10 p.m. ET; SNP, MSGSN, MSGSN2
This whole winning at home thing is something I could get used to. I have to admit that I was spoiled last year with some of the easy wins the Canucks had. Games don't look as easy they did last year, so let's be happy with wins in all the forms that they come. The PP and PK are both in the top half of the league and there is still lots of room for improvement. Petey might be coming alive at the right time since Brock is out for awhile. JT Miller is hurt and yet still gets points. Grinding out victories now is a result of the success and confidence built up from last year.
Tonight is another case of a game where the Canucks should win easily. With injuries to Anthony Duclair and Matt Barzal, the Islanders have struggled to find consistency. Their PP and PK is in the bottom 5 of the league and they have gone 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. They have lost their last two games in O/T to Edmonton and New Jersey. Ilya Sorokin, who shined in his first 3 years, looked human last year and needs more help from his aging team in front of him.
Some guy named Joshua gets his first start of the season after battling cancer over the summer. I am sure Coach Taco will keep his minutes to a minimum, but it will be great to see him go hit some people out there. Aaty Ratu gets to face his former team on his birthday...how a goal or five?
GAME DAY LINEUP
Islanders projected lineup
Anders Lee -- Bo Horvat -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Maxim Tsyplakov -- Brock Nelson -- Kyle Palmieri
Pierre Engvall -- Casey Cizikas -- Simon Holmstrom
Matt Martin -- Kyle MacLean -- Oliver Wahlstrom
Scott Mayfield -- Ryan Pulock
Isaiah George -- Noah Dobson
Dennis Cholowski -- Grant Hutton
Semyon Varlamov
Ilya Sorokin
Scratched: Hudson Fasching, Travis Mitchell
Injured: Mathew Barzal (upper body), Mike Reilly (head), Alexander Romanov (upper body)
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Conor Garland
Pius Suter -- J.T. Miller -- Jonathan Lekkerimaki
Danton Heinen -- Teddy Blueger -- Kiefer Sherwood
Dakota Joshua -- Aatu Raty -- Nils Hoglander
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy -- Tyler Myers
Erik Brannstrom -- Vincent Desharnais
Kevin Lankinen
Arturs Silovs
Scratched: Noah Juulsen
Injured: Brock Boeser (upper body), Derek Forbort (lower body), Thatcher Demko (lower body)
Status report
Mitchell was recalled from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League on Thursday in order to have an extra defenseman in case of injury over the final four games of a five-game road trip, coach Patrick Roy said. … Romanov, a defenseman who has missed eight of the past nine games, skated in a non-contact jersey Thursday, is day to day and could return on this road trip. … Joshua will make his season debut after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in the summer and undergoing surgery.
GAME DAY CHATTER
"He’s gone through a lot of stuff and I’ve loved the way he’s dealt with it. We’re just happy for him.”
🗣 Head Coach Rick Tocchet speaks on what Dakota Joshua brings to the team and what he means to this organization. #Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/rdGrLt5Rtd
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 14, 2024
“Just physically making sure you’re ready.”
🗣 Dakota Joshua meets with the media following Thursday's morning skate.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/UTRu2VVlOx
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 14, 2024
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
While my man, Kent, always seem to introduce new.....loud.....music, I have a tendency to regress back to the music I listened to as a kid...ok, maybe young adult in this case. Some would argue that this might have been a song from the last true "metal" album from a band that would go after Napster.
Go Canucks Go!