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; SNP, ALT
No Quinn Hughes.
Well, that pretty much summarizes the game.
That also shows the state of the Canucks defense, as there aren't expectations that anyone on that backend can step and have a game. It looks like Soucy sits again as Coach Taco tries out new players and new pairings to see if he can find a spark. Soucy has had a rough go of it this year as he has been asked to play minutes and situations he wasn't meant for. Soucy is a good choice for a 3rd pairing....not 2nd or 1st.
Anyone seen Brock Boeser?
You would think a guy who is about to become a free agent, and scored 40 goals last year, would be playing better. I think the voices saying, "Trade Brock" are getting louder and while I have been one of those voices for years, it's unfortunate...or very Canuck-like, that Brock value is low right now. It doesn't seem who the GM is in this town, they will face a decision like the one with Brock. Pay him for one great season.....like they did for Petey, or trade him because he had only one great season and won't be worth $8 million/yr for 7 years.
The team the Canucks face tonight, the Avs, made the decision to trade a far better player because they didn't want to pay for past performance. I'm not sure they will get the return off Necas they hope for, but what do I know.
The Avs are in a playoff spot but it looks like they will have to face a 1st place team and so they need to find their playoff form over the next month.
LINEUPS
Avalanche projected lineup
Artturi Lehkonen -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Martin Necas
Jonathan Drouin -- Casey Mittelstadt -- Juuso Parssinen
Miles Wood -- Jack Drury -- Ross Colton
Joel Kiviranta -- Parker Kelly -- Logan O'Connor
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Samuel Girard -- Josh Manson
Keaton Middleton -- Sam Malinski
Mackenzie Blackwood
Trent Miner
Scratched: Calvin de Haan, Oliver Kylington
Injured: Scott Wedgewood (upper body), Valeri Nichushkin (lower body), Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Tucker Poolman (head)
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Filip Chytil -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Pius Suter -- Linus Karlsson
Drew O’Connor -- Teddy Blueger -- Kiefer Sherwood
Marcus Pettersson -- Tyler Myers
Derek Forbort -- Filip Hronek
Elias Pettersson -- Noah Juulsen
Thatcher Demko
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Carson Soucy, Victor Mancini
Injured: Quinn Hughes (undisclosed)
Status report
Wedgewood, a goalie, is not with the team but could join the Avalanche for the conclusion of a three-game road trip that ends with back-to-back games at the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers on Thursday and Friday. … Kylington, a defenseman, was activated off injured reserve Monday after missing 31 games with an upper-body injury. ... Hughes skated with coaches before the main group Tuesday but left before the full morning skate started; the defenseman will miss a second consecutive game. … Soucy, a defenseman, will be a healthy scratch for a second straight game.
GAME DAY CHATTER
“Big physical defenceman. Good first pass. Really good shot. Not afraid - I call him the cycle buster - he goes flying in there, he doesn’t care. He’s a competitive guy."
🗣 Head Coach Rick Tocchet speaks on D-Petey, provides injury updates and more.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/6T8SELXvYa
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 4, 2025
"To play like that after his first game makes me really excited to get more time with him and to keep developing that chemistry. We already talked a bunch after the first game and it’s only going to get better and better.”
🗣 Myers on Marcus Pettersson.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/MAMunPDwtd
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 4, 2025
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
I have no rhyme or reason for this song choice other than it popped into my head. Hey, do you really want John Tesh to come back?
Go Coconuts Go!
RED WINGS (26-21-5) at CANUCKS (23-18-10)
8 p.m. ET; SNP, TVAS (JIP), FDSNDET
Whose team is this? I didn't sign up for this team. I guess any Canuck fan could have uttered those words since 1970. Of course I am willing to give this team a chance. The last loss didn't count (just in the standings) because all the pieces weren't here yet. So tonight we get to see Chytil, O'Conner and another Pettersson, but I think the best news is the fact that Carson Soucy is back to playing 3rd pairing minutes. Throw in the return of Kiefer Sherwood and I might have a little bit of hope for this team.
So, now that J.T. is gone, is this really Petey's team....or does Quinn have more of a say in the room? Notice I didn't say Brock. He may be the longest serving Canuck, but he has never seemed like the go to guy. I wish he would start going to the net. This team is still struggling to find an identity and there doesn't seem to be a strong leader. Leadership by committee seems dicey, but maybe if this team can get on a winning streak....who knows?
