10 p.m. ET; SNP, NBCSCA
I won't lie, it's hard to get pumped up for any game after being eliminated. It's hard to be happy about anything from this season. It's seems that the expectations for the team for 2023-24 were fulfilled this year. Almost a playoff team....but just not enough to get there. There are four levels of blame that any of us could focus on:
I don't want to speak for Kent......but I think we both would like to put Francesco on a Space X flight, with no scheduled return. The longer this management group gets to do their job, gives us pause to think about the job they are doing. There have been misses with some of the signings from the past summer, plus the handling of Petey/Miller....plus not talking to Brock about a contract....and so many more examples. You could argue that the owner is setting the tone for management and join us in pushing Frannie on to the ship.
You could also ask, what the happened to the high scoring Canucks of last year? What did Coach Taco do to this team? Boring is a term that gets thrown around quite a bit with this team. If boring was winning more games, there would be less cringing when I hear about Taco getting the highest contract ever for a Canucks coach.
There were some bright spots for this team, like Kevin Lankinen, who is the number one goalie....I said it. Kiefer Sherwood has been the type of player I would have loved to have three of. Conor Garland is my spirit animal. Quinn Hughes is the team.
It would be great if the Canucks won these last two games and finished tied with Calgary for 4th place in the division, as they both miss the playoffs. Fuck Calgary.
GAME DAY LINEUPS
Sharks projected lineup
Nikolai Kovalenko -- Macklin Celebrini -- Will Smith
William Eklund -- Alexander Wennberg -- Tyler Toffoli
Noah Gregor -- Ty Dellandrea -- Barclay Goodrow
Carl Grundstrom -- Cam Lund -- Danil Gushchin
Henry Thrun -- Timothy Liljegren
Lucas Carlsson -- Jimmy Schuldt
Marc-Edouard Vlasic -- Luca Cagnoni
Alexandar Georgiev
Georgi Romanov
Scratched: None
Injured: Thomas Bordeleau (upper body), Jan Rutta (lower body), Zack Ostapchuk (lower body), Jack Thompson (upper body), Klim Kostin (lower body), Vincent Desharnais (upper body), Mario Ferraro (lower body), Shakir Mukhamadullin (upper body)
Canucks projected lineup
Nils Hoglander -- Pius Suter -- Conor Garland
Jake DeBrusk -- Ty Mueller -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Aatu Raty -- Kiefer Sherwood
Drew O'Connor -- Teddy Blueger -- Linus Karlsson
Quinn Hughes -- Elias Nils Pettersson
Marcus Pettersson -- Filip Hronek
Kirill Kudryavtsev -- Victor Mancini
Nikita Tolopilo
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: None
Injured: Derek Forbort (orbital bone), Thatcher Demko (illness), Max Sasson (undisclosed), Tyler Myers (undisclosed), Filip Chytil (concussion), Noah Juulsen (lower body), Elias Pettersson (upper body), Nils Aman (upper body)
Status report
Georgiev will start after Romanov made 25 saves in a 5-2 loss at the Calgary Flames on Sunday, when San Jose lost four players to injury; forwards Ostapchuk and Bordeleau, and defensemen Rutta and Thompson are each considered day to day, according to coach Ryan Warsofsky. The Sharks recalled Gushchin, Cagnoni and Schuldt from San Jose of the American Hockey League on Monday and they are expected to arrive in time for the game. Lund returns after missing the game Sunday with an illness. … Tolopilo will make his NHL debut because Demko, a goalie, will not play again this season. … Kudryavtsev also will make his NHL debut after being recalled from Abbotsford of the AHL on an emergency basis after Forbort, a defenseman, was injured during a 3-2 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.
GAME DAY CHATTER
“It’s fun to see these guys. See how they go in a NHL environment.”
🗣 Head Coach Rick Tocchet speaks on Kudryavtsev and Tolopilo making their debut tonight.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/FZV4VZFU1U
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 14, 2025
“I always have something to prove every night, every practice, every morning skate.”
🗣 Ahead of making his NHL debut, Kirill Kudryavtsev speaks on his excitement, playing more consistently, and the win streak with Abbotsford.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/gDdm8Pl6wV
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 14, 2025
"I heard some rumours that maybe he wasn't even going to play in Abbotsford this year.."@FriedgeHNIC on Tom Willander not being signed yet by the #Canucks
Full interview..https://t.co/8g7YdZWwhx pic.twitter.com/0s6xDrL4zf
— Donnie & Dhali (@DonnieandDhali) April 14, 2025
Yeah, that news doesn't sound good. Usually players wouldn't want to play in the NHL as early as they can.
