After a bit of a clunky start, the Canucks appear to be figuring things out. After easily their best game of the season, the Canucks head to Chicago to take on Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks.
Vancouver Canucks (2-1-2) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (2-3-1)
5:15 pm PST; 8:15 EST
TV: Sportsnet Pacific
Radio: Sportsnet 650
Following a thrilling OT win against the defending Cup champs, the Canucks made their way up to Philly Saturday night and rattled off their best performance so far this season in a 3-0 win over the Flyers. Making amends for the shootout loss to the same Flyers team just over a week ago, the Canucks got a stellar night of goaltending from Kevin Lankinen, who went back to back for the first time this season. Goals from Nils Hoglander in the first, and then Brock Boeser and Kiefer Sherwood fifty seconds apart in the second helped the Canucks cruise to the victory in Philly. It was also game number 1000 for Tyler Myers, and he had a nifty between the legs pass assist to set up Boeser for his goal, nice that he was able to do that with his parents in the crowd.
They can finish up this road trip strong with a win tonight in the Windy City. While the future may be bright for the Blackhawks with the lottery win that brought them Bedard, the Hawks are still far from a contender, and while they're likely to be better this season, this is still a game that should be looked at as very winnable. The Canucks are 9-1-0 in their last 10 against Chicago, and there's no excuse for a team that considers itself a contender to drop points to teams like this.
One way they can do this, is playing a disciplined game that doesn't give Chicago a ton of power play chances. Bedard and Teuvo Teravainen have been ripping it up with the man advantage so far this season, so it would help the Canucks immensely to keep this from being the story of the night. And while much of the discussion around the Canucks centres on Elias Pettersson sputtering out of the gate, he did look much better against Philly. He's showing real chemistry with Jake DeBrusk, and the goals will come. In the meantime, it's a good thing that they're getting goal support from guys like Conor Garland, Brock Boeser and Nils Hoglander. Any panic about this team's start was premature, and they're figuring it out.
LINEUPS
Scrawled on the back of a flyer for a Texas Toast Chainsaw Massacre gig, we found this set of lineups, but I am also hearing it came from nhl dot com...
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Nils Hoglander -- Elias Pettersson -- Conor Garland
Danton Heinen -- Teddy Blueger -- Kiefer Sherwood
Pius Suter -- Nils Aman -- Daniel Sprong
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy -- Tyler Myers
Erik Brannstrom -- Vincent Desharnais
Kevin Lankinen
Arturs Silovs
Scratched: Noah Juulsen, Arshdeep Bains, Derek Forbort
Injured: Thatcher Demko (lower body), Dakota Joshua (testicular cancer recovery)
Blackhawks projected lineup
Nick Foligno -- Connor Bedard -- Teuvo Teravainen
Taylor Hall – Andreas Athanasiou -- Tyler Bertuzzi
Ilya Mikheyev -- Jason Dickinson – Ryan Donato
Patrick Maroon -- Lukas Reichel -- Craig Smith
Alex Vlasic -- Seth Jones
Wyatt Kaiser -- T.J. Brodie
Nolan Allan -- Connor Murphy
Petr Mrazek
Arvid Soderblom
Scratched: Isaak Phillips, Philipp Kurashev, Joey Anderson
Injured: Alec Martinez (lower body)
Miller will be a game time decision, but Coach Tocchet says he's probable. Miller was banged up in the game against Philly on a play that still doesn't sit right with me. Really looked like a butt end.
Lankinen gets the start against his former team, as the Canucks ride the hot hand.
GAME DAY CHATTER
Personally, I don't believe anything Frank says, but if it's actually true, this is good news for him and for the Canucks. Dak was a big part of their success last season, and it will be awesome to have him back in the lineup.
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Today's battle hymn is a solemn one, as a legend in the metal world has left us with the news that Paul Di'Anno, vocalist on the first two Iron Maiden releases, died yesterday at age 66. Di'Anno had been struggling with health issues for years, but was still releasing albums and trying to tour when his health would allow it. The impact of the self titled debut and the follow up 'Killers' not just on the metal world, but pop culture and how the rest of the music industry viewed heavy metal cannot be understated. Paul's street punk look, attitude and vocal style helped Maiden stand far above the pack that was the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, and he will be missed by fans worldwide, and the countless bands inspired by their sound.
From that first album, here's one of his finest performances: 'Remember Tomorrow'. RIP, Paul.
After two inconsistent efforts on home ice saw the Canucks drop both games in extra time, they head out for the first Eastern road swing of the season, starting with the desolate wasteland that is Tampa, Florida.
Vancouver Canucks (0-1-1) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (1-0-0)
4pm PDT; 7 p.m. ET
TV: Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet One
Radio: Sportsnet 650
Frustration, thy name is the Vancouver Canucks.
I don't know how anyone can be happy with what went down in the season opener against Calgary, or Friday night's Bettman loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Sure, there were moments where we saw things we either hoped or expected to see. And there were also moments, where we saw things we hoping we'd not have to see again.
That's not to say any of us should be pushing the panic button here. I mean, it's not like they're the Edmonton Oilers, right? Maybe it's time they realized they've got the NHL's two biggest coach killers playing on their team, some people might be thinking right now. But that's not our concern.
