10 p.m. ET; SNP, ALT
No Quinn Hughes.
Well, that pretty much summarizes the game.
That also shows the state of the Canucks defense, as there aren't expectations that anyone on that backend can step and have a game. It looks like Soucy sits again as Coach Taco tries out new players and new pairings to see if he can find a spark. Soucy has had a rough go of it this year as he has been asked to play minutes and situations he wasn't meant for. Soucy is a good choice for a 3rd pairing....not 2nd or 1st.
Anyone seen Brock Boeser?
You would think a guy who is about to become a free agent, and scored 40 goals last year, would be playing better. I think the voices saying, "Trade Brock" are getting louder and while I have been one of those voices for years, it's unfortunate...or very Canuck-like, that Brock value is low right now. It doesn't seem who the GM is in this town, they will face a decision like the one with Brock. Pay him for one great season.....like they did for Petey, or trade him because he had only one great season and won't be worth $8 million/yr for 7 years.
The team the Canucks face tonight, the Avs, made the decision to trade a far better player because they didn't want to pay for past performance. I'm not sure they will get the return off Necas they hope for, but what do I know.
The Avs are in a playoff spot but it looks like they will have to face a 1st place team and so they need to find their playoff form over the next month.
LINEUPS
Avalanche projected lineup
Artturi Lehkonen -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Martin Necas
Jonathan Drouin -- Casey Mittelstadt -- Juuso Parssinen
Miles Wood -- Jack Drury -- Ross Colton
Joel Kiviranta -- Parker Kelly -- Logan O'Connor
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Samuel Girard -- Josh Manson
Keaton Middleton -- Sam Malinski
Mackenzie Blackwood
Trent Miner
Scratched: Calvin de Haan, Oliver Kylington
Injured: Scott Wedgewood (upper body), Valeri Nichushkin (lower body), Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Tucker Poolman (head)
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Filip Chytil -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Pius Suter -- Linus Karlsson
Drew O’Connor -- Teddy Blueger -- Kiefer Sherwood
Marcus Pettersson -- Tyler Myers
Derek Forbort -- Filip Hronek
Elias Pettersson -- Noah Juulsen
Thatcher Demko
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Carson Soucy, Victor Mancini
Injured: Quinn Hughes (undisclosed)
Status report
Wedgewood, a goalie, is not with the team but could join the Avalanche for the conclusion of a three-game road trip that ends with back-to-back games at the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers on Thursday and Friday. … Kylington, a defenseman, was activated off injured reserve Monday after missing 31 games with an upper-body injury. ... Hughes skated with coaches before the main group Tuesday but left before the full morning skate started; the defenseman will miss a second consecutive game. … Soucy, a defenseman, will be a healthy scratch for a second straight game.
GAME DAY CHATTER
“Big physical defenceman. Good first pass. Really good shot. Not afraid - I call him the cycle buster - he goes flying in there, he doesn’t care. He’s a competitive guy."
🗣 Head Coach Rick Tocchet speaks on D-Petey, provides injury updates and more.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/6T8SELXvYa
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 4, 2025
"To play like that after his first game makes me really excited to get more time with him and to keep developing that chemistry. We already talked a bunch after the first game and it’s only going to get better and better.”
🗣 Myers on Marcus Pettersson.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/MAMunPDwtd
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 4, 2025
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
I have no rhyme or reason for this song choice other than it popped into my head. Hey, do you really want John Tesh to come back?
Go Coconuts Go!