With all this negativity that oozes from Kent and myself (never Jimmi "Mary" Poppins) about this team, they still have a legitimate shot of sneaking into the playoffs. I know! It's hard to believe that the Canucks season continues after April...but again, who knows?
Lineups
Red Wings projected lineup
Marco Kasper -- Dylan Larkin -- Lucas Raymond
Alex DeBrincat -- Andrew Copp -- Vladimir Tarasenko
Elmer Soderblom -- Michael Rasmussen -- Jonathan Berggren
Christian Fischer -- Joe Veleno -- Dominik Shine
Ben Chiarot -- Moritz Seider
Simon Edvinsson -- Albert Johansson
Erik Gustafsson -- Justin Holl
Alex Lyon
Cam Talbot
Scratched: Tyler Motte, William Lagesson
Injured: Patrick Kane (upper body), J.T. Compher (upper body)
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua -- Filip Chytil -- Conor Garland
Nils Hoglander -- Pius Suter -- Linus Karlsson
Drew O’Connor -- Teddy Blueger -- Kiefer Sherwood
Quinn Hughes -- Tyler Myers
Marcus Pettersson -- Filip Hronek
Derek Forbort -- Carson Soucy
Kevin Lankinen
Thatcher Demko
Scratched: Noah Juulsen, Elias Pettersson, Victor Mancini
Injured: None
Status report
The Red Wings did not skate in Vancouver on Sunday, but Lyon is expected to start after Talbot made 33 saves in a 3-1 win at the Calgary Flames on Saturday. … Kane, a forward who has missed five games, could return against the Canucks, coach Todd McLellan said on Saturday in Calgary, but there was no update on Sunday. … Hughes is a game-time decision, according to coach Rick Tocchet. … The Canucks held an optional morning skate with no clear lines, but Sherwood said he is ready to return after missing four games with a lower-body injury. … Chytil, O’Connor and Marcus Pettersson will all make their Canucks debut after being acquired in separate trades with the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night. Mancini, who was part of the trade with New York, could also play, Tocchet said.
Game Day Chatter
The four new #Canucks getting this on their first full day in Vancouver is funny as heck. pic.twitter.com/Q6Pn0rdAxf
— 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 Faber 🔥 (@ChrisFaber39) February 2, 2025
"Simple two-way game. Trying to move the puck as quickly as I can out of the d-zone. When I’m at my best, I have a good first pass. I use my stick, my reach."
🗣 Marcus Pettersson speaks on his skill-set and how excited he is joining Vancouver.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/4fwcTQqaeM
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 2, 2025
“Played with Teddy in Pittsburgh. Skated with Garland a lot in the summer and played with him at Worlds. He’s awesome.”
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 2, 2025
🗣 Drew O'Connor discusses his connections to the team, his style of play, and shares his thoughts on being traded for the first time.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/E9VhmjYn0D
“Playing with speed. Getting to the net. Making plays. That’s my game."
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 2, 2025
🗣 Filip Chytil speaks on what he brings to the team, continuing to work on his game, and how Filip Hronek has helped him so far following the trade.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/zfABRpNPqd
“I’m really excited to pick their brains. Players, coaches, everyone. Being a young guy, being a rookie, I just want to be a sponge, take in as much information as I can. Learn, get better, and help this team.”
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 2, 2025
🗣 Hear from new Canuck, Victor Mancini.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/GoD2kpwohA
Game Day Battle Hymn
I stay clear of Kent's domain of metal....instead I bring you a easy-listening toe-tapping diddy, with a message after having to go through this crappy season so far.
Go Coconuts Go!
Another must win game against a Western Conference team where the Canucks actually outplayed their opponent? A three game winning streak? Is this a reason for hope? Oh, don't be silly. Well, maybe it is...?
Vancouver Canucks (23-17-10) vs. Dallas Stars (32-17-1)
5:00 pm PST; 8:00 pm EST
TV: Sportsnet
Radio: Sportsnet 650
Again, while it wasn't without its blemishes, the Canucks put together another solid road performance on Wednesday night en route to a 3-1 win over the Predators in Nashville. Vancouver's now won three straight games for the first time in November, and can finish off this road swing with a perfect record if they can manage a win tonight against a very good Dallas Stars squad.
Much like the game on Saturday against Washington, this is a real test for the squad to see if they actually deserve to be in the playoff spot they currently are one point out of. I suppose if there's anything encouraging, it's that they've been getting some scoring that wasn't Quinn Hughes, and the goals were coming from guys who really needed to get going in Nils Hoglander and Pius Suter. Another bright light, was this was definitely the best performance this season from Thatcher Demko, and while it may be a little too early yet to claim that he's back, he's definitely trending in the right direction.