What the Canucks need is for this year's model to get back into last year's defensive mindset. There was a fair amount of turnover, so perhaps this stutterstep to start isn't totally surprising. The biggest issue heading forward right now, is that they need to start giving Arturs Silovs and Kevin Lankinen some support so they can hold the fort until Thatcher Demko is ready to roll. It's goaltending by committee this season, and if they want a healthy and rested Demko ready for the postseason, they have to get wins out of these other two guys, and that means giving them the chance to get those wins.
As far as the rest, that too will come together. We're seeing signs that Elias Pettersson, Jake DeBrusk and Daniel Sprong are starting to gel, and we've already seen scoring from the bottom six and defencemen, so playing a more complete, 60 minute, 200 foot game will lead to better results. Something, something shots on net.
In Tampa, while I am sure they're just happy the power is on and the arena is able to host a hockey game tonight, they still don't really know what they have this season. I mean, moving out a player like Steven Stamkos is something that can impact a team positively or negatively, depending on who replaces him, and how the remaining players respond to the guy who was the heart and soul of the team for so long, no longer being there.
They looked good in a 4-1 win in their season opener over Carolina, that saw a 3G 1A performance from Nikita Kucherov. He's the guy now in Tampa, and his health will be a bigger factor than ever if the Bolts want to remain competitive in a strong division.
LINEUPS
Inside the discarded box that once contained the lifts that Ron De Santis wears so people won't think he's comically short, we found the lineups for this afternoon's tilt. Or maybe it was nhl dot com?
Canucks projected lineup
Nils Hoglander -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Danton Heinen
Pius Suter -- Teddy Blueger -- Kiefer Sherwood
Nils Aman -- Aatu Raty -- Conor Garland
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy -- Vincent Desharnais
Derek Forbort -- Tyler Myers
Kevin Lankinen
Arturs Silovs
Scratched: Arshdeep Bains, Noah Juulsen, Daniel Sprong
Injured: Thatcher Demko (lower body), Dakota Joshua (testicular cancer recovery)
Lightning projected lineup
Jake Guentzel -- Brayden Point -- Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel -- Anthony Cirelli -- Nicholas Paul
Cameron Atkinson -- Conor Geekie -- Michael Eyssimont
Zemgus Girgensons -- Luke Glendening -- Mitchell Chaffee
Victor Hedman -- Janis Moser
Ryan McDonagh -- Erik Cernak
Darren Raddysh -- Nick Perbix
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Jonas Johansson
Scratched: Emil Lilleberg, Conor Sheary
Injured: None
It seems a little crazy to even have it as a possibility, but yes, Tyler Myers may be ready to roll after suffering what appeared to be a pretty serious knee injury when he tried to hit the Flyers' Joel Farabee, but it does appear he will be a game time decision. And the Canucks will go back to Silovs tonight, who will face the Lightning for the first time in his career.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
So, I don't think I can ever hear about Tampa and not think about death metal. The home of Morrisound Studios, the place where some of the metal's absolute classics were recorded. Bands like Obituary, Sepultura, Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, Atheist, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Kreator and many more forged some of their finest moments there.
And of course, there's the band that started it all: Death.
Chuck Schuldiner's gift to metalheads recorded all but their debut at Morrisound, and left a legacy in the world of death metal that cannot be matched. It's just a shame he was stolen from us by cancer so early, but we do have a wealth of material to enjoy in remembrance. From their fourth album 'Human', this is 'Lack Of Comprehension."
Enjoy the game everyone. Go Canucks Go!
The season is finally upon us. After being the NHL's biggest surprise last season, the Canucks look to overcome adversity, the doubters, the haters, and their own sad legacy with a team that should be considered a Cup contender.
Vancouver Canucks (0-0-0) vs. Calgary Flames (0-0-0)
7pm PDT; 10 p.m. ET
TV: Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet One
Radio: Sportsnet 650
It was a long summer for the Vancouver Canucks, but one that we weren't really used to.
For pretty much the past decade, the summer consisted of misery over another wasted season, followed by angst over the inability of the management at the time to do anything to make the team better. Things are different now, and it shows by the work off-season by Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford. Free agency decisions that would have seemed insane a couple years ago are now being looked at as necessary, because the end result is what matters, and this management team has earned the trust of the fan base.
In a season where most had the team either battling for a Wild Card slot or missing the playoffs yet again, the Canucks came within a goal of a date in the Conference Finals, and if not for the injury to Thatcher Demko, would have won that series over the Oilers.
And there's the rub as we head into Game One tonight at Rogers Arena. Demko is still not ready to go, and that means it will be up to Arturs Silovs and new addition Kevin Lankonen to hold down the fort for the first month or so until Demko is ready to roll. Both looked good at times during the preseason, but will need help from the back end to ensure success.
It's not just in goal that the Canucks have a new look heading into the season. A top line of Jake De Brusk and Daniel Sprong with Elias Pettersson, as well as Keifer Sherwood and Danton Heinen in the bottom 6, and Vincent Desharnais and Derek Forbort on defence will add some speed, some goal scoring ability in De Brusk and Sprong, and a lot of grit. Like last year, this Canucks team is going to be tough to play against for a lot of different reasons, and I am here for it.