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
As a Canucks fan, never having a championship team to cheer for has been....rough. But there is something to be said for a loyal group of people, who believe that their team can win it all.
We just have to wait until next year.
Go Canucks Go!
Another regulation loss has just about sealed the fate of the Vancouver Canucks. With just 8 games remaining, they have just eight games left. They'll need to pretty much run the table AND get help to make the playoffs.
Vancouver Canucks (34-27-13) vs. Seattle Kraken (31-38-6)
7:00 pm PST; 10:00 pm EST
TV: Sportsnet Pacific
Radio: Sportsnet 650
A frustrating season is drawing to a close, as once again, high expectations proved to be unwarranted, and despite early indications in this regime that things would change, yet we seem to be stumbling down the same mediocre path we've been enduring for years now. In a season where missing the post season after last year's unexpected success should be met with accountability, instead we hear the team is preparing to re-sign Rick Tocchet and punish this fan base with more uninspired, ineffective drivel trying to pass itself off as NHL hockey. It makes one wonder what we did to deserve this?
But, since we're getting paid to um... wait, we're not getting paid anymore. Dammit. Okay, so while this all feels as pointless as life itself right now, we're going to do what one does in this situation: put on a barely passable smile and go through the motions.
IF the Canucks are to go on a run and do the thing, I suppose starting it off on a team that's already playing for nothing is a good place to start. As expansion teams go, the Seattle Kraken are definitely not the Vegas Golden Knights. And that's good, because a) the way the NHL and other teams enabled Vegas to become as powerful as they are is shameful, and b) fuck those guys for not doing anything to build an actual rivalry with the Canucks.
Another thing they need to do? Roll with Demko. Play Lankinen against the Ducks Saturday and then back to Demko Sunday against Vegas. And then the rest of the way. It's not like he's been ground down by a 60 start season. He's as fresh as he'll ever be at this time of the year, so ride that horse to the got dang playoffs, man.
It doesn't look like they'll get much help the rest of the way. Nils Hoglander is still out, but will be the first to return, which, given there's just eight games left, means there's a real chance that Elias Pettersson will join Filip Chytil in the "not coming back this season" club. Of course, that's not for certain, but he hasn't started practicing yet, so the bulk of the work they need to do to get to the postseason will have to be with Petey sidelined. You have to believe he'll be available for playoff games, should that happen, though.
LINEUPS
Hey look, it's tonight's possible lineups, taken from that nhl dot com thing...
10:30 p.m. ET; SNP, TVAS2, KONG, KING 5, KHN
Kraken projected lineup
Tye Kartye -- Matty Beniers -- Kaapo Kakko
Jani Nyman -- Chandler Stephenson -- Jordan Eberle
Jared McCann -- Shane Wright -- Andre Burakovsky
Ryan Winterton -- John Hayden -- Mikey Eyssimont
Vince Dunn -- Adam Larsson
Ryker Evans -- Brandon Montour
Jamie Oleksiak -- Cale Fleury
Joey Daccord
Philipp Grubauer
Scratched: Josh Mahura
Injured: Eeli Tolvanen (undisclosed), Jaden Schwartz (undisclosed)
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Pius Suter -- Brock Boeser
Drew O'Connor -- Teddy Bleuger -- Conor Garland
Linus Karlsson -- Nils Aman -- Jonathan Lekkerimaki
Dakota Joshua -- Aatu Raty -- Kiefer Sherwood
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson -- Tyler Myers
Derek Forbort -- Elias Nils Pettersson
Thatcher Demko
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Victor Mancini
Injured: Filip Chytil (concussion), Noah Juulsen (lower body), Elias Pettersson (upper body), Nils Hoglander (undisclosed)
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Not sure how I missed this one back in the day, but I stumbled across a great cover of SUICIDAL TENDENCIES' 'Trip At The Brain' from Danish thrashers HATESPHERE.
Enjoy the game, everyone. Fuck fascists, fuck Trump, fuck Elon and fuck the Conservative party. Go Canucks Go!
