GAME DAY PREVIEW: Canucks vs Arizona

Vancouver Canucks vs Arizona Coyotes

Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC

When: 7:00 PM PST

Where to watch: Sportsnet Pacific, FS-A

Where to listen: Sportsnet650

SB Nation Game Hub

Opposition Blog: Five For Howling

We often joke about things such as ‘The Hockey Gods’ and their er, special relationship with the Vancouver Canucks and the fan base. Whether you believe this or not, you certainly have to wonder just how much darker this timeline can get for the Canucks. The one true good story in a season that’s seen the team sink to the basement of the NHL yet again was Brock Boeser, expanding on the fine showing he made at the end of last season, a teaser for what was to come. There was a time where it looked like he would run away with the Calder trophy, but all that came to a screeching halt Sunday night when a hit attempt on the Islanders’ Cal Clutterbuck went awry.

And now we’re left with a team that kinda resembles the one we endured last season. If not for the Sedins, Bo Horvat, and hoping that Jake Virtanen breaks out, there’s not a lot of compelling reasons to be watching this team right now, and it completely fucking sucks that I can tell you this with no hyperbole whatsoever. Sure, Darren Archibald’s a great story, and Brendan Leipsic has been as billed. But seriously, this team is not good and that is going to be emphasized with the loss of Boeser. So if you’re not a Team Tank kind of person, fine. I really am tired of hearing justifications or interpretations for a team that just isn’t good at all. I want them to keep dropping and increase the odds of finally winning that damn draft lottery, because it appears luck, and not anything Jim Benning or Trevor Linden do is going to be the only way the Canucks get out of the mess they find themselves in.

Arizona’s in last place right now, but not for long. They’re playing some pretty decent hockey right now, having won 8 of their last 12 games. A win tonight will move them into a tie with Buffalo (who currently have the edge in ROW wins and it will also move them within 7 points of the Canucks.

Via nhl.com here’s the lineups we should see tonight:

Coyotes projected lineup

Brendan Perlini -- Derek Stepan -- Clayton Keller

Max Domi -- Christian Dvorak -- Christian Fischer

Richard Panik -- Freddie Hamilton -- Josh Archibald

Jordan Martinook -- Brad Richardson -- Nick Cousins

Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Jason Demers

Jakob Chychrun -- Niklas Hjalmarsson

Kevin Connauton -- Luke Schenn

Darcy Kuemper

Adin Hill

Scratched: Laurent Dauphin, Andrew Campbell, Alex Goligoski

Injured: Antti Raanta (lower body), Zac Rinaldo (upper body)

Canucks projected lineup

Brendan Leipsic -- Bo Horvat -- Jake Virtanen

Daniel Sedin -- Henrik Sedin -- Jussi Jokinen

Darren Archibald -- Brandon Sutter -- Tyler Motte

Nikolay Goldobin -- Sam Gagner -- Reid Boucher

Alexander Edler -- Derrick Pouliot

Michael Del Zotto -- Troy Stecher

Ben Hutton -- Erik Gudbranson

Jacob Markstrom

Anders Nilsson

Scratched: Alex Biega, Nic Dowd

Injured: Brock Boeser (back), Sven Baertschi (shoulder), Loui Eriksson (fractured rib), Brendan Gaunce (foot), Markus Granlund (ankle), Christopher Tanev (leg fracture)

Note that Reid Boucher has been called up to replace Boeser, something that probably doesn’t help the Utica Comets a whole lot as they get ready for the post-season.

GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN

From their newest disc ‘Cobra Speed Venom’, Sweden’s THE CROWN and their new single ‘We Avenge!’