As for their opponents tonight, the Calgary Flames are in the midst of a rebuilding cycle that saw them move out some major pieces last season. Jacob Markstrom, Andrew Mangiapane, and Dillon Dube are gone, and they'll start the season without Yegor Sherangovich, who's on the IR. They're going to see if Dan Vladar and their star AHL prospect Dustin Wolf can give them the kind of goaltending they need to be competitive, but in a division with the Canucks, Oilers, Golden Knights, Kings and what should be an improved Seattle Kraken squad, they'll be hard pressed to make the post-season.
The Canucks will be without the aforementioned Demko as well as Dakota Joshua, who will miss at least a month after a breakout season last year, following his diagnosis with testicular cancer in the off-season, but it does appear that Pius Suter will be good to go for tonight, meaning Aatu Raty will sit after making the jump from Abbotsford, thanks to a strong pre-season performance.
LINEUPS
We found this lineup spray-painted on the latest sign outside Chip Wilson's house. Or was it on the nhl dot com? I can't remember. Anyway...
Flames projected lineup
Samuel Honzek -- Nazem Kadri -- Andrei Kuzmenko
Connor Zary -- Mikael Backlund -- Blake Coleman
Jonathan Huberdeau -- Martin Pospisil -- Anthony Mantha
Ryan Lomberg -- Kevin Rooney -- Adam Klapka
MacKenzie Weegar -- Daniil Miromanov
Kevin Bahl -- Rasmus Andersson
Jake Bean -- Brayden Pachal
Dan Vladar
Dustin Wolf
Scratched: Matt Coronato, Joel Hanley, Tyson Barrie
Injured: Yegor Sharangovich
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Daniel Sprong
Danton Heinen -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Nils Hoglander -- Aatu Raty -- Conor Garland
Nils Aman -- Teddy Blueger -- Kiefer Sherwood
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy -- Tyler Myers
Derek Forbort -- Vincent Desharnais
Arturs Silovs
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Noah Juulsen, Pius Suter
Injured: Thatcher Demko (lower body), Dakota Joshua (testicular cancer recovery)
While this Flames team isn't gonna be a pushover, this isn't a team that should give the Canucks the night sweats in preparation for this meeting. Surprised they didn't give BC boy Tyson Barrie the start after making the team on a PTO, but I gave up trying to figure out the Flames years ago.
For the Canucks, it looks like it will be a game time decision on whether Pius Suter is ready to roll, if he's not, then Aatu Raty gets his first NHL game action since Feb of 2023. Langley's Danton Heinen will have his family in the crowd tonight as he plays his first regular season game for the team he grew up cheering for.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
The Canucks are back. Tune out the noise, the talking heads are going to be as wrong this year as they were last time, and better days are here. So get ready, because the sorrow ends soon.
Tonight there is no middle ground: It will either go down as one of the greatest victories in Canucks history, or another chapter in the tale of the most cursed franchise in hockey.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS VS EDMONTON OILERS (SERIES TIED 3-3)
6:00PM PST
ROGERS ARENA, VANCOUVER, BC
RADIO: SN650 TV: ESPN, SN, CBC, TVAS
As if things weren't emotional enough heading into the deciding game of this series, the hockey gods decided once again to test the Canucks. Already without their All Star goaltender since Game Two of the first round, and with a number of their best players obviously playing hurt, the Canucks will now have to find a way to victory without their top scorer in the post-season this year.
At the same time, the health of Brock Boeser, and the possible implications of this diagnosis on his career outweigh the importance of the game. The longest serving Canuck has been through a lot in his nine years in Vancouver. Injuries, struggles with years of a sub-par roster, leading to some to say he'd been a bust after an amazing rookie season. The emotional toll of his father's passing to cancer, and the Canucks nearly trading him away all culminated in this year, where he came out and had his best season ever. That it ends like this, and could potentially be the end of his career is just so damn cruel.
We've been saying all along that this is all just gravy on a season none of us dared to dream could happen. That doesn't change. What has changed, is the desire to see the Canucks come out of this night victorious. Of course it's not going to be easy, but with a packed house at Rogers Arena, and the way the Canucks have responded to bad performances like the one in Game Six, which was their worst of the playoffs by a mile, maybe this Cinderella story isn't done just yet.
In order to pull this off, there's going to have to be some changes. One of them is getting shots on goal, as many as they can. It's infuriating that they managed a paltry 15 shots on Stuart Skinner Saturday night. Allowing him to regain some confidence is a serious failure on the Canucks part, and bringing him back down to earth and back to his sub .800 save percentage is one of the biggest keys to a Canucks victory.
Another thing the Canucks must do is score on the bloody power play. Keep it simple, and just pound the damn puck on Skinner every chance they get. Get in his sight lines and create havoc in front of the net. They've wasted so many opportunities to get the upper hand on the Oilers with the failures on the power play. Tonight, they can change that.
Despite what seems a mountain of adversity, the bulk of the pressure is still on the Oilers. One cannot imagine that the brain trust of this team can survive another post-season failure, especially in a season where they were picked by many to win it all for the first time since their last Cup in 1990. With rumours swirling about Ken Holland potentially bailing for the open GM position in Columbus, a loss for the Oilers tonight could bring about a major shakeup.
It's going to take more than the Canucks' best players being their best players tonight. To a man, the Canucks have to step up and do this. Home teams tend to win more often in Game Seven, and the team that scores first wins around 75% of the time. Get that first goal early, break Skinner's confidence and do not let up til the siren goes.