10 p.m. ET; KHN, KONG, CITY, SN, CBC
Let's start with this....from 32 thoughts of some reporter....
The last sentence is the one I just can't get past. Yes, Boeser has 18 goals, but only 4 goals in his last 20 games. And most of the time when he was scoring, it was with former Canuck J.T. Miller. So, if management has taken away Brock's main assist man and no one else has stepped up to fill in that role and Brock has been unable to create his own offence, because let's face it, he isn't the fastest out there.....then why would you keep him?
"But...but...he scored 40 last year and therefore he will catch fire and get back to that level in the next 22 games." So, a goal a game? It would be quite the feat for him to reach 25 goals this year. And then you want to pay him $8 million a year? I can't...
Every year it seems I am saying trade Brock.....why stop that rhythm? Trade him.
The last game could have used a Brock goal or two to stop the absolute collapse that occur against a team that sucks. And yet...it didn't happen.
Tonight the Nucks face a Kraken team that are a far way out of a playoff spot and yet can beat this Canucks team, just be looking at them with a sneer. I guess my hopes are not even close to high as the Canucks struggle to find anything close to consistency this year.
GAME DAY LINEUPS
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Nils Hoglander
Dakota Joshua -- Filip Chytil -- Conor Garland
Drew O’Connor -- Pius Suter -- Brock Boeser
Nils Aman -- Teddy Blueger -- Kiefer Sherwood
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson -- Tyler Myers
Derek Forbort -- Carson Soucy
Kevin Lankinen
Arturs Silovs
Scratched: Victor Mancini, Elias Nils Pettersson, Arshdeep Bains
Injured: Thatcher Demko (lower body), Noah Juulsen (hernia)
Kraken projected lineup
Jaden Schwartz -- Matty Beniers -- Kaapo Kakko
Eeli Tolvanen -- Chandler Stephenson -- Oliver Bjorkstrand
Jared McCann -- Shane Wright -- Andre Burakovsky
Brandon Tanev -- Ben Meyers -- Jordan Eberle
Vince Dunn -- Adam Larsson
Jamie Oleksiak -- Brandon Montour
Ryker Evans -- Josh Mahura
Joey Daccord
Nikke Kokko
Scratched: None
Injured: Yanni Gourde (hernia)
Status report
Juulsen, a defenseman, underwent a successful procedure and is out for the remainder of the regular season; his recovery time is approximately 12 weeks. … The Kraken held an optional morning skate Saturday. … Gourde, a forward, was a full participant at practice Friday and progressing after surgery but is expected to miss his 22nd straight game.
GAME DAY CHATTER
“Protect the rush. And offensively, attack the interior and get people to the net.”
🗣 Head Coach Rick Tocchet addresses the media ahead of tonight's game against the Kraken.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/wyzARzYgSc
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 1, 2025
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Sometimes when trying to think about what to put here, I think about what I want or what you might want to listen here...or John Tesh. Sometimes I choose a song that I would never put on any play list. But yet, I would torture you with it.
Go Coconuts Go!
10 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN
The 4 Nations Cup may have killed any chance the Canucks had a making a serious run at the playoffs. So I hope the site of McDavid scoring the winning goal keeps you warm at night!
Ok...maybe I exaggerate a bit, but after watching the past two games, it sures feels like any mojo they had before the Cup went ....
The trade deadline is approaching fast and the rumor mill is churning out a lot of flour. Petey.....Brock......Demko......Quinn....ok, not Quinn, may be on the next plane out of LA after the game to their new team. I'll be honest, I am not sure there is one move that changes this team. Trading Miller didn't do much. Trading Petey would a sure sign that this management is a hot mess since they are the ones that gave him this contract.
Gameday Lineups
Don't be surprised if Quinn doesn't play tonight. NHL.com is trying to manifest that he plays tonight.