And whether it's Demko or Kevin Lankinen in goal tonight, the Canucks will need their D to be at their absolute best if they hope to come out of Big D with the two points they so desperately need. And that means, and I am fully aware of how this sounds, they need Tyler Myers to be at his best tonight.
Are we done laughing? Good.
Since returning from suspension, Myers has been rather impressive, putting in a ton of minutes, as well as the one goal, one assist performance on Monday in St Louis. Dallas is a fast, offensively skilled team, and making things as easy as possible for whoever is occupying the crease for Vancouver tonight is going to help them a long way towards getting that win.
And pardon me if you've heard this one, but it would be wonderful if the best players on the Canucks showed up in an offensive way tonight, and by that I mean producing goals and not the offensive performances we've been treated to this season. It's time for Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller to go on a freakin' tear if for no other reason than to spite each other. Let the hate flow through you, and it shall lead you to victory.
LINEUPS
This lineup was found carved into the floor of the basement at the Alamo... though I am pretty sure it's on nhl dot com, too...
8 p.m. ET; Victory+, SN
Canucks projected lineup
Danton Heinen -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Nils Hoglander -- Elias Pettersson -- Linus Karlsson
Jake DeBrusk -- Pius Suter -- Conor Garland
Phillip Di Giuseppe -- Teddy Blueger -- Dakota Joshua
Quinn Hughes -- Tyler Myers
Derek Forbort -- Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy -- Noah Juulsen
Thatcher Demko
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Elias Pettersson, Vincent Desharnais
Injured: Kiefer Sherwood (lower body)
Stars projected lineup
Jason Robertson -- Roope Hintz -- Wyatt Johnston
Jamie Benn -- Matt Duchene -- Mavrik Bourque
Evgenii Dadonov -- Sam Steel -- Logan Stankoven
Brendan Smith -- Oskar Back -- Colin Blackwell
Thomas Harley -- Ilya Lyubushkin
Lian Bichsel -- Esa Lindell
Kyle Capobianco -- Mathew Dumba
Jake Oettinger
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: None
Injured: Miro Heiskanen (knee), Nils Lundkvist (upper body), Mason Marchment (face), Tyler Seguin (hip)
While I was certain that the Canucks would go with Lankinen given he had two strong performances against Washington and St Louis, Demko gets the nod tonight, and in the tradition of Ted Cruz, the Stars are being absolute cowards and not letting Casey De Smith face his old team, opting for Jake Oettinger just because he's really good or something stupid like that.
The Stars are dealing with a bunch of injuries, including a couple key ones in Heiskanen and Seguin, while the Canucks are only down Sherwood, who's back in Vancouver recovering.
GAME DAY CHATTER
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Today in our look at the best metal releases from 1985, we look at the second album from US progressive metallers FATES WARNING. Following up on their debut 'Night On Brocken', 'The Spectre Within' saw the band continue to grow in proficiency. This album would get a good response, and they would release one more with vocalist John Artch (Awaken The Guardian) before replacing him with Ray Alder. This track was featured on the soundtrack of River's Edge, a great 80's movie starring Dennis Hopper, Crispin Glover and a young Keanu Reaves. That soundtrack also featured four songs from SLAYER, plus tracks from HALLOWS EVE, and punk band AGENT ORANGE.
Enjoy the game, everyone! Go Canucks Go!
7:30 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, Prime
After watching the last Canucks game, do you ever wonder what the fuck is going on? They play a disciplined 200 foot game against the Caps and beat the league leaders. And yet we all know that they are just as likely to shit the bed in this game against a team that isn't as good as Washington.
I am now of the mindset that J.T. and Petey should just stay in Van. Trading one or both doesn't fix the anything except for the distraction of the two. If they get traded, does this team magically become better...no. So why trade them? They have both sucked so far and this team still has a chance to make the playoffs. Keep them both and let them know that it's on them to turn this around.
Many will disagree with me....so be it. I just don't see a trade that brings the team what it actually needs to get better. That includes a center and a defenseman that can play defense. Looking at the trade scenarios, I just see a team that will waste Quinn Hughes at his prime.
Besides that stance, I am of the belief that the only player that should be traded is Thatcher Demko. His injuries continue to mount and his next extension is coming closer. Some would say he is the franchise goalie the team has been waiting for since Lu, but all we done so far is wait. His body has been unable to make it far into the playoffs. The money thrown at some goalies this offseason is ridiculous and I fear the perception of Demko's performance will get him overpaid by the Canucks. Trade him for a 2nd line dman and sign Lankinen for less than $4 million/yr.
