Ian Cole -- Noah Juulsen
Mark Friedman -- Tyler Myers
Thatcher Demko
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Akito Hirose
Injured: Pius Suter (undisclosed), Carson Soucy (foot), Guillaume Brisebois (concussion)
Status report
With Sturm, a forward, away from the Sharks for personal reasons, Kunin moves from second-line right wing to third-line center. ... Labanc returns to the lineup after being scratched for a 5-1 win against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. … Blackwood starts for the third time in four games after Kahkonen made 44 saves Thursday. … MacDonald will play after missing six games because of an undisclosed injury. ... The Sharks sent forward Danil Guschin to San Jose of the American Hockey League on Friday. ... Friedman replaces Hirose, a defenseman, and the right-handed shot will play the left side on the third pair. - NHL.com
Game Day Battle Hymn
I think the Canucks could use some motivating music to help them get a fast start to the game and score some goals. Kent's metal choices seem to be scaring the boys. So, let's go back to a simpler time, where men wore weird hats and Kurt Rambis glasses. Devo was greatly overplayed on MTV in the 80s, but now I appreciate the silliness. Kent will hate it.
Go Coconuts Go!
Call it regression. Call it exhaustion. Call it whatever you want, but that loss in Calgary wasn't pretty. Pay close attention to how the Canucks respond, as they get ready to do another stupid 5 games in 8 nights run.
Vancouver Canucks (12-3-1) vs Seattle Kraken (6-8-4)
7:00PM PST
ROGERS ARENA, VANCOUVER, BC
CBC, SPORTSNET, CITY
We knew a regulation loss was coming, it just sucks that it had to come against the Flames. They're not that good, and combined with the aforementioned 5th game in 8 nights scenario, and some mind-blowingly bad officiating, and this one was done before puck drop.
Thankfully, they're at home, and have had a day's rest, and this next 5 game set sees them play Seattle and San Jose twice, broken up by a highly anticipated match against another of the best in the west when they travel to Denver to take on the Colorado Avalanche. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here. This is another Western Conference game, and if we're being honest, these are the truly important ones. Ensuring they stay in the top 3 in the Pacific Division and home ice in round one of the playoffs is the goal, and considering how well they've done against Western opponents so far, garnering an impressive 16 of 18 possible points so far. Rattling off four of the next 5 will go a long way to ensuring their post-season drought comes to an end this year.
The anticipated Canucks regression gets a lot of print space right now, but I think more should be said about what's happening just South of Vancouver. After an impressive sophomore season, complete with playoff games and their first ever playoff series win in that seven game series victory over the Colorado Avalanche. The Kraken have struggled so far this season, including losing four straight to start the year. They're gonna need to go on a run in order to make up the ground they've lost, as they're two points out of the last wild card slot at the moment, and they've played more games than any other team in the West. It's not looking good, and it shouldn't be a shock if they can't pull this off.
That's not to suggest that the Canucks should take this, or any game lightly, and one of the more impressive things so far this season is how the Canucks have responded to losses. Take the way they responded in Montreal after a frustrating loss in Toronto the night before. Or the win in Florida after dropping a heart breaker to the Tampa Bay Lightning. This team is mentally stronger than in the past, and that's going to pay dividends as the season wears on.
LINEUPS
Scrawled in spraypaint on an overpass along Highway 1 near Chilliwack was this potential lineup. Or was it nhl dot com?
Kraken projected lineup
Jared McCann -- Matthew Beniers -- Jordan Eberle
Jaden Schwartz -- Alexander Wennberg -- Brandon Tanev
Eeli Tolvanen -- Yanni Gourde -- Oliver Bjorkstrand
Tye Kartye -- Pierre-Edouard Bellemare -- Kailer Yamamoto
Vince Dunn -- Adam Larsson
Jamie Oleksiak -- Will Borgen
Brian Dumoulin -- Justin Schultz
Philipp Grubauer
Joey Daccord
Scratched: Jaycob Megna, Andrew Poturalski
Injured: Andre Burakovsky (upper body)
Canucks projected lineup
Andrei Kuzmenko -- Elias Pettersson -- Ilya Mikheyev
Phillip Di Giuseppe -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Teddy Blueger -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Sam Lafferty -- Anthony Beauvillier
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Ian Cole -- Noah Juulsen
Akito Hirose -- Tyler Myers
Thatcher Demko
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Mark Friedman
Injured: Pius Suter (undisclosed), Carson Soucy (foot), Guillaume Brisebois (concussion)
The good news is that Andrei Kuzmenko will return to the lineup tonight. The not so good news? Noah Juulsen still can't seem to play his way to the pressbox. Akito Hirose will draw in with Tyler Myers tonight.