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Nils Hoglander
Dakota Joshua -- Filip Chytil -- Conor Garland
Drew O’Connor -- Pius Suter -- Brock Boeser
Arshdeep Bains -- Teddy Blueger -- Kiefer Sherwood
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson -- Tyler Myers
Elias Nils Pettersson -- Derek Forbort
Kevin Lankinen
Arturs Silovs
Scratched: Carson Soucy, Nils Aman, Victor Mancini
Injured: Thatcher Demko (lower body), Noah Juulsen (lower body)
Kings projected lineup
Alex Turcotte -- Anze Kopitar -- Adrian Kempe
Warren Foegele -- Phillip Danault -- Trevor Moore
Kevin Fiala -- Quinton Byfield -- Alex Laferriere
Tanner Jeannot -- Trevor Lewis
Mikey Anderson -- Vladislav Gavrikov
Joel Edmundson -- Drew Doughty
Jacob Moverare -- Jordan Spence
Brandt Clarke
David Rittich
Darcy Kuemper
Scratched: Kyle Burroughs, Akil Thomas
Injured: None
Status report
Hughes is a game-time decision after missing six games because of an undisclosed injury; if he cannot play, Forbort likely would play on the first pair with Hronek. … The Canucks made changes to their lines in practice Monday, including moving Hoglander up to the first line and Sherwood to the fourth line. … Rittich will make his first start since Feb. 8 when he made 25 saves in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks. ... The Kings could dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
GAME DAY CHATTER
"You have to have the courage to carry the puck through the middle of the ice…That’s how you make team’s play defence. That was the message the last two days.”
🗣 Hear from Head Coach Rick Tocchet ahead of tonight's road game in Los Angeles.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/Zz8OKsZrYM
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 26, 2025
GAMEDAY BATTLE HYMN
The Canucks haven't won a game since they returned and they are 1 point out of a playoff spot and the trade deadline is fast approaching and the team is in L.A.. It could the decades of being a Canuck fan, but all I hear is Tom Petty.
Go Coconuts Go!
As we come down from the collective high of that thrilling OT win for Canada on Thursday night, it's back to business in the NHL, and back to the eternal dumpster fire that is Canucks fandom. Taking on the Knights without Demko, Hughes and Pettersson seems less than ideal, but here we are.
Vancouver Canucks (26-18-11) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (33-17-6)
7:00 pm PST; 10:00 pm EST
TV: Sportsnet, CBC, City TV
Radio: Sportsnet 650
Well that was one hell of a rush, eh?
And while I'm not so naive to think that the threat is gone, it was really nice to feel joy and get a reminder of how fucking lucky we are to be Canadian, if for but a few moments. But the harsh light of reality slowly has returned. We're back to remembering that Jordan Binnington is awful. We hate Connor McDavid again. And the Canucks are a bloody mess when it comes to staying healthy.
We'd already gotten the news that Thatcher Demko's day to day is now week to week, and we won't see him until sometime in March. Add in Quinn Hughes still not ready to go (which really makes you wonder what kind of shady shit Team USA was trying to pull, getting Hughes into the lineup when he's not actually good to go), and the news that C Elias Pettersson suffered an injury at the 4 Nations Face Off and the hits just keep on coming.
While we don't know exactly what the injury is, there was footage of Petey icing his knee during the tournament, so hopefully it's not something long term. EP40 will be a game time decision, but we should at least be prepared for this possibility. The bad part about this is not being at home, they don't have time to get someone in from Abbotsford in time for the game, as they don't have anyone else who could slot in to replace him and would have to be one player short taking on a tough Vegas squad who will have Mark Stone and Jack Eichel in the lineup tonight after both played in Thursday night's contest.
LINEUPS
Scrawled on the back of a crumpled betting slip from some dumbass that bet against Canada, we found today's potential lineups, but apparently it's also on nhl dot com too...
