GAME DAY PREVIEW- Game Fifty One: Canucks @ Winnipeg

VANCOUVER CANUCKS (21-26-3) vs WINNIPEG JETS (28-23-3)

BELL MTS PLACE- WINNIPEG, MB

5:00PM PST

TV: SPORTSNET PACIFIC, TSN3. RADIO: SPORTSNET 650

OPPOSING BLOG: ARCTIC ICE HOCKEY

While it lasted a little longer than anyone might have thought, the Vancouver Canucks are firmly grounded in reality now, having been eliminated from playoff contention last night in such an appropriately 2021 way. The Canucks got bounces going their way and got another stereotypical Thatcher Demko performance in goal for a 3-1 win over the Jets, while Montreal backed their way into the playoffs with yet another Bettman point as the Oilers let them back into the game before Connor McDavid ended it in overtime.

All that’s left now is to ride things out and watch this team very closely in what they say and do moving forward. In a normal world, Jim Benning would have been out on his ass already, instead we find ourselves wondering exactly what it takes to get this man fired. There are a lot of changes that need to be made, so at least it will be an eventful offseason, I guess?

LINEUPS

Canucks projected lineup

Nils Hoglander — J.T. Miller — Brock Boeser

Tanner Pearson — Bo Horvat — Zack MacEwen

Jimmy Vesey — Travis Boyd — Marc Michaelis

Matthew Highmore — Tyler Graovac — Jayce Hawryluk

Alexander Edler — Nate Schmidt

Quinn Hughes — Travis Hamonic

Jack Rathbone — Tyler Myers

Braden Holtby

Thatcher Demko

Scratched: Jalen Chatfield, Olli Juolevi, Kole Lind

Injured: Brandon Sutter (upper body), Jake Virtanen (leave), Tyler Motte (undisclosed), Antoine Roussel (lower body), Elias Pettersson (upper body), Jay Beagle (undisclosed), Justin Bailey (shoulder), Micheal Ferland (head)

Jets projected lineup

Kyle Connor — Mark Scheifele — Blake Wheeler

Andrew Copp — Pierre-Luc Dubois — Mathieu Perreault

Paul Stastny — Adam Lowry — Mason Appleton

Dominic Toninato — Nate Thompson — Trevor Lewis

Josh Morrissey — Dylan DeMelo

Derek Forbort — Neal Pionk

Logan Stanley — Jordie Benn

Connor Hellebuyck

Laurent Brossoit

Scratched: Sami Niku, Eric Comrie, Ville Heinola, Jansen Harkins

Injured: Nikolaj Ehlers (upper body), Tucker Poolman (undisclosed)

While we still have to wait for the NHL debut of Jonah Gadjovich, the Canucks will roll with the same lineup as last night except for in goal, as Braden Holtby will get the start. Connor Hellebuyck gets the nod for the Jets who are looking to snap out of the funk they’re in before the start of the playoffs, having lost nine of their last ten games.

GAME DAY CHATTER

And here’s the parting shot from the nhl before the end of this cursed season:

GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN

Remembered this one on the way home from work today, from Seattle’s underrated NEVERMORE featuring the one of a kind vocals of the late Warrel Dane. That riff before the chorus is just fucking perfect. Anyway, kudos to you all for sticking with them and with us through all this. It’ll get better, it’s just a matter of how long it will take, and how much patience you have for the way things are now.

Go Canucks Go.