If things don't turn around by mid-Feb, realistically, the only person who should be traded is Brock. his contract will be too high for a player that has scored 30+ goals once in his career.
LINEUPS
Canucks projected lineup
Danton Heinen -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Nils Hoglander -- Elias Pettersson -- Linus Karlsson
Jake DeBrusk -- Pius Suter -- Conor Garland
Phil Di Giuseppe -- Teddy Blueger -- Max Sasson
Quinn Hughes -- Tyler Myers
Derek Forbort -- Filip Hronek
Elias Pettersson -- Carson Soucy
Kevin Lankinen
Thatcher Demko
Scratched: Noah Juulsen, Vincent Desharnais
Injured: Kiefer Sherwood (lower body), Dakota Joshua (lower body)
Blues projected lineup
Dylan Holloway -- Brayden Schenn -- Jordan Kyrou
Jake Neighbours -- Robert Thomas -- Pavel Buchnevich
Brandon Saad -- Mathieu Joseph -- Zack Bolduc
Alexey Toropchenko -- Radek Faksa -- Nathan Walker
Philip Broberg -- Colton Parayko
Cam Fowler -- Justin Faulk
Ryan Suter -- Tyler Tucker
Jordan Binnington
Joel Hofer
Scratched: Oskar Sundqvist, Alexandre Texier, Scott Perunovich
Injured: Nick Leddy (lower body)
Status report
The Canucks did not hold a morning skate. … Garland had a maintenance day Sunday but is expected to play. Joshua, a forward, skated in Garland’s spot and could return after missing the past 10 games. … Myers is expected to return from a three-game suspension for cross-checking Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard on Jan. 18. … Sherwood, a forward, could join Vancouver later on its road trip. ... Walker will return and replace Sundqvist, a forward, and Joseph will move to center from right wing. … St. Louis will mix up all three of its defensive pairings from a 2-0 loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
Game Day Chatter
“I like that fact that we hung in there against a big team, it should give you confidence.”
🗣️ Head Coach Rick Tocchet speaks on last night’s win and the upcoming Central Division road trip. pic.twitter.com/Ke1zqNBzLk
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 26, 2025
“That’s part of the game. You got to deal with the hand you’re dealt and keep pushing forward. So, looking forward to getting back in.”
🗣️ Dakota Joshua meets with the media after participating in today’s practice. pic.twitter.com/DK34bavh8f
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 26, 2025
Game Day Battle Hymn
Did you know that John Tesh is undefeated this year?
But if I was to use him 2 games in a row, Kent will hunt me down.
So I leave you with a happy/sad song from The Clash.
Go Coconuts Go!
4 p.m. ET; SNP, KONG, KING 5, KHN
The Christmas food and drink hangover is almost over, just in time for the New Years food and drink hangover. I hope the Canucks were able to get all the turkey out of their system and man, there were a lot of games over the past month that turkeys could have put up a better fight than the Canucks did. The Canucks play their 2nd to last game of the year against Seattle. The longer that Seattle is around, the more I think the Kraken is the stupidest name ever. It would be a name that a Disney team would choose. Of course, I am venting because Seattle won last year's season series with that stupid fucking name. And the way the Canucks have been playing at home, I fully expect another loss tonight.
Reason number two or really, number one, that tonight will probably be a loss, is that both Petey and Quinn are doubtful for today's game. WTF? That would be one blockbuster trade....I kid. I am not sure what injuries they have that after four days rest, they need another three days off. Maybe the Sharks actually bit both of them. I guess that leaves it up to J.T. and Demko to carry the team today. I would love to see Dakota move up a line and play with Teddy and Kiefer, but that might be too much hitting on a line.
The rumor mill continues to churn out material that the Canucks are looking to get a D-man, but I am still not sure what they could give up, besides a draft pick, to get anything of value.