10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, CITY, SN, CBC
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Kiefer Sherwood
Drew O’Connor -- Filip Chytl -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Pius Suter -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Teddy Blueger -- Nils Aman
Derek Forbort -- Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson -- Tyler Myers
Elias Nils Pettersson -- Carson Soucy
Kevin Lankinen
Arturs Silovs
Scratched: None
Injured: Thatcher Demko (lower body), Noah Juulsen (lower body), Quinn Hughes (upper body)
Golden Knights projected lineup
Ivan Barbashev -- Jack Eichel -- Victor Olofsson
Pavel Dorofeyev -- Tomas Hertl -- Raphael Lavoie
Brandon Saad -- Brett Howden -- Mark Stone
Tanner Pearson -- Nicolas Roy -- Keegan Kolesar
Nicolas Hague -- Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb – Kaedan Korczak
Noah Hanifin -- Zach Whitecloud
Adin Hill
Ilya Samsonov
Scratched: Ben Hutton
Injured: William Karlsson (lower body), Cole Schwindt (lower body), Shea Theodore (upper body)
While it would be preferable that the Knights gave Stone and Eichel a night off, they are still missing a couple noteworthy players in Karlsson and Theodore. This is a big test for the Canucks, who had been on a bit of a roll heading into the break, and coming off that big win over the Leafs in the last game, it's not beyond the realm of possibility they could very well pull this off tonight, but without Hughes for sure and probably Petey, that chance (and tomorrow night's tilt in Utah against the Utahs) is a little more unlikely.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Today's look at albums turning 40 this year brings us to AGENT STEEL and their debut 'Skeptics Apocalypse'. Part power metal, part speed metal, and part thrash, AGENT STEEL brought relentless speed on a release that holds up better than a lot of the releases from this year. Combining the super high pitched vocals of John Cyriis with a metric fuckton of catchy riffs, this album showed that fast and heavy could still be fun. Here's their best known track, Agents of Steel.
Enjoy the game, everyone. Go Canucks Go!
10 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNP, FDSNMW
Did you know that the Canucks are only 1 point of their pace from last year after 26 games? I didn't and it brings some calm to my mind. This team waited over 15 games for Petey to wake up....Demko hasn't played a minute....Brock was out for a stretch......and JT Miller has been out for a stretch, and yet this team is still near the top of the division, with games in hand.
Van's top line had trouble last game. (Jake,Petey & Brock) They couldn't get good looks on net and all of them were -2 last game. The Lightning were very aggressive pressing this line to move the puck and quality chances were few. The Canucks PP without Hughes was showcased in the first. Terrifying is a word that pops into my mind. Even with Hughes, this team struggles with an aggressive PK that has active sticks in the lanes.
Anyone worried about Dakota Joshua? He is still trying to find his legs and his a stable place in the lineup. The second part is probably more to do with the fact JT is not on the ice and the lines are a mess. But not having a preseason has shown in his play. Hopefully his instincts kick in and he can start pushing people around in front of the net again.
I am still wondering when the Canucks pull the trigger on the Hogs trade. The D needs help. Carson Soucy should not be getting so many 2nd pairing minutes. Is Carson the new Giraffe? Is Myers finally dependable? Sorry....went too far there.
The Canucks face a Blues team who already made a big splash by firing their coach....which really hasn't changed their direction so far. The Blues are in a tough division and their lack of special in special teams has them floundering. Of course, coming into Rogers could change their fortunes, as home ice is not friendly for the Canucks. I look forward to Petey getting a hat trick and yelling "Calder Winner!!" at Binnington.
Hey...did I mention that someone else is starting in net tonight for the Canucks. Some American kid.
There was another American guy who skated with the team for the first time in a couple weeks.
LINEUPS
Blues projected lineup
Jake Neighbours -- Robert Thomas -- Pavel Buchnevich
Dylan Holloway -- Brayden Schenn -- Jordan Kyrou
Brandon Saad -- Oskar Sundqvist -- Zack Bolduc
Alexey Toropchenko -- Radek Faksa -- Nathan Walker
Philip Broberg -- Colton Parayko
Ryan Suter -- Justin Faulk
Pierre-Olivier Joseph -- Matthew Kessel
Joel Hofer
Jordan Binnington
Scratched: Scott Perunovich, Mathieu Joseph, Alexandre Texier
Injured: Nick Leddy (lower body)
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Pius Suter -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Teddy Blueger -- Kiefer Sherwood
Aatu Raty -- Max Sasson -- Danton Heinen
Quinn Hughes -- Tyler Myers
Carson Soucy -- Noah Juulsen
Mark Friedman -- Vincent Desharnais
Thatcher Demko
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Erik Brannstrom
Injured: Filip Hronek (upper body), Derek Forbort (lower body)
Status report
Broberg, who has played four games after missing 12 with a lower-body injury, did not take part in the morning skate, but coach Jim Montgomery said it was a “maintenance day” and he will be available. … Perunovich, a defenseman, comes out of the lineup for Pierre-Olivier Joseph, who was a healthy scratch in a 4-2 loss at the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. … Leddy, a defenseman who has not played since Oct. 15, was on the road trip and practicing before being sent back to St. Louis after the game in Edmonton for further evaluation. … Demko will make his season debut, his first game since injuring his left knee in the first game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season on April 21. … Canucks forward J.T. Miller skated with the team Tuesday for the first time since taking a personal leave of absence Nov. 19 but will not play. … Forbort, a defenseman who hasn’t played since Nov. 2, is practicing without a noncontact jersey and could return against the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
GAME DAY CHATTER
”Really good rush team. [St.Louis] is playing well…They’re playing faster. Our rush defence has to be up to par.”
