/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66024914/72462307.jpg.0.jpg)
VANCOUVER CANUCKS vs NEW YORK RANGERS
7:00PM PST ROGERS ARENA, VANCOUVER, BC
TV: SPORTSNET, SN1, SN360, CITY, CBC. RADIO: SN650.
OPPOSITION BLOG: BLUESHIRT BANTER
So, it’s another themed night for this 50th Anniversary season, and if you were hoping that perhaps it might be something that gives the guys a little extra oompf to try and get that 7th straight win, this just might be the thing. They’re paying tribute to the teams of the 90’s tonight and that means a focus on that magical 94 Cup run as they take on their opponents in what still stands up as an all time classic Stanley Cup final, the New York Rangers.
These teams met early in the season back in October, and after a strong first period where the Canucks jumped out to a 3 goal lead, Jacob Markstrom was outstanding, and willed them to a 3-2 win at MSG. The Rangers have lost 2 straight and 6 of their last 10, and you can bet they will come out hard and try to spoil the party tonight.
LINEUPS:
Courtesy of nhl.com here’s what we can expect from these teams tonight:
Rangers projected lineup
Chris Kreider -- Mika Zibanejad -- Pavel Buchnevich
Artemi Panarin -- Ryan Strome -- Jesper Fast
Brett Howden -- Filip Chytil -- Kaapo Kakko
Brendan Smith -- Greg McKegg -- Micheal Haley
Brady Skjei -- Jacob Trouba
Marc Staal -- Tony DeAngelo
Ryan Lindgren -- Adam Fox
Alexandar Georgiev
Henrik Lundqvist
Scratched: Steven Fogarty
Injured: Libor Hajek (knee), Brendan Lemieux (hand)
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 (lower body)
Markstrom (that would be All Star goalie Jacob Markstrom) will be getting the start tonight, while we should see Alexandar Georgiev for the Rangers.
GAME DAY CHATTER:
"It's fun to see the character we have in the room." Antoine Roussel discusses the comeback against the Blackhawks as the #Canucks prepare for the Rangers. pic.twitter.com/nA97MHm91H
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) January 4, 2020
"The way he's been able to stay mentally strong and carry us through a lot of the first 41 games just shows how much character he has." Tyler Myers comments on Jacob Markstrom's All-Star selection. pic.twitter.com/dewSwIJc1a
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) January 4, 2020
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN:
There was a lot of good metal that came out in 1994, though much of the world’s attention was focused on the whole Nirvana/Pearl Jam/Soundgarden scene happening at the time. Black metal bands from Norway and other countries continued to become a bigger part of the underground, and the Swedish melodic death metal scene saw bands like In Flames and At The Gates release important albums. Canada’s metal scene was struggling a bit, but Cryptopsy was leading a Quebec death metal scene that would explode a few years later, and in Toronto, a band that mixed thrash, industrial and a touch of hiphop made waves across North America. Monster Voodoo Machine were a pretty underrated band in their home country, but they managed to get on the first Ozzfest tour before calling it a day. From their 1994 album Suffersystem, here’s ‘Bastard Is As Bastard Does’.