LINEUPS
Canucks projected lineup
Pius Suter -- J.T. Miller -- Ilya Mikheyev
Dakota Joshua -- Elias Lindholm -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Elias Pettersson -- Sam Lafferty
Phil Di Giuseppe -- Teddy Blueger -- Nils Aman
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy -- Tyler Myers
Nikita Zadorov -- Ian Cole
Arturs Silovs
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Mark Friedman, Noah Juulsen, Linus Karlsson, Christian Wolanin, Vasily Podkolzin
Injured: Thatcher Demko (undisclosed), Brock Boeser (undisclosed)
Oilers projected lineup
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Connor McDavid -- Zach Hyman
Dylan Holloway -- Leon Draisaitl -- Evander Kane
Warren Foegele -- Ryan McLeod -- Derek Ryan
Mattias Janmark -- Sam Carrick -- Connor Brown
Mattias Ekholm -- Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse -- Vincent Desharnais
Brett Kulak -- Cody Ceci
Stuart Skinner
Calvin Pickard
Scratched: Corey Perry, Sam Gagner, Troy Stecher
Injured: Adam Henrique (lower body)
There was some discussion that we might see Miller and Pettersson paired up in Boeser's absence and from these lineups it doesn't look as though it'll start off that way, but we'll see what happens. Tocchet has done a fantastic job of using his changes at home, and we could see a bit of a blender tonight. Mikheyev and Lafferty are back in, and that's an experience thing more than anything else I'm sure. Having had some time to rest and heal (especially in Mikheyev's case) could help. No other changes, and no changes for the Oilers.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Amen. It's been a hell of a year, and it may come to an end tonight, but we know these guys won't go down without a fight. Go Canucks Go!
Another comeback win as the boys in blue & green blew the roof off Rogers Arena Wednesday night. Can they build on a dominant performance and head off to Edmonton with a 2-0 series lead?
VANCOUVER CANUCKS VS EDMONTON OILERS (CANUCKS LEAD SERIES 1-0)
7:00PM PST
ROGERS ARENA, VANCOUVER, BC
RADIO: SN650 TV: TNT, truTV, MAX, SN, SN360, CBC, TVAS
For every talking head that spent their time complaining how boring the first round series between the Canucks and Nashville was, the feeling that this was somehow the Canucks fault was blown out of the water with that game on Wednesday night. And while Nashville's head coach is probably still whining that 'the better team didn't win' that series, the Canucks gave the Oilers, and the hockey world a refresher course on what this team was built for.
And half way through the 2nd period, when Edmonton stretched their lead to 4-1, if you weren't watching the game, it would be natural to assume that the Oilers that ran roughshod through the NHL after the hiring of Kris Knoblauch were simply doing to the Canucks what they did to the LA Kings in round one. If you were watching the game however, you'd have seen that the Oilers were extremely fortunate to be up at all, let alone by three goals.
And sure, there was an element of the Oilers sitting back a bit, but any attempts to push forward were being met by one of the better defensive performances this year by the Canucks, most notably by the jaw dropping stat of Connor McDavid being held shotless in the playoffs for the first time in his career. Throw in a now obviously injured Leon Draisaitl, and the way the Canucks absolutely abused the defence pairing of Cody Ceci and Darnell Nurse, and it would appear rumours of the Canucks imminent demise were indeed unfounded.
A lot has been said about how the Canucks are underdogs here. That the Oilers, vastly more experienced and talented, will continue on their roll towards a Cup berth. The Canucks meanwhile, as they've done all season long, refuse to buy into these narratives, and have continued making their doubters look foolish.
So with a healthy three goal lead, Arturs Silovs shut the door, the Canucks held the Oilers shotless for over 22 minutes, and the Canucks showed the hockey world they can still be dominant at 5 on 5, and the acquisitions of Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov became even larger. Big Z has been an absolute force in the post-season for the Canucks, with another goal and solid defensive play. And Lindholm. along with linemates Dakota Joshua and Conor Garland were a threat all night, in addition to an outstanding performance in their own end.
The key here is more of the same. While the majority of pundits said that the Canucks domination of the Oilers during the regular season meant nothing, that the playoffs were a different beast and the Oilers a different team now. Wednesday showed that to be untrue, as the Canucks, sticking to the gameplan that they've used all season, and got the same result in the end. This team was built to neutralize teams like McDavid, Draisaitl and the Oilers, and if they can continue to keep Edmonton's fearsome power play off the ice, they'll be just fine. Unless of course, something happens that drastically alters things tonight...
Oh, boy. I'd say we should expect at least 5 Oilers PPs tonight. This is gonna be a tough one.
