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VANCOUVER CANUCKS vs MONTREAL CANADIENS
4:00PM PST BELL CENTRE, MONTREAL, PQ
TV: SPORTSNET PACIFIC. RADIO: SN650.
OPPOSITION BLOG: HABS EYES ON THE PRIZE
It feels sometimes like being a fan of this team is just asking for punishment, doesn’t it?
I mean, I don’t think there’s another team who could come off a 9-3 asskicking of the best team in the NHL where the good feeling gets the record scratch and “yeah, so about your MVP goaltender... he’s gonna be gone at least a month”. There’s no other team that this could happen to. If the hockey gods are truly a thing, they are really getting their perverse money’s worth in making the fans of this franchise endure the misery that has been part and parcel of their existence.
So now, we hope that Thatcher Demko, the Canucks goaltender of the future is ready, because the future is now, and the very playoff existence of this team is being placed upon his shoulders. And let’s face it, if we don’t see, to a man, the kind of effort we saw on Saturday night, this team’s playoff hopes are going to wither and die.
One of the best things about the win on Saturday was that it was a true measuring stick test for them, being that it was against the NHL’s first place team. Tonight’s game is a measuring stick of a different sort. The Canucks record against the Canadiens is... not good. With just 1 win in their last 10 meetings, and the Habs coming to terms with their playoff aspirations out of reach, this is a game that the Canucks should win, but to do that they’re going to have to somehow solve Carey Price, who seems to play his best against the team from his home province.
LINEUPS:
Canucks projected lineup
J.T. Miller — Elias Pettersson — Tyler Toffoli
Tanner Pearson — Bo Horvat — Loui Eriksson
Antoine Roussel — Adam Gaudette — Jake Virtanen
Tyler Motte — Jay Beagle — Brandon Sutter
Quinn Hughes — Christopher Tanev
Alexander Edler — Troy Stecher
Oscar Fantenberg — Tyler Myers
Thatcher Demko
Louis Domingue
Scratched: Zack MacEwen, Jordie Benn
Injured: Jacob Markstrom (lower body), Brock Boeser (ribs), Josh Leivo (kneecap), Micheal Ferland (concussion symptoms), Tyler Graovac (lower body)
Canadiens projected lineup
Tomas Tatar — Phillip Danault — Brendan Gallagher
Jonathan Drouin — Nick Suzuki — Joel Armia
Paul Byron — Max Domi — Artturi Lehkonen
Jordan Weal — Jake Evans — Dale Weise
Ben Chiarot — Shea Weber
Brett Kulak — Jeff Petry
Karl Alzner — Christian Folin
Carey Price
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: None
Injured: Victor Mete (lower body), Xavier Ouellet (concussion)
The Habs definitely look different than they did yesterday after sending Ilya Kovalchuk, Nate Thompson and Nick Cousins off to Washington, Philadelphia and Las Vegas, respectively. That’s not to say that this game is a cake walk, but they need to send the kind of message tonight that they sent against Boston. Stay away from the clown show antics that can happen with Max Domi and Brendan Gallagher and focus on getting the two points. And for the love of dog, DO NOT leave Demko hung out to dry. Get this trip started with a win they can build some momentum on. Win it for Marky, dammit!
GAME DAY CHATTER:
Coach Green comments on his confidence and belief in Thatcher Demko and discusses the addition of netminder Louis Domingue. pic.twitter.com/zT0juRWC7j
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) February 25, 2020
"I'm very excited. A young and dynamic team, great organization and one of my favourite cities." Goaltender @domingue35 meets the media for the first time since joining the #Canucks. pic.twitter.com/5QsRwk0XyH
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) February 25, 2020
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN:
Quebec is world renowned for producing some pretty spectacular and influential metal acts, one of them being Montreal’s CRYPTOPSY. Recorded live at the Trois-Rivières Metalfest, this is ‘Back To The Worms’.