This should be a winnable game for the Canucks, who are going to need to see more 5 on 5 production to bolster a lethal power play. They're also going to need to be better on the PK. They've improved a lot since last season, but it's still not where it needs to be.
GAME DAY CHATTER
This is the Gary Bettman expansion dilemma. It's either a bare minimum against divisional rivals, or not getting to see some of the Eastern teams at all. Personally, I think the NHL has done sweet fuck all to try and build a Vancouver/Seattle rivalry, and I would rather see them play each other four times than against the bloody Oilers or Flames. It's insane that they play those two as well as the Sharks four times, yet their geographically closest opponent will only appear here once this season.
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Emerging from the ashes of Texas thrash kings POWER TRIP after the tragic death of their vocalist Riley Gale, FUGITIVE have come to continue along the path forged by the Dallas crossover bangers. This single is available as a 7" from 20 Buck Spin Records, and we should expect a full length from them next year. This is one of those tunes that really, truly makes me miss the moshpits from back in the day.
Enjoy the game, everyone. Go Canucks Go!
After a thrilling, come from behind win over the New York Islanders , the Canucks vaulted into first in the West. Keeping this roll going could see them overtake the Bruins and move into first place in the NHL and holy hell did I just write that?
Vancouver Canucks (12-3-1) @ Calgary Flames (5-8-2)
6:00PM PST - SPORTSNET PACIFIC, SPORTSNET WEST
Trying to wrap my COVID-addled cranium around what is happening right now. I mean, where do you start?
Let's look at their record. If anyone had suggested that the Canucks would be 12-3-1 halfway through November, they would have been laughed into oblivion. Or how about the mind blowing fact that there's a 3 way tie for the NHL scoring lead, and they're all Canucks. Or Brock Boeser tied with Auston Matthews and Kyle Connor for the NHL goal scoring lead. But wait... there's more!
Filip Hronek is on an 11 game points streak. Thatcher Demko is in the top 5 for GAA, Sv%, and shutouts. And Casey DeSmith has won 4 of his 5 starts. The Canucks may actually be good, and they can basically go .500 the rest of the way and still make the playoffs. Take a moment and let that sink in. Not that we want them to do that, mind you. This first quarter of the season is setting the Canucks up rather nicely for the next couple months, where the quality of competition is gonna be a lot tougher than what they've faced so far.
But maybe we don't need to be worried. Last night was one hell of an indicator that things may truly be different this year. Last year, there's no way in hell they come back and win that game. Last year's team didn't have the confidence, nor the defensive capability to shut things down and throw everything they had at their opponent, and last year's team didn't have a captain that could literally end things the way Quinn Hughes did. Yeah, I went there.
Look, Bo Horvat was a good player for the Canucks, and yes he had some moments, but his lack of awareness on that GWG from Hughes was just so symbolic of who Horvat is. When he's on, he's on. So often, he's just not, and that's not someone who I would consider a leader. Leaders don't just make speeches. They pave the way through their actions, and you could not have asked for a stronger statement about whether or not the Canucks made the right choice, both in who should be the captain, as well as choosing J.T. Miller over Horvat.
So now it's onto Calgary, to take on a team that was supposed to be laughing as they watched us in their rear view mirror. Well, at least according to some. The Flames always seemed to be getting over-hyped by a number of pundits, and this season seems to be them crashing down to earth. Turns out it wasn't Darryl Sutter that was the problem, but a team in desperate need of a rebuild. With Nikita Zadorov asking for a trade, and others being available, including Chris Tanev, this season is just about a write off for the Calgary Flames. And it would just be wonderful if the Canucks had a hand in speeding up that process.
LINEUPS
The following potential lineup was discovered written on a napkin from Peters' Drive In (Seriously, the best damn burger in Calgary), though it may also have been on nhl dot com.
