What better way to kick off the Canucks' preseason than with 2 games against the Flames at 2 different venues all on the same night? 1 game in Vancouver and 1 in Calgary. While the vast majority of the Canucks' star players (Group C) will have the night off, the Flames will ice their new top line of Jarome Iginla-Olli Jokinen-Alex Tanguay in the game in Calgary to get some chemistry going there.
Canucks at Calgary starts at 6:00 PST and Calgary at Canucks starts at 7:00 PST.. The game in Calgary will air on Sportsnet Pacific. Both games will stream live on Canucks.com. Here are the rosters for both games:
IN CALGARY
CANUCKS
Forwards
Tambellini – Perrault – Hansen, Glass – Bolduc – Schroeder, Volpatti – Bliznak – Morin, Hordichuk – Rosa – Anthony
Defence
Ballard – Baumgartner, O’Brien – Ramsay, Zimmerman – Alberts, Polasek
Goal
Weiman & Lack
FLAMES
Forwards
Iginla-Jokinen-Tanguay, Backlund-Glencross-Kotalik, Ivanans-Meyer-Nemiscz, Armstrong-Cameron-Moss, Chucko,
Defence
White-Bouwmeester, Regehr-Negrin, Baldwin-Meyers, Pelech
Goal
Irving-Kiprusoff
IN VANCOUVER
CANUCKS
Forwards
Schaefer – Rypien – Oreskovich, Torres – Friesen (cut) (Malhotra?) – Desbiens, Sweatt – Morrison – Shirokov, Rai – Schneider – Weller
Defence
Rome – Sweatt, Connauton – Bieksa, Oberg – Tanev, Ellington – Hannay (cut)
Goal
Schneider & Shantz
FLAMES
Forwards
Bourque-Hagman-Stajan, Conroy-Jackman-Sutter, Bancks-Bouma-Cunning, Grantham-Patterson-Rheault, Wahl,
Defence
Giordano-Kronwall, Staios-Sarich, Pardy-Seabrook, Brodie
Goal
Keetley-Karlsson. Karlsson is a 6'6" goaltender. He's a beast.
These are not the official lines. Manny Malhotra is supposed to play in one of the games as well but it is unsure where at this point.
Jordan Schroeder is really going to have to show something more in preseason. He has barely impressed so far. I'm curious as to what Shirokov will bring, and I wonder if most eyes will be on Brendan Morrison. This is where it really counts for fringe players. Who will emerge? Who won't?