LINEUPS
Oilers projected lineup
Warren Foegele -- Connor McDavid -- Zach Hyman
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Leon Draisaitl -- Evander Kane
Dylan Holloway -- Ryan McLeod -- Corey Perry
Mattias Janmark -- Derek Ryan -- Connor Brown
Mattias Ekholm -- Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse -- Cody Ceci
Brett Kulak -- Vincent Desharnais
Stuart Skinner
Calvin Pickard
Scratched: Philip Broberg, Jack Campbell, Sam Carrick, Ryan Fanti, Sam Gagner, Troy Stecher
Injured: Adam Henrique (undisclosed)
Canucks projected lineup
Pius Suter -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Nils Hoglander -- Elias Pettersson -- Ilya Mikheyev
Dakota Joshua -- Elias Lindholm -- Conor Garland
Phillip Di Giuseppe -- Teddy Blueger -- Sam Lafferty
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy -- Tyler Myers
Nikita Zadorov -- Ian Cole
Arturs Silovs
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Mark Friedman, Nils Aman, Noah Juulsen, Vasily Podkolzin, Nikita Tolopilo
Injured: Thatcher Demko (undisclosed)
So it's a game time decision, but all signs point to Draisaitl trying to play through whatever it is that's ailing him. Doesn't appear to be any other changes though we could see Sam Carrick fill in for Draisaitl if he can't go. No changes for the Canucks, and below we've got the list of Black Ace callups from the Abbotsford Canucks since they were eliminated from the AHL Playoffs Wednesday night.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Sometimes, metal gets a bad rap for being obsessed with the darker sides of existence, and to be fair, so much of the music lends itself to that. For me, it's a way to get the anger and frustration out of my system, but sometimes there's metal tracks that are just so wholesome and good you wanna share them. TEXAS TOAST CHAINSAW MASSACRE are a thrash band from Chicago who have a new album coming June 28th that you can get for free on their Bandcamp page! This is now my favourite song of all time, and it goes out to all the good boys and girls out there. This is 'I Wanna Pet Your Dog'. Crank it, take your dog for a nice pregame walk and then enjoy the game, everyone! Go Canucks Go!
After blowing an opportunity to close out at home, the Canucks are back in Nashville, with a second opportunity to move forward with a win over the Preds this afternoon.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS VS NASHVILLE PREDATORS (CANUCKS LEAD SERIES 3-2)
4:00PM PST
BRIDGESTONE ARENA, NASHVILLE, TN
RADIO: SN650 TV: MAX, truTV, TNT, BSSO, SN, TVAS, CBC
It's perfectly fine to be frustrated with the Game 5 loss. It was a missed opportunity, as well as a chance to get a bit of rest before taking on the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division Final aka Round 2. That being said, the Canucks are still in the drivers seat, and if there's something that should keep everyone hopeful for today's game, it's that they've yet to play their best hockey of the post-season.
That's not to imply in any way that this will be easy. The Preds are going to come out hard from the drop of the puck, and much like they did in Game 3, the Canucks will need to weather the storm. Then again, it probably wouldn't surprise me to see the Canucks come storming out themselves. You have to know they're not happy they let the last game get away, and nothing would be more pleasing than taking the crowd out of it early.
The list of players who need to step up is far larger than those who have shone in this series, and they're going to need some help from the supporting cast to bring this across the finish line. And in the name all that is right and good, whatever Ilya Mikheyev has done to anger the hockey gods, please, I implore you, release him from your cruel grip. The poor bastard, and this fan base have suffered enough.
At the end of the day, the Canucks just need to get back to playing the systems that saw them shock the NHL this season. They've beaten better teams than Nashville, and are in this situation because the Preds goalie has stolen two games for them. That ends tonight.
LINEUPS
Canucks projected lineup
Pius Suter -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Nils Hoglander -- Elias Pettersson -- Ilya Mikheyev
Dakota Joshua -- Elias Lindholm -- Conor Garland
Phillip Di Giuseppe -- Teddy Blueger -- Sam Lafferty
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy -- Tyler Myers
Ian Cole -- Nikita Zadorov
Arturs Silovs
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Mark Friedman, Nils Aman, Noah Juulsen, Vasily Podkolzin, Nikita Tolopilo
Injured: Thatcher Demko (undisclosed)
Predators projected lineup
Filip Forsberg -- Ryan O'Reilly -- Gustav Nyquist
Anthony Beauvillier -- Colton Sissons -- Jason Zucker
Mark Jankowski -- Tommy Novak -- Luke Evangelista
Cole Smith -- Michael McCarron -- Kiefer Sherwood
Roman Josi -- Dante Fabbro
Ryan McDonagh -- Tyson Barrie
Jeremy Lauzon -- Alexandre Carrier
Juuse Saros
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Luke Schenn, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Cody Glass, Gustavs Grigals, Juuso Parssinen, Kevin Gravel
Injured: Spencer Stastney (upper body)
No changes either way, it would seem. If there is to be changes, both coaches are keeping their cards close to the vest. I wouldn't be surprised to see the lines get put in a blender a bit, especially to get guys like Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller going.
GAME DAY CHATTER
Silovs has played well, and earned the start. It's not a knock on DeSmith, but in a way, Silovs is more experienced in big games given his run for Latvia at the World Championships last spring.
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
This band Killer Kin, and they hail from Connecticut. I love the old school vibe of this video, as well as the nods to Motorhead and Zeke in their sound. Filthy, grimy rock n roll the way it should be, baby! Crank up 'Point Blank' and get psyched for Game 6!!!
With three minutes to go in Game Four, it looked like the Canucks were headed back to Vancouver with the series tied. What no one counted on, was Brock Boeser unleashing hell in Nashville, scoring twice with Arturs Silovs on the bench to force OT. After that, they needed just a minute more for Elias Lindholm to seal the deal and push the Preds to the brink of elimination.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS VS NASHVILLE PREDATORS (CANUCKS LEAD SERIES 3-1)
7:00PM PST
ROGERS ARENA, VANCOUVER, BC
RADIO: SN650 TV: TVAS2, TBS, MAX, SN, BSSO
After the way the Canucks performed in Game Two, it certainly didn't feel like we'd be heading for an elimination game tonight. But after gutsy wins in Games Three and Four, they find themselves in the position to punch their ticket to the second round tonight with a win over Nashville. Given their health situation through four hard hitting games, getting a few days to rest and heal definitely sounds like something to take advantage of.