🗣 Hear from Head Coach Rick Tocchet ahead of tonight's game against the Blues.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/RTvSHn7UyY
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 10, 2024
“Nice to have him around back in the room.”
🗣 Conor Garland speaks on J.T. Miller back skating with the team, and the return of Thatcher Demko for tonight's game.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/9FZUgvnMWS
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 10, 2024
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
I have been going down the rabbit hole of Canadian rock on Spotify lately. There have been several bands that should have never been formed and others that leave me wondering what happened to them. The Tea Party was one such band that was severely overplayed in a CRTC landscape, but it's nice to hear them at one's choosing.
Go Canucks Go!
After a brutal first period, the Canucks did what you're supposed to do to teams playing their third game in four nights, taking advantage of a tired Columbus team, coming back from two down to win 5-2. This afternoon they have a much tougher opponent as they host the Lightning at Rogers Arena.
Vancouver Canucks (14-7-4) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (13-9-2)
1:00 pm PST; 4:00 pm EST
TV: Sportsnet
Radio: Sportsnet 650
It really looked like another edition of "Why the hell are the Canucks so bad at home this year?" on Friday night, as the Columbus Blue Jackets came storming out of the gate to a 2-0 lead. If it were not for Kevin Lankinen shutting the door, they could easily have been up by three or four goals after twenty minutes. And while they haven't really shown it much at home this season, the Canucks have shown that getting down does not rattle them, and they began slowly chipping away at the Columbus lead.
And when Kiefer Sherwood scored on an open net thanks to an ill-advised attempt to play the puck by Blue Jackets G Elvis Merzlikins with just a minute to go in the second, that pretty much sealed their fate. The Canucks were the better team over the last forty minutes, and got some solid efforts from their best players.
A lot of positives to take from this comeback win. Pius Suter continues to be such an important part of this team, proving that given the right linemates and usage, some guys can exceed everyone's expectations. Another plus was Jake DeBrusk finally scoring at home. He's been on an absolute tear of late, and while we know that streakiness is part of his genetic makeup, the timing of him getting hot with JT Miller being out of the lineup couldn't be better.
Kevin Lankinen may not see the crease for a while once Thatcher Demko is ready to roll, as he could start as early as today, so it was nice to see him notch another impact win filling in for the Canucks All Star netminder. With a healthy Demko, the Canucks have a 1-2 punch in goal that is as good as any in the league, and can help them as they look to rack up some home wins and take advantage of the games in hand they have over their Pacific Division rivals.
Today they'll have a little payback on their minds as they take on Tampa Bay. The last meeting between these teams in October saw the Lightning cruise to a 4-1 win that had some people sounding some premature alarm bells, as they Canucks had lost three straight after opening with a win over the Edmonton Oilers.
The key to this game is taking advantage of a subpar Tampa penalty kill, and trying to keep one of the NHL's best at 5 on 5 off the score sheet. Strong team defence and getting a good start is vital to coming out of this one with two points.
LINEUPS
Instead of your dates, the projected lineups for this game were found on the back of bootleg Taylor Swift shirts. You could also find it on nhl dot com...
Lightning projected lineup
Jake Guentzel -- Brayden Point -- Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel -- Anthony Cirelli -- Nick Paul
Mitchell Chaffee -- Conor Geekie -- Gage Goncalves
Zemgus Girgensons -- Luke Glendening -- Michael Eyssimont
Victor Hedman -- J.J. Moser
Ryan McDonagh -- Erik Cernak
Emil Lilleberg -- Nick Perbix
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Jonas Johansson
Scratched: Cam Atkinson, Darren Raddysh
Injured: None
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Pius Suter -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Teddy Blueger -- Kiefer Sherwood
Aatu Raty -- Max Sasson -- Danton Heinen
Quinn Hughes -- Tyler Myers
Carson Soucy -- Noah Juulsen
Erik Brannstrom -- Vincent Desharnais
Thatcher Demko
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Arturs Silovs, Mark Friedman
Injured: Filip Hronek (upper body), Derek Forbort (lower body)
Both teams could get key players back, as the Lightning could have Nikita Kucherov back after missing a couple, while it looks like Thatcher Demko will get the nod as he returns to the lineup after getting injured in the first round series against Nashville back in April. Other than that, it's pretty much the same lineup as Friday night for the Canucks.
