KINGS (44-22-10) CANUCKS (34-34-7)
After quite the hot streak, the Canucks have lost their last two in O/T. Those results were weird in the fact that before those two games, the Canucks actually were 7-3 in O/T games. (not going to a shootout). The points were nice and still continue to screw the Canucks draft position. Canucks sit in the 8th position for the draft right now. Is it a coincidence that the Canucks have lost the past two with Hronek playing poorly in St Louis and then being shut down for the rest of the year? It will be interesting to see him healthy next year. Will he play with Hughes or be a strong 2nd line guy?
Elias Pettersson is having a season. 4 points away from 100 and he needs a point tonight to tie the record for longest point streak by a Canuck. Petey could get himself into the top 5 point season by a Canucks player, with the tear he has been on.
These last 7 games could the final time we get to watch one of Brock, Conor or Anthony B. Even if the unthinkable occurs, and Frankie lets management buyout OEL, the team is going to have cut some more salary to afford Kuz and J.T.'s new contract, and to get Mikheyev back on the roster and start getting more space for Petey's new contract.
Kings projected lineup
Quinton Byfield -- Anze Kopitar -- Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore -- Phillip Danault -- Viktor Arvidsson
Alex Iafallo -- Blake Lizotte -- Kevin Fiala
Carl Grundstrom -- Rasmus Kupari -- Arthur Kaliyev
Vladislav Gavrikov -- Drew Doughty
Alexander Edler -- Sean Walker
Scratched: Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Tobias Bjornfot, Zack MacEwen
Injured: Mikey Anderson (undisclosed), Gabriel Vilardi (upper body)
Canucks projected lineup
Andrei Kuzmenko -- Elias Pettersson -- Dakota Joshua
Phillip Di Giuseppe -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Anthony Beauvillier -- Nils Aman -- Conor Garland
Aidan McDonough -- Sheldon Dries -- Jack Studnicka
Guillaume Brisebois -- Ethan Bear
Jack Rathbone -- Kyle Burroughs
Scratched: Vitali Kravtsov, Akito Hirose
Injured: Filip Hronek (shoulder), Vasily Podkolzin (undisclosed), Christian Wolanin (lower body), Noah Juulsen (lower body), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (ankle), Travis Dermott (undisclosed), Ilya Mikheyev (torn ACL), Tanner Pearson (hand), Tucker Poolman (upper body)
GAME DAY CHATTER
Game Day Battle Hymn
This is the hardest part of writing these previews. Picking music for myself is easy, but getting songs for the millions who read this is a stressful thing. I have a tendency of choosing Canadians first. Bruce Cockburn should be on any top 10 Canadian song writers list and he is wondering where all the lions are, much like we asked where all the Canuck leaders were at the start of the year.
Go Canucks Go!