You can say that the Canucks didn't deserve to win on Sunday afternoon, but it was Nashville who took their foot off the gas in the dying minutes of the third, setting up one of the greatest Canucks playoff victories in franchise history. And how fitting that it was Brock Boeser, the Canucks' longest serving player, that put the team on his back and tied the game twice with the goalie pulled. This guy has been here through some of the darkest days, and by god, he may just may lead them to a shot at the Stanley Cup.
And how about the performance of Arturs Silovs? The Canucks turned to their third stringer, desperate when Casey DeSmith was unable to go, and the Hero of the great nation of Latvia said, "I stopped America, and I will stop Nashville, too!"
Combined with another strong defensive effort, the Canucks worked to give Silovs the opportunity to see pucks, clearing the net front and rebounds efficiently. They also put in another stellar night of penalty killing, as once again, the Canucks were forced to kill off some ticky-tack calls while Nashville seemed to commit fouls with impunity.
Instead of wondering if they were going to suffer a disappointing first round loss, the Canucks, much like their shocking regular season, are becoming the story of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It would have been easy to write them off given the loss of Demko, let alone DeSmith, but this team has a vibe so reminiscent of the 1994 Canucks team that battled back from being down 3-1 to Calgary to win that series, then take out the favoured Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs before coming within a goal of winning it all in Game Seven to he who shall not be named.
They have talent, speed, skill, strength, and seem to relish in proving people wrong. It may be one series, and it's a long road to go, but this team is making believers out of people by finding ways to win even when it seems they shouldn't. You know, the way really good teams do. I know for some who cover the game, it's gotta be tough admitting you've continued to be wrong about this team. And we enjoy watching your discomfort, trust me.
The beauty of Silovs' performance on Sunday, is that he's given them the option of going with him again in Game Five, rather than pushing DeSmith back if he's not quite ready. It's this kind of depth that's been missing from this team for the longest time, paying dividends when it truly matters. And early reports are that Silovs will indeed get the start tonight. Maybe. Both teams are playing it close to the vest in terms of changes tonight.
If there's one thing to be encouraged about heading into this game, it's that the Canucks have played far from what could be considered their best hockey. They've had a team play them tough, and despite all the challenges, still found a way to come out on top. They will need everyone on board for tonight, as the further you go, the the more costly passengers along for the ride can be.
LINEUPS
Predators projected lineup
Filip Forsberg -- Ryan O'Reilly -- Gustav Nyquist
Anthony Beauvillier -- Colton Sissons -- Jason Zucker
Mark Jankowski -- Tommy Novak -- Luke Evangelista
Cole Smith -- Michael McCarron -- Kiefer Sherwood
Roman Josi -- Dante Fabbro
Ryan McDonagh -- Luke Schenn
Jeremy Lauzon -- Alexandre Carrier
Juuse Saros
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Tyson Barrie, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Cody Glass, Gustavs Grigals, Juuso Parssinen
Injured: Spencer Stastney (upper body)
Canucks projected lineup
Pius Suter -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Nils Hoglander -- Elias Pettersson -- Ilya Mikheyev
Dakota Joshua -- Elias Lindholm -- Conor Garland
Phillip Di Giuseppe -- Teddy Blueger -- Sam Lafferty
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy -- Tyler Myers
Ian Cole -- Nikita Zadorov
Arturs Silovs
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Mark Friedman, Nils Aman, Noah Juulsen, Vasily Podkolzin, Nikita Tolopilo
Injured: Thatcher Demko (undisclosed)
GAME DAY CHATTER
If you haven't seen it yet, Chris Higgins' new feature 'All In The Details' is fantastic.
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Swiss moshmonsters INSANITY ALERT have a new video for the title track to their new EP, a beautiful pisstake on a QUEEN classic. Enjoy 'Moshemian Thrashody' as you get pumped up for tonight!
Enjoy the game, everyone! Go Canucks Go!
With the Division title in their grasp, and a chance at the Conference crown, the Canucks finish their home schedule against the Flames with a healthy Thatcher Demko in the crease tonight.
Vancouver Canucks (49-22-9) vs. Calgary Flames (37-38-5)
7pm PDT; 10 p.m. ET
TV: Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet West
Radio: Sportsnet 650
50 wins. Wrap your heads around that one for a moment. Every single point gained of late has been an extra cherry on top of the sundae that has been this unexpected season. To get to 50 wins for just the third time in franchise history is beyond amazing. And while there's still a lot to be decided, it's hard to get mad at any missteps these guys make given the past few seasons of misery.
Now that's not to say they should get ahead of themselves. It's still possible for the Oilers to overtake them in Game 82 should the Canucks lose both games in regulation. Winning out could see them possibly snagging the top spot in the Western Conference, which is great for home ice in the first three rounds, but has you facing Vegas or LA in Round One instead of the preferable Nashville Predators. Not that the Preds are a pushover, they've had a hell of a turn around. But if the Canucks want to get on a roll, this is the best path for them, and letting Dallas and Edmonton deal with the other two doesn't hurt, either.
