GAME DAY PREVIEW- Game 39: Canucks vs Los Angeles

VANCOUVER CANUCKS vs LOS ANGELES KINGS

7:00PM PST ROGERS ARENA, VANCOUVER, BC

TV: SPORTSNET, SN1, SN360, CITY, CBC. RADIO: SN650.

OPPOSITION BLOG: JEWELS FROM THE CROWN

In spite of all the ups and downs, and another ridiculous string of injuries, the Canucks find themselves with a chance to prove they’re ready to make that next step. Thanks to a ridiculously tight Pacific Division, they sit a mere 2 points back of the Edmonton Oilers for the last Wild Card slot, and 3 back of the Calgary Flames, who they’ll face tomorrow night in Calgary. They’re using one of their two games in hand on the Flames tonight, so a win is needed to ensure they have a chance to leapfrog into that 3rd place slot in the Pacific.

They’ve won 3 straight games now, but with a week off it’s always a guess whether they come out and look well rested and healed up, or play tired from spending so much time away from the rink. It’s a coin toss, and given the way LA’s surprised more than one team this season, the last thing they want to do is look past the Kings to tomorrow night’s game.

LINEUPS:

The Canucks look like they’re going to roll with the same lineup that got the win Monday night against the Oilers. Jacob Markstrom will get the start, giving the possibility that he goes back to back against Calgary tomorrow, or they give Thatcher Demko his first start since returning from injury. And, courtesy of nhl.com, here’s what we should see from both squads:

Kings projected lineup

Alex Iafallo -- Anze Kopitar -- Tyler Toffoli

Adrian Kempe -- Blake Lizotte -- Austin Wagner

Martin Frk -- Jeff Carter -- Nikolai Prokhorkin

Kyle Clifford -- Michael Amadio -- Matt Luff

Joakim Ryan -- Drew Doughty

Kurtis MacDermid -- Sean Walker

Ben Hutton -- Matt Roy

Jonathan Quick

Jack Campbell

Scratched: Kale Clague

Injured: Dustin Brown (illness), Trevor Lewis (upper body), Alec Martinez (wrist), Derek Forbort (back)

Canucks projected lineup

J.T. Miller -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser

Tanner Pearson -- Bo Horvat -- Loui Eriksson

Antoine Roussel -- Adam Gaudette -- Jake Virtanen

Tyler Motte -- Jay Beagle -- Tim Schaller

Quinn Hughes -- Christopher Tanev

Alexander Edler -- Troy Stecher

Oscar Fantenberg -- Tyler Myers

Jacob Markstrom

Thatcher Demko

Scratched: Zack MacEwen, Jordie Benn

Injured: Josh Leivo (fractured kneecap), Brandon Sutter (upper body), Micheal Ferland (upper body), Tyler Graovac (upper body)

GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN:

Vancouver thrashers NYLITHIA are back with a kickass new EP entitled ‘Goddamn Type 1’. Here’s a track off the disc, and check out their bandcamp page as they have this one as ‘Pay what you want’ and do a good thing, throw these boys a few bucks and support local metal.