LINEUPS
Kraken projected lineup
Jaden Schwartz -- Matty Beniers -- Kaapo Kakko
Jared McCann -- Chandler Stephenson -- Daniel Sprong
Eeli Tolvanen -- Shane Wright -- Oliver Bjorkstrand
Tye Kartye -- Yanni Gourde -- Brandon Tanev
Vince Dunn -- Adam Larsson
Jamie Oleksiak -- Brandon Montour
Ryker Evans -- Josh Mahura
Philipp Grubauer
Ales Stezka
Scratched: Gustav Olofsson, Ben Meyers
Injured: Jordan Eberle (pelvis), Joey Daccord (undisclosed), Andre Burakovsky (illness)
Canucks projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Nils Hoglander -- Pius Suter -- Conor Garland
Danton Heinen -- Teddy Blueger -- Kiefer Sherwood
Dakota Joshua -- Max Sasson -- Phil Di Giuseppe
Erik Brannstrom -- Tyler Myers
Carson Soucy -- Noah Juulsen
Derek Forbort -- Vincent Desharnais
Thatcher Demko
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Linus Karlsson
Injured: Elias Pettersson (undisclosed), Quinn Hughes (undisclosed), Filip Hronek (upper body)
Status report
Daccord, a goalie, is day-to-day and did not make the trip to Vancouver after finishing a Dec. 22 game at the Colorado Avalanche despite getting “banged up a little bit” during that game, according to coach Dan Bylsma. Seattle called up Stezka from Coachella Valley of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis on Friday. … Burakovsky, a forward, is day-to-day with an illness and also did not make the trip to Vancouver. … Neither Hughes, a defenseman, nor Pettersson, a center, took part in practice on Friday and both were listed as doubtful by coach Rick Tocchet. … Brannstrom comes back into the lineup after three games as a scratch and is expected to alternate with Forbort in Hughes' spot on the top pair depending on the situation.
GAME DAY CHATTER
“Next man mentality. That’s the way we have to think. Right now more than ever, our staples, we have to play as a team.”
🗣 Hear from Head Coach Rick Tocchet after the #Canucks return to practice following the break. pic.twitter.com/xJgiwGNiot
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 27, 2024
“Had a good practice today. Want to get ready for an early game tomorrow. Guys worked hard today, we were executing. Come in after the break with the right mindset.”
🗣 Tyler Myers meets with the media following the first #Canucks practice after the holiday break. pic.twitter.com/3HOWDhrxq2
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 27, 2024
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
New Year's in coming fast and to knock some of the pessimism out of my own writing, I leave you with this optimistic song and hope of a Cup being raised.
GO CANUCKS GO!
10:00 p.m. ET; SNP, SN1, TVAS, Utah16
Utah?
What?
The Canucks have never faced this team....and therefore they have never lost! If you were to look at the team they used to be....they split the season series last year. The Utah team with no name is very annoying to write about, as you have to keep referring them as Utah...or the Hockey Club from Utah. That team started off like gang-busters and then remembered that moving from Arizona only has a limited bump. They do have 5 players with 20+ points, so they do have the potential to put up some goals.
The great news is that Canucks finally escape Rogers and get back to their real home, the road. Unfortunately, it is only for two games and one of those will be in Vegas. So hopefully the Canucks can get more momentum before hitting Sin City tomorrow.
Bettman must drool when he see standings like this. I cringe.
Remember when my mom asked about Petey's performance when Miller came back?
Well, bad news. So far he has 0 points and is -3. Sweet lord....Buffalo is waiting.
At least we have a guy named Kiefer, who can win games on his own.
LINEUPS
Canucks projected lineup
Conor Garland -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Max Sasson
Danton Heinen -- Pius Suter -- Kiefer Sherwood
Dakota Joshua -- Teddy Blueger -- Nils Hoglander
Quinn Hughes -- Noah Juulsen
Carson Soucy -- Tyler Myers
Erik Brannstrom -- Vincent Desharnais
Thatcher Demko
Kevin Lankinen
Scratched: Derek Forbort, Linus Karlsson, Phil Di Giuseppe
Injured: Filip Hronek (upper body)
Utah projected lineup
Clayton Keller -- Barrett Hayton -- Nick Schmaltz
Jack McBain -- Logan Cooley -- Dylan Guenther
Lawson Crouse -- Nick Bjugstad -- Matias Maccelli
Alexander Kerfoot -- Kevin Stenlund -- Michael Carcone
Mikhail Sergachev -- Olli Maatta
Ian Cole -- Michael Kesselring
Juuso Valimaki -- Vladislav Kolyachonok
Karel Vejmelka
Jaxson Stauber
Scratched: Liam O’Brien, Dakota Mermis
Injured: Robert Bortuzzo (lower body), Maveric Lamoureux (undisclosed), Sean Durzi (upper body), John Marino (upper body)
Status report
The Canucks assigned goaltender Arturs Silovs and defenseman Mark Friedman to Abbotsford on Tuesday. Forwards Karlsson and Di Giuseppe were recalled on Tuesday. ... Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said Forbort, a defenseman, will not play tonight against Utah but “could possibly tomorrow” at the Vegas Golden Knights.
