There was a lot to like about that game in St Louis. It's not enough to make us stop thinking about the raging tire fire that is the Vancouver Canucks, but it was nice to be happy at the end of a game again.
Vancouver Canucks (22-17-10) vs. Nashville Predators (18-23-7)
6:00 pm PST; 9:00 pm EST
TV: Sportsnet Pacific
Radio: Sportsnet 650
Much like the Oilers game last week, where we should have been talking about coughing up a stinker to the bloody Sabres, we should be relishing that win over the St Louis Blues Monday night, as well as back to back wins for the first time since December. But no, we have to talk about the Canucks team President Jim Rutherford coming out in an interview and essentially telling us things are worse that we were led to believe and one, if not both of J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson has to be traded. The core is being blown up, mere months after they led us to start believing again. Shame on us, I guess.
If you haven't already checked it out, Jimmi did a bang up job going over Rutherford's comments and what this all means, but all you need to know is that unless they can somehow hold off til the off season, there's a zero chance they get a fair, let alone favourable return on either of these guys. The teams that can trade for them are looking at the Canucks and licking their chops, waiting for Rutherford and GM Patrik Allvin to cave and pull off a deal to try and solve what is pretty much the dumbest problem this franchise has ever faced. All I can say is thank dog Jim Benning's not still here, because the Canucks would have been absolutely fleeced already.
Anyway, the game in St Louis was pretty positive overall. Quinn Hughes and Kevin Lankinen were once again the best players on the ice for the Canucks, but there were some other standouts, and it was pretty much a consistent team effort that led to the victory.
First up, it must be said: That was one of the best performances from Tyler Myers that we've ever seen, right? Just solid on the puck all night long, making life miserable for the Blues and just calmly going about his business. Sure, he took a penalty that led to a St Louis goal, but if that's your focus after such a strong game from the Chaos Giraffe, I feel sorry for your joyless existence.
Conor Garland was simply unlucky to not come out of that game with a hat trick or more, and those breakaway goals from Miller and Pius Suter, both of whom abso-frickin-lutely needed to get off the schneid were so great to see. That's back to back solid performances where the Canucks were the better team, one against the best team in the NHL, and one desperate for a win to try and salvage their season.
They head to Nashville to take on the team whose performance this year has been even more shocking than the Canucks. To see the Predators struggling after making a huge splash in free agency last summer is so unreal. After their big 4 forwards in Filip Forsberg, Jonathan Marchessault, Steven Stamkos and Ryan O'Reilly, pretty much no one else is scoring for them. Add in that Juuse Saros has looked utterly average at best this season, and maybe it's not so surprising, but this is a team that is massively underperforming for the lineups they ice. The Preds have been better of late, but their wheel spinning start to the season as them out of the playoff race without some kind of record setting win streak.
LINEUPS
Scrawled in crayon on the back of a cardboard sign of some racist idiot telling people to go back to wherever they came from is tonight's potential lineups, though this was also spotted on the ol nhl dot com...
9 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, SNP
Canucks projected lineup
Danton Heinen -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Nils Hoglander -- Elias Pettersson -- Linus Karlsson
Jake DeBrusk -- Pius Suter -- Conor Garland
Phil Di Giuseppe -- Teddy Blueger -- Dakota Joshua
Quinn Hughes -- Tyler Myers
Derek Forbort -- Filip Hronek
Noah Juulsen -- Carson Soucy
Thatcher Demko
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Elias Pettersson, Vincent Desharnais, Max Sasson
Injured: Kiefer Sherwood (lower body)
Predators projected lineup
Filip Forsberg -- Steven Stamkos -- Jonathan Marchessault
Gustav Nyquist -- Ryan O'Reilly -- Vinnie Hinostroza
Tommy Novak -- Fedor Svechkov -- Zachary L'Heureux
Cole Smith -- Michael McCarron -- Colton Sissons
Roman Josi -- Justin Barron
Brady Skjei -- Nick Blankenburg
Adam Wilsby -- Luke Schenn
Juuse Saros
Justus Annunen
Scratched: Kevin Gravel
Injured: Jeremy Lauzon (lower body), Luke Evangelista (lower body), Mark Jankowski (upper body)
While it's unfortunate that Kiefer Sherwood is out with a lower body injury, the Canucks appear to be getting a couple healthy bodies back, as Dakota Joshua and Noah Juulsen should be good to go. It looks like they're going to go with Thatcher Demko tonight, and that means one of two things. If he plays well tonight, I would bet on him getting the start in Dallas Friday night. If he doesn't, they're definitely starting Kevin Lankinen against the Stars.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
The next stop on our look at some of the best metal releases from 1985 is the second album from the almighty SLAYER 'Hell Awaits'. Following the unexpected success of their debut 'Show No Mercy', which sold 40,000 copies with zero airplay or video support, Metal Blade Records was eager to get them into the studio to record another one. And while the sound isn't the greatest on this one, it actually took a step up from the insanity of their first album. And for all the speed found on this album, it's the mid-paced 'At Dawn They Sleep' that stands out for me. They would tour for this album with Exodus and Venom, and one of these shows was captured in the legendary 'Ultimate Revenge' home video, shot at NYC's infamous disco, Studio 54.
Enjoy the game, everyone. Go Canucks Go!
