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!
