CANUCKS (17-10-8) at FLAMES (17-12-7)

9 p.m. ET; SNW, SNP

GM Patrik Allvin interview: "We want to build a team that sets us up for long-term success. Building around the long-term deals with Miller and Petey, having Quinn and Demko locked up, Filip Hronek and Jake DeBrusk, I mean, those are big pieces. Petey has shown up to this point that he is an extremely talented, quality player that could and should be a No. 1 centre. I believe in him. I believe that he's capable. (But) he needs to mature and understand that there are certain expectations and it does not get easier. And you need to face the music when things don't go well. Is it (a trade) possible? I guess I would say anything is possible."

Happy Fucking New Year Petey.....Buffalo is back in the picture. Ok....maybe not Buffalo. The management here has given out some sweet contracts, but they also seem ready to call out players to earn their money. Can't blame Petey for the absolute cluster fuck of a collapse last game. 4-1 in the 3rd turns into a 5-4 loss. Those 3 goal leads are the hardest leads to hold in hockey....if you play in Vancouver.

I will keep hitting this cowbell in 2025...

The defense for the Canucks is a shit show. With no Quinn or Hronek, everyone moves up a pairing. The problem with that is that the Canucks don't have legitimate 2nd pairing guys who can play the situations of the first pairing. Oh....and they forgot how to play defense in the 3rd period of the last game.

Ok...that's as much effort as I am putting into this preview. 2024 can fuck off.

LINEUPS

Canucks projected lineup

Jake DeBrusk -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser

Nils Hoglander -- Pius Suter -- Conor Garland

Danton Heinen -- Teddy Blueger -- Kiefer Sherwood

Dakota Joshua -- Max Sasson -- Phillip Di Giuseppe

Derek Forbort -- Tyler Myers

Carson Soucy -- Noah Juulsen

Erik Brannstrom -- Vincent Desharnais

Kevin Lankinen

Thatcher Demko

Scratched: Guillaume Brisebois

Injured: Elias Pettersson (upper body), Quinn Hughes (upper body), Filip Hronek (upper body)

Flames projected lineup

Jonathan Huberdeau -- Nazem Kadri -- Martin Pospisil

Blake Coleman -- Mikael Backlund -- Matt Coronato

Yegor Sharangovich -- Connor Zary -- Jakob Pelletier

Ryan Lomberg -- Kevin Rooney -- Walker Duehr

Kevin Bahl -- Rasmus Andersson

Joel Hanley -- Mackenzie Weegar

Jake Bean -- Brayden Pachal

Dustin Wolf

Dan Vladar

Scratched: Andrei Kuzmenko, Daniil Miromanov, Tyson Barrie

Injured: None

Status report

Each team held an optional morning skate. ... Kuzmenko, a forward, is likely to be a healthy scratch for the sixth time in seven games.

GAME DAY CHATTER

“We’ve got to be ready to play… We’ve got to focus for 60, limit the mistakes and make more execution plays.”

🗣 Hear from Head Coach Rick Tocchet ahead of tonight's game in Calgary.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/4cion3OSP5

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 31, 2024

"It's a committee thing. We all got to step up and do a little more...We got to make sure everyone's pulling the rope together to accomplish the team goal."

🗣 J.T. Miller speaks to the media following Monday's #Canucks practice at Rogers Arena. pic.twitter.com/Gp5qE9wNV4

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 30, 2024

GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN

Back in the 90s, if you played this song at 11:30pm on New Years Eve, I am pretty sure the dance floor at any club in the Lower Mainland would be filled with rowdy guys and gals, yelling the lyrics just before the ball dropped.

A very Happy New Year's to all of you Canuck fans. Maybe 2025 be the year we actually get to use the Stanley Cup route I created.

Go Canucks Go!