CANUCKS (34-11-5) at BRUINS (31-10-9)
13 years is a long time to carry a grudge, but my back is strong. Games against Beantown are always circled on the calendar. Since the loss in the Stanley Cup final, the Canucks have gone 10-9-0 against the Bruins. While Vancouver went far down the well after the final, the Bruins have been consistently good and this year is no exception. 2nd in the league, 2 points behind the Canucks, the Bruins had the best record ever last year and then collapsed in the 1st round to Florida. Patrice Bergeron retired and after that some expected Boston to start making bigger changes. Instead coach Jim Montgomery kept his team focused on a strong two way game, much like the Canucks, which is quick to capitalize on other teams mistakes.
The Canucks should be ready to skate right off the bat today. The Bruins will definitely be ready to show they are the best in the league and Taco speaks to why.
While the Canucks fanbase remembers the pain of 2011, the team itself has no connection to it and maybe that's a good thing, as the players just see a really good team that they want to beat.
Canucks projected lineup
Pius Suter -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Ilya Mikheyev -- Elias Pettersson -- Elias Lindholm
Dakota Joshua -- Teddy Blueger -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Nils Aman -- Sam Lafferty
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Ian Cole -- Tyler Myers
Nikita Zadorov -- Noah Juulsen
Thatcher Demko
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Mark Friedman
Injured: Carson Soucy (hand), Phillip Di Giuseppe (undisclosed)
Bruins projected lineup
Brad Marchand -- Charlie Coyle -- Jake DeBrusk
James van Riemsdyk -- Pavel Zacha -- David Pastrnak
Danton Heinen -- Morgan Geekie -- Trent Frederic
Jakub Lauko -- Jesper Boqvist -- Oskar Steen
Matt Grzelcyk -- Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm -- Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort -- Parker Wotherspoon
Linus Ullmark
Jeremy Swayman
Scratched: Kevin Shattenkirk
Injured: Matthew Poitras (shoulder surgery)
Status report
Demko will make his 12th start in 15 games. ... Di Giuseppe, a forward, participated in the Canucks morning skate Thursday but will miss his 14th straight game. ... Poitras, a center, is out the rest of the season following a shoulder open stabilization procedure Wednesday; the recovery time is expected to be five months. ... Wotherspoon will replace Shattenkirk on the third defense pair. -NHL.com
I have to wonder if the internet is causing the Tanev trade rumors or if it really is something management wants. I loved healthy Chris Tanev, but I am not sure if 34 year old Tanev brings more to the table than Zadorov at this point. Both have limited playoff experience over the past 5 years and neither is an offensive threat, but there is a part of me that believes Tanev blocks a shot and gets injured and that's it. Trying to land Tanev without getting rid of a starter right now would be cap impossible. And there are no draft picks available except 1st and 2nd rounders in 25 and 26. Is Tanev worth that? I don't think so.
Game Day Battle Hymn
Things are going pretty well for this team and messing with things don't always turn out "Lindholm", but it sure is fun going on this unexpected ride this year. I think the battle hymn fullfils the purpose of getting you revved up. Let's just go with it...
Go Canucks Go!