GAME DAY CHATTER
As expected, Arturs Silovs will be heading to Abbotsford with Demko ready to go... While it looks like we could see JT Miller return to the team this week, Derek Forbert is also getting closer to returning... The coach on how the improved PK is giving the Canucks a boost...
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
One of the things that I love about metal, is that it is truly a form of music that translates worldwide, unlike a number of styles. And this new banger from India's BLOODYWOOD with the help of Japanese Kawaai metal sensations BABYMETAL is a great example. Explore the world of metal, my friends. There's so much out there that isn't from south of our border.
Enjoy the game, folks. Go Canucks Go!
Morning hockey is really stupid. That being said, grab your coffee and we'll see if the Canucks can continue their road dominance this season as they take on the Red Wings.
Vancouver Canucks (12-7-3) vs. Detroit Red Wings (10-11-2)
9:30 am PST; 12:30 pm EST
TV: Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet One
Radio: Sportsnet 650
Again, it's not about how they get it done right now, it's simply about getting it done, and that's what the Canucks did in Buffalo Friday afternoon. Despite coughing up the two goal lead in the third period, a timely save from Kevin Lankinen, and a beauty between the legs from Conor Garland sealed the deal in OT against Vancouver's expansion cousins, moving their road record this season to 9-2-0.
The Canucks are in the 2nd wild card slot at the moment, so they must keep the points coming, as unfortunately for them, their Pacific Division rivals continue to pile them up as well. And while they have a tough one Tuesday against the Wild in Minnesota, they should be able to keep things going against a Detroit Red Wings team that continues to just sputter along despite being years into the Yzerplan.
It's a busy December for Vancouver, with today's game being the first of 12 games between now and the Christmas break. Normally, we'd say it's a good thing the majority of those are at home, but given the way the Canucks have played at Rogers Arena, it's almost like we'd prefer them to stay on the road for this stretch.
One factor that should help the Canucks win this one today will be special teams. Their penalty kill has been much improved, and it will be tested by one the league's best in Detroit today. The Wings are the worst in the NHL on the penalty kill, so look for the Canucks to try and make every power play count in this one. Other than a strong power play, Detroit struggles to score, being near the bottom of five on five goals this season.
LINEUPS
Scrawled in pizza sauce outside the arena, this is what to expect from these teams today (also, it's on nhl dot com...)
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Pius Suter -- Conor Garland
Danton Heinen -- Teddy Blueger -- Max Sasson
Nils Hoglander -- Aatu Raty -- Kiefer Sherwood
Quinn Hughes -- Tyler Myers
Erik Brannstrom -- Vincent Desharnais
Carson Soucy -- Noah Juulsen
Kevin Lankinen
Arturs Silovs
Scratched: Arshdeep Bains
Injured: Derek Forbort (knee), Filip Hronek (upper body)
Red Wings projected lineup
Vladimir Tarasenko -- Dylan Larkin -- Lucas Raymond
Tyler Motte -- J.T. Compher -- Alex DeBrincat
Michael Rasmussen -- Andrew Copp -- Christian Fischer
Joe Veleno -- Marco Kasper -- Jonatan Berggren
Simon Edvinsson -- Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot -- Jeff Petry
Erik Gustafsson -- Justin Holl
Cam Talbot
Ville Husso
Scratched: Albert Johansson
Injured: Alex Lyon (lower body), Patrick Kane (upper body)
It should be interesting to see what the first line of Pettersson, DeBrusk and Boeser can do against the Wings today. And don't look at Kiefer Sherwood on the fourth line as any kind of punishment. He continues to be an impact player for the Canucks. After the way they played in Buffalo, I would expect the pairing of Carson Soucy and Noah Juulsen to get less ice time today. And watch Max Sasson today. He's playing in front of family and friends at home for the first time, so a first career goal for Sasson shouldn't come as a shock.