Tonight they'll meet a Calgary Flames team that once again failed to meet expectations, and wasted another year of prime Jacob Markstrom in the process. Getting Thatcher Demko back, healthy and rested for the playoffs should alleviate some of the fears y'all have been feeling heading into the post-season, and a fairly healthy team to start the playoffs is all we could hope for, really.
An OT loss tonight will clinch things for the Canucks, as they have the tiebreaker over the Oilers, and it'll help ensure they get that first round date with the Preds, too. I know we're not used to things going the Canucks way, but the Rutherford/Allvin/Tocchet era just doesn't do past narratives, I guess.
LINEUPS
Scrawled on a dumpster beside the Costco across the street from Rogers Arena, this lineup may also have appeared on the nhl dot com thingy...
Flames projected lineup
Martin Pospisil -- Nazem Kadri -- Andrei Kuzmenko
Yegor Sharangovich -- Mikael Backlund -- Andrew Mangiapane
Jonathan Huberdeau -- Connor Zary -- Dryden Hunt
Matt Coronato -- Kevin Rooney -- Adam Klapka
MacKenzie Weegar -- Daniil Miromanov
Oliver Kylington -- Rasmus Andersson
Ilya Solovyov -- Brayden Pachal
Jacob Markstrom
Dustin Wolf
Scratched: A.J. Greer, Dennis Gilbert, Walker Duehr, Nikita Okhotiuk
Injured: Blake Coleman (upper body), Joel Hanley (undisclosed)
Canucks projected lineup
Pius Suter -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Nils Hoglander -- Elias Pettersson -- Ilya Mikheyev
Dakota Joshua -- Elias Lindholm -- Conor Garland
Vasily Podkolzin -- Teddy Blueger -- Sam Lafferty
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy -- Tyler Myers
Ian Cole -- Nikita Zadorov
Thatcher Demko
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Mark Friedman, Nils Aman, Noah Juulsen, Phillip Di Giuseppe
Injured: None
No real changes for the Canucks apart from the return of Demko, and man is it nice to see that injured list empty heading into Game One next week. Markstrom will go for the Flames, as we get to see Andrei Kuzmenko one last time this season. If the Canucks check him the way they handled Leon Draisaitl Saturday night, it's gonna be a long one for the Flames.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Although I'm sure you don't need much to get your pulse racing right now, this 3:00 ripper from BAT will get you rarin' to go for the post season! Off their new album 'Under The Crooked Claw' on Nuclear Blast Records, this is 'Streetbanger'!
Enjoy the game, folks! Go Canucks Go!
It's that time of year again, where an entire fan base is forced to consider how things affect the Leafs. It's also Hockey Day in Canada and an anniversary of sorts for Nucks Misconduct.
CANUCKS (30-11-4) at TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (22-13-8)
ROGERS ARENA, VANCOUVER, BC
4:00 PM PST
SPORTSNET
Truth be told, I'd be totally fine with the Oilers or Flames getting the Saturday game when the Leafs come West. Anyway, there's the prerequisite bitching, because Leafs fans will be scouring for evidence of it. Far be it from us to be less than gracious hosts.
The Canucks returned from that epic seven game road trip and got into a fun one against the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night. The game had a lot of intensity, and for a first game back, it was a hell of a lot better than we expected. So often that first game at home is a bit of a let down, but the Canucks battled against a solid Arizona squad, addressed some serious bullshit from the Coyotes "tough guy" and came out with another regulation win against a Western Conference opponent.
And in case you missed this yesterday...
And that was for this display of sportsmanship:
Absolute chickenshittery from the NHL's penalty minute leader O'Brien. 5 ungloved punches on a guy who didn't have his hands up over a clean hit? Pure garbage. And for the on ice officials to deem that "roughing", then follow the setup with the punchline of a fine and no suspension for a game who came off the bench, making no effort to get involved in the play, and attack a guy? Just brutal.
Fortunately, sometimes asshats like O'Brien get what's coming to them. I would suggest he re-think going after Nikita Zadorov next time these teams meet, because that was a pretty one-sided tilt.
Anyway, it's on to the second game of this five game homestand, the annual royal visit from the Leafs. Toronto's struggling a bit this season, with goaltending being a constant issue and inconsistent play from guys not named Nylander or Matthews. A team that some had as a genuine contender in the East at the start of the season is battling to stay afloat in the East, with a number of teams nipping at their heels. Pittsburgh is a mere 4 points back of the 3rd place Leafs, but just three out of a wild card spot.
The last time these teams met was one of the very few games this season where the Canucks didn't show up to play, and you can bet that Rick Tocchet is going to be reminding his players of that fact.
Since the 5-2 loss in November, the Canucks have gone 20-8-3, and are an impressive 15-4-1 at home. They've had the upper hand of late against Toronto, winning 6 of the last 10 meetings, and after an emotional win over the Coyotes, expect them to be fired up to keep the Leafs fans in the crowd quiet tonight.
LINEUPS
The following lineup was scrawled on the back of a tractor trailer unit that crashed into an overpass on the TransCanada Highway... or maybe it was nhl dot com.