Canucks projected lineup
Conor Garland -- Elias Pettersson -- Ilya Mikheyev
Phillip Di Giuseppe -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Teddy Blueger -- Anthony Beauvillier
Linus Karlsson -- Sam Lafferty -- Nils Hoglander
Quinn Hughes -- Noah Juulsen
Ian Cole -- Filip Hronek
Mark Friedman -- Tyler Myers
Casey DeSmith
Thatcher Demko
Scratched: Akito Hirose
Injured: Pius Suter (undisclosed), Carson Soucy (foot), Guillaume Brisebois (concussion)
Flames projected lineup
Adam Ruzicka -- Elias Lindholm -- Andrew Mangiapane
Connor Zary -- Nazem Kadri -- Martin Pospisil
Jonathan Huberdeau -- Mikael Backlund -- Blake Coleman
A.J. Greer -- Yegor Sharangovich -- Dillon Dube
MacKenzie Weegar -- Rasmus Andersson
Noah Hanifin -- Chris Tanev
Nikita Zadorov -- Nick DeSimone
Jacob Markstrom
Dan Vladar
Scratched: Walker Duehr, Dennis Gilbert
Injured: Jakob Pelletier (shoulder), Kevin Rooney (shoulder)
If there's anything that could derail the Canucks right now, it's not regression, but injuries. And after finding out Carson Soucy could be gone for up to eight weeks after a shot block took him out of the game in Montreal on Sunday, the Canucks were forced to shuffle things throughout the night against the Islanders. They've called up Akito Hirose from Abbotsford, but will likely go with last night's pairings.
It's not just the D that's banged up though. With Pius Suter a late scratch yesterday, and not likely to be ready to go tonight, the Canucks could also be without Andrei Kuzmenko, who stopped a J.T. Miller slapshot with his smilin' mug in the third period last night.
In goal, the Canucks are gonna turn to Casey DeSmith, while the Flames, desperate to try and gain some of the ground lost in the battle for a playoff spot in the West, are giving Jacob Markstrom the crease in a back to back situation that I am sure will end well for the Flames.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Some Canadian metal for today's game. I was fortunate enough to snag copies of the Shadow Kingdom Records re-releases of 'Torment In Fire', 'Forward To Termination' and 'Soldiers Of Misfortune' from legendary TO thrashers SACRIFICE. Anyone who remembers the old Power Hour on Much Music knows this band well, part of the Canadian Big 5 (also including Exciter, Razor, Voivod and Annihilator). This one's off Soldiers of Misfortune, and it's one of my favorites from back in the day. As The World Burns!
Enjoy the game, everyone. Go Canucks Go!
The Return of the Bo!....not boo, it's says Bo.
So many storylines to choose from tonight.
Bo Horvat makes his return to Vancouver after being shipped out last year. I don't have a lot of emotion about his return. Bo was never a flashy player or outspoken. He just showed up to the rink and played. Probably why he was named captain of this team after the Sedins left. Was Bo the type of player to put the team on his shoulders and go get wins, not really. But he was also never the guy to suck for games on end. I think I was kind of hoping that Bo could be that first line guy that consistently got 30+ goals and 30+ assists. Alas, he only did that last year....a contract year...where we all knew that the Canucks didn't want to pay him the market money for that type of year. I certainly had no issue with the trade, especially when New York paid him an 8x8 contract extension. That seems ridiculous. His return tonight will surely elicit a lot of noise with variations of the letter "o" being used.
The other storyline I am more interested in is the fact the Canucks, with a win, could move into first place in the division and the Conference.
I know. It's the middle of November and the team hasn't fucked things up yet. The Canucks loved the score 5-2 over the road trip, as they won by it or lost by it. It might be the safe bet to put down on the sports betting websites that pop up endlessly on the tv screen. The coaching staff, all 100 of them, seem to have got everyone's attention.
Soucy is out 6-8 weeks with an injury and Friedman gets the call tonight to replace him. Trading Garland for defensive help would be nice. Hirose waits in the wings and may play if Myers can't go. Demko gets the call tonight and DeSmith will likely start tomorrow against Calgary. I don't care about the Islanders lineup...and it wasn't up by time I needed to post this.
Game Day Battle Hymn
Today's song is "California" by the Lagoons. This song is on my Chill mix on Spotify. I chose this for two reasons....first, I like the melody as it reduces my anger while driving on these shitty Central American roads. Secondly, I think Kent would absolutely hate this song.
Go Coconuts Go!