For the Wings, you know things aren't great when you're rolling Tyler Motte on your second line. No offence to Motte, but that speaks volumes about their depth. No Patrick Kane today, which is good, because fuck that guy, man.
GAME DAY CHATTER
Gotta admire the love fans have for JT Miller, as evidenced by this moment during the WWE's Survivor Series last night at Rogers... Here's some pregame thoughts from the coach... JPat shows a little love to Vancouver's Short King, who truly has been their most consistent forward this season...
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Stumbled across this killer recording of Overkill a few days ago at the Vogue Theatre, opening for King Diamond. Bobby Blitz and the boys can still bring it after all these years. Make sure and check out the Loud Flash youtube page, they've got a ton of heavy bands that have visited Vancouver on there, and you're sure to find something you like there.
Get some coffee. Make yourself a hearty breakfast. And enjoy this game. Go Canucks Go!
10 p.m. ET; SNP, MSGSN, MSGSN2
This whole winning at home thing is something I could get used to. I have to admit that I was spoiled last year with some of the easy wins the Canucks had. Games don't look as easy they did last year, so let's be happy with wins in all the forms that they come. The PP and PK are both in the top half of the league and there is still lots of room for improvement. Petey might be coming alive at the right time since Brock is out for awhile. JT Miller is hurt and yet still gets points. Grinding out victories now is a result of the success and confidence built up from last year.
Tonight is another case of a game where the Canucks should win easily. With injuries to Anthony Duclair and Matt Barzal, the Islanders have struggled to find consistency. Their PP and PK is in the bottom 5 of the league and they have gone 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. They have lost their last two games in O/T to Edmonton and New Jersey. Ilya Sorokin, who shined in his first 3 years, looked human last year and needs more help from his aging team in front of him.
Some guy named Joshua gets his first start of the season after battling cancer over the summer. I am sure Coach Taco will keep his minutes to a minimum, but it will be great to see him go hit some people out there. Aaty Ratu gets to face his former team on his birthday...how a goal or five?
GAME DAY LINEUP
Islanders projected lineup
Anders Lee -- Bo Horvat -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Maxim Tsyplakov -- Brock Nelson -- Kyle Palmieri
Pierre Engvall -- Casey Cizikas -- Simon Holmstrom
Matt Martin -- Kyle MacLean -- Oliver Wahlstrom
Scott Mayfield -- Ryan Pulock
Isaiah George -- Noah Dobson
Dennis Cholowski -- Grant Hutton
Semyon Varlamov
Ilya Sorokin
Scratched: Hudson Fasching, Travis Mitchell
Injured: Mathew Barzal (upper body), Mike Reilly (head), Alexander Romanov (upper body)
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Conor Garland
Pius Suter -- J.T. Miller -- Jonathan Lekkerimaki
Danton Heinen -- Teddy Blueger -- Kiefer Sherwood
Dakota Joshua -- Aatu Raty -- Nils Hoglander
Quinn Hughes -- Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy -- Tyler Myers
Erik Brannstrom -- Vincent Desharnais
Kevin Lankinen
Arturs Silovs
Scratched: Noah Juulsen
Injured: Brock Boeser (upper body), Derek Forbort (lower body), Thatcher Demko (lower body)
Status report
Mitchell was recalled from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League on Thursday in order to have an extra defenseman in case of injury over the final four games of a five-game road trip, coach Patrick Roy said. … Romanov, a defenseman who has missed eight of the past nine games, skated in a non-contact jersey Thursday, is day to day and could return on this road trip. … Joshua will make his season debut after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in the summer and undergoing surgery.
GAME DAY CHATTER
"He’s gone through a lot of stuff and I’ve loved the way he’s dealt with it. We’re just happy for him.”
🗣 Head Coach Rick Tocchet speaks on what Dakota Joshua brings to the team and what he means to this organization. #Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/rdGrLt5Rtd
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 14, 2024
“Just physically making sure you’re ready.”
🗣 Dakota Joshua meets with the media following Thursday's morning skate.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/UTRu2VVlOx
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 14, 2024
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
While my man, Kent, always seem to introduce new.....loud.....music, I have a tendency to regress back to the music I listened to as a kid...ok, maybe young adult in this case. Some would argue that this might have been a song from the last true "metal" album from a band that would go after Napster.
Go Canucks Go!
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.