Maple Leafs projected lineup
Pontus Holmberg -- Auston Matthews -- Mitchell Marner
Tyler Bertuzzi -- John Tavares -- William Nylander
Matthew Knies -- Max Domi -- Calle Jarnkrok
Bobby McMann -- David Kampf -- Noah Gregor
Morgan Rielly -- T.J. Brodie
Simon Benoit -- Jake McCabe
Mark Giordano -- Timothy Liljegren
Martin Jones
Ilya Samsonov
Scratched: Nicholas Robertson, William Lagesson, Conor Timmins
Injured: Ryan Reaves (lower body), Joseph Woll (ankle), John Klingberg (hip)
Canucks projected lineup
Elias Pettersson -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Ilya Mikheyev -- Pius Suter -- Andrei Kuzmenko
Dakota Joshua -- Teddy Blueger -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Nils Aman -- Sam Lafferty
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy -- Tyler Myers
Nikita Zadorov -- Ian Cole
Thatcher Demko
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Noah Juulsen, Linus Karlsson
Injured: Phillip Di Giuseppe (lower body), Guillaume Brisebois (concussion)
Probably no changes from Thursday, apart from the possibility that we see Andrei Kuzmenko back in the press box after another disappointing outfit. If he's out, expect Linus Karlsson to be in, and Sam Lafferty get bumped up to his slot.
GAME DAY CHATTER
Another reason for the Canucks' turn around this season? Massively better team on the road than seasons past.
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Prolific Finnish speed merchants NECRO WEASEL are back with a new one, and it absolutely fuckin' rips! From 'A Brave New World', this is 'They Want Us To Suffer'. Check them out on Bandcamp, eh?
Enjoy the game, everyone! Go Leafs Suck! Go Canucks Go!
Coming off a massive win in New Jersey as they continue this tough seven game road trip, the Canucks now face a back to back against the New Yorks, with the Eastern Conference leading Rangers first up. Time for a little payback, perhaps?
CANUCKS (25-11-3) at NEW YORK RANGERS (26-10-2)
MADISON SQUARE GARDENS, NEW YORK, NY
4:00 PM PST
SPORTSNET
Saturday's win in New Jersey was far more than just an important two points for the Vancouver Canucks. Bouncing back from a disappointing loss in St Louis, as well as a massive confidence boost to get their first win in New Jersey since 2013 sets them up rather well for a battle against the Eastern Conference leaders, the New York Rangers.
The Rangers are just a point ahead of the Canucks in the overall standings, and a regulation win will see Vancouver leapfrog them and move into 2nd overall, as well as getting them to within one point of the Western Conference leaders, the Winnipeg Jets.
The last time these teams met was in October, as the tail end of a back to back at home for the Canucks. The game was as billed, two of the NHL's top teams in the standings going toe to toe, and it appeared to be headed for a shootout to decide it when a brutal non-call in OT in the Rangers favour directly led to the OT winner from K'Andre Miller.
That game also featured a moment that will live in Canucks history:
The Canucks have gotten a massive contribution from the rest of their Dcore this season compared to the last few, and they'll likely need it again tonight against the Rangers. And as Jeff Paterson wrote over at Canucks Army, the goalies aren't the only ones who could use a rest. Defensive load management should be something this team is engaging in the rest of the way.
This game is another measuring stick for the Canucks, and having acquitted themselves well in a number of these tests so far this season, we're eager to see how they match up in the last opportunity before they meet for a rematch of the 1994 Finals. Can you imagine? Also, skate jersey full time in the playoffs, please, including a white version. Do it already!
LINEUPS
Written in green ooze on the underside of a manhole cover in the Bronx, was this potential lineup for tonight. Rumour has it, you can also find it on nhl dot com...
Canucks projected lineup
Elias Pettersson -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Ilya Mikheyev -- Pius Suter -- Andrei Kuzmenko
Dakota Joshua -- Teddy Blueger -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Nils Aman -- Sam Lafferty
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy -- Tyler Myers
Nikita Zadorov -- Ian Cole
Thatcher Demko
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Noah Juulsen, Mark Friedman, Linus Karlsson
Injured: Phillip Di Giuseppe (lower body), Guillaume Brisebois (concussion)
Rangers projected lineup
Chris Kreider -- Mika Zibanejad -- Blake Wheeler
Artemi Panarin -- Vincent Trocheck -- Alexis Lafreniere
Brennan Othmann -- Nick Bonino -- Jonny Brodzinski
Will Cuylle -- Barclay Goodrow -- Jimmy Vesey
Ryan Lindgren -- Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller -- Jacob Trouba
Erik Gustafsson -- Braden Schneider
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Scratched: Zac Jones
Injured: Kaapo Kakko (lower body), Filip Chytil (upper body), Tyler Pitlick (lower body)
Nikita Zadorov is back in after missing Saturday, but he'll be going into Juulsen's spot to skate with Ian Cole, and the pairing of Myers and Soucy remains for now. I wouldn't at all be surprised to see some shuffling to address the issues a team like the Rangers can give a team, though.
GAME DAY CHATTER
Well, so much for the load management. Shame, because Juulsen's been steadily improving since he came back from the stretch of 11 straight healthy scratches. I mean, there's not a lot to complain about right now, but he's earned his spot.
What a difference a year makes, eh?
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
What am I supposed to do here, not introduce you to a band called NEON CHICKEN? Of course I am, dammit. This Australian one man band released its debut EP last year entitled 'Industrial Slavery' and it's a solid slab of modern thrash with some serious guitar chops. Sure, a lot of these one person projects never add members and play live, but that's no reason to discount them. Silly name aside, this is a promising debut.
