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VANCOUVER CANUCKS (8-13-2) vs EDMONTON OILERS (13-8-0)
ROGERS ARENA- VANCOUVER, BC
7:00PM PST
TV: SPORTSNET. RADIO: SPORTSNET 650
OPPOSING BLOG: COPPER & BLUE
The Canucks have had a number of demoralizing losses so far this season, but that one on Tuesday was absolutely brutal. Having the Oilers spot you a 3-0 lead and walking out of there with absolutely nothing to show for it is as bad as it gets. And it’s leading to the Canucks trying to urgently shake things up in an attempt to salvage their season. Or maybe they’re trying to save Travis Green’s job? Same thing, really.
The same old issues continue to plague this team: Breakdowns, giveaways, less than average goaltending and ill timed penalties. All of these contributed to the loss on Tuesday, as they had the Oilers down by 3 and let them get up off the canvas. I suppose the sad part was that you could really feel the collapse coming. As Canucks fans, knowing when the worst is about to happen is in our DNA.
LINEUPS
Courtesy of nhl.com, here’s what the lineups should look like tonight:
Oilers projected lineup
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Connor McDavid — Jesse Puljujarvi
Dominik Kahun — Leon Draisaitl — Kailer Yamamoto
Tyler Ennis — Jujhar Khaira — Josh Archibald
Patrick Russell — Gaetan Haas — Alex Chiasson
Darnell Nurse — Tyson Barrie
Kris Russell — Adam Larsson
Caleb Jones — Evan Bouchard
Mike Smith
Mikko Koskinen
Scratched: Devin Shore, James Neal, Kyle Turris
Injured: Slater Koekkoek (collarbone), Zack Kassian, (undisclosed), Ethan Bear (undisclosed), William Lagesson (upper body)
Canucks projected lineup
Nils Hoglander — Elias Pettersson — Brock Boeser
Tanner Pearson — Bo Horvat — Jake Virtanen
J.T. Miller — Brandon Sutter — Adam Gaudette
Antoine Roussel — Jay Beagle — Jayce Hawryluk
Alexander Edler — Nate Schmidt
Quinn Hughes — Travis Hamonic
Jordie Benn — Tyler Myers
Thatcher Demko
Braden Holtby
Scratched: Loui Eriksson, Zack MacEwen, Olli Juolevi
Injured: Justin Bailey (upper body), Tyler Motte (undisclosed), Micheal Ferland (head)
As you can see, TG’s had the line blender working harder than the Vitamix at your neighbourhood pub on Cinco De Mayo. I like the idea of taking a look at Hoglander on the top line if for no other reason than the kid has earned this shot. And look, it’s another edition of Jake Virtanen: Top 6 Winger. We also see J.T. Miller bumped to the 3rd line and Zack MacEwan gets bumped for the debut of Jayce Hawryluk! Rejoice! The season is saved! Or not. We should also see Travis Hamonic back in to play alongside Quinn Hughes. Demko will go in net tonight, and while it’s saying Mike Smith, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mikko Koskinen get the start for the Oilers.
GAME DAY CHATTER
Coach Green discusses the play of Jake Virtanen and talks about addressing the team as a whole and how to push the right buttons. #Canucks | @TheProvince pic.twitter.com/iZSJMGVHij
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) February 25, 2021
"As a group we're sticking together. We're going to take it period by period and shift by shift." Jake Virtanen breaks down his play and what the team needs to do in order to bounce back.#Canucks | @TheProvince pic.twitter.com/f2E3luQsoh
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) February 25, 2021
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
KILLER BE KILLED is a true metal supergroup: Troy Sanders of Mastodon, Greg Pucciato of Dillinger Escape Plan, Max Cavalera of Sepultura/Soulfly and Ben Koller of Converge. They released their second album a few months back entitled ‘Reluctant Hero’, here’s a great track from that one called ‘Dream Gone Bad’. Enjoy the game, and Go Canucks Go!