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Game Preview / Gamethread #79: Canucks @ Colorado Avalanche

April 10, 2025
- Kent Basky

The sweet, merciful release of death has come. Let us revel in the bliss of not giving a shit about hockey until late September and/or prepare for the eventual invasion of the Nazis living downstairs.

Vancouver Canucks (36-29-13) vs. Colorado Avalanche (48-27-4)

6:00 pm PST; 9:00 pm EST

TV: Sportsnet Pacific

Radio: Sportsnet 650

It's over.

Thank dog. Honestly, it's a relief. This season has been absolute bloody torture, and I am utterly thrilled to see the back of it. Just three completely meaningless games, and then angst about free agents, a lack luster draft, and then we can begin second guessing the decision to keep a coaching staff that is literally draining the joy of hockey from all of us, players and fans alike. But I guess the captain loves him, so everything's gonna be great, everyone! Francesco's boys will get them next year, I am sure.

To be eliminated by a win from someone else is an entirely fitting end for this team, for they'd been dead for months, really. Slowly bleeding to death from a thousand self-inflicted wounds, the eleven overtime losses having sealed their fate. You can blame JT Miller and Elias Pettersson. You can blame injuries. In the end, it was this team somehow getting worse on defence than they were last year, and that directly translating to overtime losses that led to their demise. This should have been a season where they built on a truly remarkable accomplishment in the last campaign, and the management of this team deserves every bit of criticism they receive on this one.

It's taken a bit of the sheen of that incredible win Tuesday night, though if you didn't see Minnesota sealing their fate after that, you haven't been following the Vancouver Canucks. The hockey gods simply couldn't allow them another step forward, and after shedding the horrid, boring style they subjected us to all year with what is likely the greatest period of hockey we've seen from a Canucks team in the last decade, maybe longer, it was time to not just end it, but have a team whose style makes the Canucks look like they play the way they did Tuesday night all of the time.

Is there hope for this team in the future? Of course. The emergence of Elias Petterson Jr, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, and the late season resurgence of Aatu Raty, along with the play this season of Keifer Sherwood and Kevin Lankinen were definite bright spots. There are massive unanswered questions moving forward, though. Are we seeing Brock Boeser's final games for the Canucks? Will they be able to re-sign Pius Suter, who apart from Lankinen was easily the unsung hero of the team this season? Will they be able to fix the defence, with two UFA's that could leave but don't give a ton of salary to bring in a competent D man? Have Max Sasson and Raty earned another deal? And most importantly: Can Elias Pettersson give a season of meaningful hockey to the Canucks next year?

LINEUPS

From that nhl dot com thingy, this is what we should see...

Canucks projected lineup

Nils Hoglander -- Pius Suter -- Conor Garland

Jake DeBrusk -- Max Sasson -- Brock Boeser

Dakota Joshua -- Aatu Raty -- Kiefer Sherwood

Drew O'Connor -- Teddy Blueger -- Linus Karlsson

Quinn Hughes -- Elias Pettersson

Marcus Pettersson -- Filip Hronek

Derek Forbort -- Victor Mancini

Kevin Lankinen

Thatcher Demko

Scratched: None

Injured: Tyler Myers (undisclosed), Filip Chytil (concussion), Noah Juulsen (lower body), Elias Pettersson (upper body), Nils Aman (upper body)

Avalanche projected lineup

Artturi Lehkonen -- Brock Nelson -- Valeri Nichushkin

Joel Kiviranta -- Charlie Coyle -- Martin Necas

Miles Wood -- Parker Kelly -- Jimmy Vesey

Chris Wagner -- Jack Drury -- Logan O’Connor

Devon Toews -- Cale Makar

Samuel Girard -- Sam Malinski

Keaton Middleton -- Erik Johnson

Mackenzie Blackwood

Scott Wedgewood

Scratched: None

Injured: Nathan MacKinnon (undisclosed), Ryan Lindgren (upper body), Ross Colton (upper body), Jonathan Drouin (lower body), Josh Manson (upper body), Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Tucker Poolman (head)

Okay, whenever you want to complain about how hard it's been for the Canucks and their injuries, just remember the Colorado Avalanche. Yeesh. Yet, they persevere. Why? Because they're better. Anyway, as usual, the nhl dot com lineup is incorrect, as Thatcher Demko will get the nod tonight against Colorado, and that means no changes from Tuesday's lineup, it would seem. And yes, that is Nathan MacKinnon out for the Avs, which would be great for Vancouver if this game meant something. Landeskog is on a rehab assignment in the AHL, and will return in time for the playoffs, as well as MacKinnon, I would assume.

GAME DAY CHATTER

Before people try and connect Elias Pettersson's cap hit to the #Canucks not re-signing Boeser, it is important to remember that Vancouver has an estimated $15 million in space this offseason. They also have $5.479 million in dead cap space on the books for 2025-26.

Adam Kierszenblat (@adamkblat.bsky.social) 2025-04-10T20:56:20.558Z

https://bsky.app/profile/theprovince.bsky.social/post/3lmi6wsdnkk2y

The hits just keep on coming...

#Canucks: Hulking prospect Vilmer Alriksson joins Abbotsford with junior season overtheprovince.com/sports/hocke...

The Province (@theprovince.bsky.social) 2025-04-10T20:07:34.552Z

The Abbotsford Canucks have played 67 games this season and have not allowed a shorthanded goal. It's believed that no team AHL history has completed a season with zero shorthanded goals allowed. Will the #Canucks be the first?www.abbynews.com/sports/abbot...

(@benlypka.bsky.social) 2025-04-10T19:21:07.502Z

Report: Canucks’ Hughes and Demko not going to IIHF Men’s World Championship

CanucksArmy (@canucksarmy.bsky.social) 2025-04-10T16:58:34Z

Who is questioning the Hronek contract now? - 46 point 82-game pace- Canucks outscored opponents 22-15 w Hronek and no Hughes at 5vs5- $7.25 million looks even better with rising capand most importantly....- 100% in the face-off circle!(📷: #Canucks)

Noah Strang (@noahstrang.bsky.social) 2025-04-10T15:45:00.972Z

GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN

Seriously. Just play this, as loud as possible. It will make you feel better.

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