GAME DAY CHATTER
“They’re an up-and-coming team. They’re tough to play against.”
🗣 Hear from Head Coach Rick Tocchet ahead of tonight's game against Utah Hockey Club.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/xchg5SwI2N
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 18, 2024
“It’s a beautiful city. Cool flying in. Still have some friends on the team so I hear about how nice it is here.”
🗣 Conor Garland speaks on the team playing their first game in Utah and expectations going into tonight.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/Hdi42AWz2D
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 18, 2024
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
In honor of the Canucks hitting the road and Petey needing to get going, I give you some guy named Bob.
Go Canucks Go!
10:30 p.m. ET; SNP, ALT
I wonder if Thatcher Demko is thinking about going back on the IR? The team that has played in front of him has been below average. (You can't hold completely responsible for his 4.47 GAA and .830 save %)
The Canucks were absolutely brutal last game and tonight's opponent won't be easy either. The Avs are 5-2 in December and continue to put up a lot of goals, as they have 3 out of the the top 15 scorers in the league. The good thing for the Canucks is that the Avs still let in a lot of goals. Hopefully, the Canucks have better luck than last year, where they lost all three games.
I would like to that Elliotte Friedman for stirring up the shit on the internet by getting the "Trade Petey" portion of the schedule going. His trade idea is bad on so many levels...Petey for Byram and Cousins. Byram has past concussions and Cousins won't replace Petey's 2-way play, Oh...and it adds more money to the cap. The Canucks do need to make a trade for a defenseman as there backend was ripped apart last game. Hogs won't bring much in return, so trading one of Petey, Miller or Brock seems to be the easy way to get views on the net.
Tonight is the 13th Hockey Talks for the Canucks..(no communication company attached to it) And we always need a reminder that it's ok to admit that we all struggle. The family has had a tough 3 months and writing for NM and chatting with you always brings a smile to my face. Thanks everyone.
LINEUPS
Avalanche projected lineup
Artturi Lehkonen -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Ross Colton -- Casey Mittelstadt -- Valeri Nichushkin
Joel Kiviranta -- Parker Kelly -- Logan O’Connor
Tye Felhaber -- Ivan Ivan -- Chris Wagner
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Samuel Girard -- Sam Malinski
Keaton Middleton -- Calvin de Haan
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood
Scratched: John Ludvig, Givani Smith
Injured: Josh Manson (upper body), Jonathan Drouin (upper body), Oliver Kylington (undisclosed), Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Tucker Poolman (head), Miles Wood (upper body)
Canucks projected lineup
Conor Garland -- J.T. Miller -- Brock Boeser
Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Max Sasson
Danton Heinen -- Pius Suter -- Kiefer Sherwood
Dakota Joshua -- Teddy Blueger -- Nils Hoglander
Quinn Hughes -- Noah Juulsen
Carson Soucy -- Tyler Myers
Erik Brannstrom -- Vincent Desharnais
Thatcher Demko
Arturs Silovs
Scratched: Mark Friedman
Injured: Kevin Lankinen (illness), Derek Forbort (illness), Filip Hronek (upper body)
Status report
Felhaber will make his NHL debut after signing a two-year contract with the Avalanche on Sunday. … Manson, a defenseman who has missed eight games, skated with teammates Monday for the first time since he was injured Nov. 29 and could return during Colorado’s three-game road trip. … Forbort, a defenseman, and Lankinen, a goalie, will miss a second straight game. … The Canucks changed all four forward lines after a 5-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. They also swapped Myers and Juulsen on defense, and Desharnais will replace Friedman, a defenseman, after being scratched for two games.
GAME DAY CHATTER
“[When] you play great players, you got to make sure you pay attention to the details.”
🗣 Hear from Head Coach Rick Tocchet ahead of Monday night's game against Colorado.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/gBjLjtXlNa
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 16, 2024
"Focus on the things that make us successful."
🗣 Quinn Hughes speaks on the team staying focused on what they can control ahead of tonight's game against the Avalanche.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/JxKmRJee4B
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 16, 2024
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
My wife and I play a game in the car called, "Name that band." She is far better with some of the electronic/ synthesiser era, but this 90s "grunge" group always stumps her as they only had this song. Temple of the Dog had two of the main voices of the 90s in one song....and my wife never remembers their name.
Go Canucks Go!
