GAME DAY PREVIEW- GAME THIRTY-FOUR: Canucks @ Seattle- Jan 1, 2022

VANCOUVER CANUCKS (15-15-3) vs SEATTLE KRAKEN (10-18-4)

CLIMATE PLEDGE ARENA, SEATTLE, WA

7:00PM PST

TV: CBC, CITY, SPORTSNET, ROOT NW. RADIO: SPORTSNET 650

OPPOSING BLOG: DAVY JONES’ LOCKER ROOM

While the return from the extended Christmas break wasn’t perfect, the Canucks still gained another valuable inter-divisional point as they attempt to do the unthinkable and make the playoffs on a 1% likelihood of success. And while they now have 6 games needing to be rescheduled thanks to yesterday’s announcement that Wednesday’s visit from the New York Islanders has been postponed, they’ll have a week off to rest, heal and prepare for another Eastern road swing following next Saturday’s home game against the Ottawa Senators.

This is likely the make or break month for the Canucks’ playoff hopes. After these next two games, they have just two more games against current non-playoff teams of the eleven remaining contests on their schedule for January. That’s why it’s absolutely vital to get these next two wins. They simply cannot afford to give away points while teams in the West start making up the games in hand they hold over the Canucks.

Tonight they roll back into Seattle for what should have been their third meeting of the season. The Kraken’s first visit to Rogers Arena is one of the games that will be rescheduled over the break in February or towards the end of the season. Seattle’s hopes of a Vegas-like inaugural season have sank to the bottom of Puget Sound, as they have shown to be nothing more than a typical expansion team, complete with all the growing pains that come with it. It’s for the best, so that one does not end up with a fan base as entitled and spoiled as the ones down in Sin City.

LINEUPS

Courtesy of nhl.com this is what we’ll see in terms of lineups this evening:

Canucks projected lineup

Tanner Pearson — J.T. Miller — Alex Chiasson

Nils Hoglander — Bo Horvat — Jason Dickinson

Conor Garland — Elias Pettersson — Vasily Podkolzin

Tyler Motte — Juho Lammikko — Matthew Highmore

Tyler Myers — Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Luke Schenn — Quinn Hughes

Kyle Burroughs — Tucker Poolman

Thatcher Demko

Jaroslav Halak

Scratched: Brad Hunt

Injured: Travis Hamonic, Brady Keeper, Brandon Sutter, Guillaume Brisebois

COVID-19 protocol: Phillip Di Giuseppe, Justin Dowling, Brock Boeser

Kraken projected lineup

Jared McCann — Morgan Geekie — Jordan Eberle

Calle Jarnkrok — Yanni Gourde — Colin Blackwell

Ryan Donato — Alex Wennberg — Joonas Donskoi

Marcus Johansson — Riley Sheahan — Max McCormick

Jamie Oleksiak — Mark Giordano

Will Borgen — Adam Larsson

Carson Soucy — Vince Dunn

Philipp Grubauer

Chris Driedger

Scratched: Haydn Fleury

Injured: Jaden Schwartz (upper body)

COVID-19 protocol: Mason Appleton, Jeremy Lauzon

GAME DAY CHATTER

Tonight is a milestone game for D Oliver Ekman-Larsson as he prepares for career game number 800.

And in case you missed it earlier, the Canucks put out a message today from Assistant Equipment Manager Brian Hamilton:

Well, because sometimes the internet and hockey fans can actually be amazing...

GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN

It continues to spread, and the only way we’re going to beat this damn virus is doing what works: Getting vaccinated, using masks and limiting our interactions to ensure we do what we can to control the spread.

Enjoy the game, and Happy 2022 from all of us here at NM!