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Canucks are in Pittsburgh and on the practice rink this morning, getting ready for tomorrow's 9:30 am PT clash with the Penguins. Be sure to have your Caesar mix/Bloody Mary fixins' in the house before you go to bed tonight. There will be no time to get them in the morning.
Links from last night.
Practice lines are the same this morning as in Boston last night, which means Zalewski is in, while Prust and Cracknell sit again.
Foward lines in practice: D.Sedin-McCann-Hansen Baertschi-Horvat-Vrbata Burrows-Vey-Etem Dorsett-Zalewski-Virtanen Prust-Sutter-Cracknell
— Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) January 22, 2016
Coach Desjardins confirms the way the team practiced today is how they'll likely go tomorrow against Pittsburgh. Miller will start in net.
— Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) January 22, 2016
With Sutter set to return against Nashville next Tuesday, one wonders whether Zalewski will get sent back to Utica, or whether Prust or Cracknell will be shipped out.
Around the League
While you were reliving a pale shadow of 2011 yesterday, the Jonathan Drouin saga took another strange turn yesterday. Drouin refused to report for a game with AHL Syracuse, his agent saying Steve Yzerman told him a Drouin trade was imminent, and the Lightning were unreasonable not to grant Drouin's request to sit out games to avoid injury, triggering what Frank Seravelli of TSN.ca called the nuclear option. Yzerman denied that, however, but said he is still trying to work out a trade. Eric Duhatschek says Drouin is now earning an unwanted reputation he'll take a long time to live down, a Tampa paper called him a "crybaby, quitter, disaster", but Dave Lozo recognized Drouin has very little leverage because of the way the CBA treats players on entry-level contracts.
The Blue Jackets continue to be a rolling calamity. John Torotorella went to the hospital this morning after colliding with Rene Bourque at practice. He evidently suffered broken ribs.
Torts gets banged up at practice; Bobrovsky has MRI; Forsberg recalled on emergency basis; the Blue Jackets, man https://t.co/8ov6J9gbkX
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) January 22, 2016
Source tells @NFLonFOX that @BlueJacketsNHL HC John Tortorella suffered broken ribs in collision during Friday morning practice. Sore but ok
— Alex Marvez (@alexmarvez) January 22, 2016
Friday's Dreger Report says Chris Tanev's younger brother Brandon, a 24 yr old winger for Providence College, is being pursued by 12 teams as a college UFA.
Brandon Pirri of the Florida Panthers has been scratched for tonight, as his name enters the trade rumor mill.
Matt Hendricks blocked a shot last night with the tender bits:
Id like to thank Bike & @RussellAthletic for saving my bacon tonight! #closecall pic.twitter.com/heGYVlQnqr
— Matt Hendricks (@MattHendy26) January 22, 2016
Remember that, next time you're shopping for a new cup.
NHLNumbers wonders what the Carolina Hurricanes should do with captain and soon to be UFA Eric Staal.
CBS Eye on Hockey lists the top five trade candidates this season.
Paul Maurice must fix the underlying issues troubling the Winnipeg Jets this year, says Scott Campbell if the Winnipeg Free Press.
The Hockey Writers present a very, very early mock draft.Their simulation has the Canucks picking Max Jones of London, a power forward, at 10.
Craig Custance of ESPN has an inside look at roster construction for next year's World Cup Team North America, should you be an ESPN Insider.
In case you missed it at the beginning of last night's game, the Bruins played a video tribute to Denna Laing.
Canada will play the US tomorrow at 5 pm AT/1 pm PT for the gold medal at the 2016 World Sledge Hockey Challenge. South Korea will play Russia for the bronze earlier in the day. You can watch a live stream of the gold medal game on the Hockey Canada tournament Web site.
Marques Ray was on Conan last night. He does impressions!