GAME DAY PREVIEW- GAME SIXTEEN: Canucks @ Anaheim- Nov 14, 2021

VANCOUVER CANUCKS (5-8-2) vs ANAHEIM DUCKS (8-4-3)

HONDA CENTER, ANAHEIM, CA

5:00PM PST

TV: SPORTSNET PACIFIC. RADIO: SPORTSNET 650

OPPOSING BLOG: ANAHEIM CALLING

If there’s one thing that writing about this team for the past 13 years has taught me, it’s that the phrase “It can’t get any worse” should only be used sarcastically in reference to the Vancouver Canucks. The team’s history is literally a cautionary tale against using this sentence, because it always gets worse.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the Canucks gave up seven goals again last night. Sure, Vegas got a lot of help from the officials and Tyler Myers, but this is what happens to bad teams. And they are bad. Fundamentally flawed to the point that there should be no one out here who can credibly say this season can still end up the way Jim Benning assured us all that it would. The Vancouver Canucks have no business whatsoever making the playoffs, and if not for the Seattle Kraken, who look very much like a new franchise should, they would be the worst team in the Pacific.

I think they’ve reached the point now where firing Green is in all likelihood a done deal if they don’t come out of Anaheim with a win tonight, but what is that going to prove? Is there someone out there that is going to take this team and turn things around? I wish I had that kind of optimism, but cheering for this team since 1973 has utterly beaten it out of me. I do know that the architect of this atrocity has to go, and this team needs to be blown up. Now, not next week, right now.

And after two games where they got outscored 14-5, their reward is the second game of a back to back against the hottest team in the NHL. The Anaheim Ducks are looking more and more like they’re ahead of schedule on their rebuild of sorts, nipping at the heels of Edmonton and Minnesota for first place in the Western Conference. And this well-rested Ducks squad will be facing a team that is playing their third game in four nights, having been absolutely pasted in the first two.

This game is probably gonna be a blowout, but it wouldn’t be a total shock if it were the Canucks who came out on top, simply because this feels like one of those “can’t lose” games teams lose all the time. It also feels like one of those games we see a dirty hit from Ryan Getzlaf in. He’s saved a lot of his douchebaggery for the Canucks over the years, so keep an eye on him tonight.

And remember, it can and will, always get worse.

The very least we can hope for is that if the Canucks are getting blown out again, Hebert will have the guts to make the call when a player hangs a knee like Ben Hutton did on Jason Dickinson in a game where they led by three goals, I guess.

LINEUPS

Canucks projected lineup

Vasily Podkolzin — Bo Horvat — Conor Garland

Tanner Pearson — J.T. Miller — Nils Hoglander

Jason Dickinson — Elias Pettersson — Brock Boeser

Justin Bailey — Juho Lammikko — Alex Chiasson

Quinn Hughes — Tyler Myers

Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Kyle Burroughs

Jack Rathbone — Madison Bowey

Jaroslav Halak

Thatcher Demko

Scratched: Brad Hunt, Justin Dowling

Injured: Tyler Motte (neck surgery), Brandon Sutter (illness), Luke Schenn (undisclosed), Matthew Highmore (upper body)

Suspended: Tucker Poolman

Ducks projected lineup

Adam Henrique — Ryan Getzlaf — Troy Terry

Nicolas Deslauriers — Trevor Zegras — Sonny Milano

Mason McTavish — Isac Lundestrom — Jakob Silfverberg

Benoit-Olivier Groulx — Sam Steel — Sam Carrick

Hampus Lindholm — Jamie Drysdale

Cam Fowler — Josh Manson

Josh Mahura — Kevin Shattenkirk

John Gibson

Anthony Stolarz

Scratched: Simon Benoit, Max Comtois, Derek Grant

Injured: Rickard Rakell (upper body), Max Jones (upper body)

So if this holds up, it looks like the only change will be Brad Hunt coming out and Jack Rathbone coming back in. Jaroslav Halak gets the start as expected, and naturally it’s John Gibson for the Ducks. Doesn’t appear to be any changes on the Ducks side of the ice.

GAME DAY CHATTER

GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN

Seems like a fitting tune given the situation. Off ‘Torn Arteries’, here’s CARCASS with ‘The Scythe’s Remorseless Swing’. Fire Jim Benning. Go Canucks Go.