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VANCOUVER CANUCKS (18-18-4) vs ST LOUIS BLUES (24-11-5)
ROGERS ARENA, VANCOUVER, BC
7:00PM PST
TV: SPORTSNET PACIFIC. RADIO: SPORTSNET 650
OPPOSING BLOG: ST LOUIS GAME TIME
So to recap:#Canucks starter Thatcher Demko (COVID) is out.
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) January 23, 2022
Canucks backup Jaroslav Halak (border issue) is out.
Third string goalie Spencer Martin (awaiting further tests) is likely out.
AHL goaltender Arturs Silovs (COVID) is out.
Michael DiPietro will start Sunday.
This just gets more ridiculous with each passing day.
You have to feel bad for Spencer Martin. Dude puts in a spectacular performance, holding the NHL’s highest scoring team to one goal in regulation before falling in Uncle Gary’s Super Fun Trick Shot Competition, and surely would have been the starter tonight, hoping to get that elusive first NHL win. Instead, Mikey DiPietro will get that chance, and while we haven’t heard full confirmation, the Canucks will have an Emergency Back Up goalie on the bench tonight as they host the St Louis Blues.
CANUCKS: Per U SPORTS sources, both the NHL and AHL Canucks will have U SPORTS backups tonight.
— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) January 23, 2022
VAN: Rylan Toth (UBC)
ABB: Talor Joesph (TWU)
Toth’s has been a regular NHL EBUG for several seasons.#Canucks
Somewhat lost in the madness is a milestone for Head Coach Bruce Boudreau. He’ll be coaching career game number 1000 tonight, making him just the 6th active coach in the NHL to hit that mark.
Tonight’s opponent is likely a little less fearsome than Florida, because while the St Louis Blues have an impressive record overall, they’re pretty average on the road, and short-handed or not, you have to admire the way the Canucks have tried to battle through this adversity. Between wanting to get that win for DiPietro and Boudreau, and the desire to keep this run of solid performances going, betting on the underdogs might not seem that crazy tonight.
Speaking of crazy, this is the first meeting between these teams since the Canucks stunned the hockey world and unseated the defending champion Blues in six games in the 2020 Quarter Finals. Weird, right? I bet they’ve forgotten all about that, though.
LINEUPS
Courtesy of nhl.com, here’s what you’ll probably see in tonight’s disasterpiece:
Blues projected lineup
Brayden Schenn — Ryan O’Reilly — David Perron
Brandon Saad — Robert Thomas — Jordan Kyrou
Ivan Barbashev — Logan Brown — Vladimir Tarasenko
Klim Kostin — Tyler Bozak — Oskar Sundqvist
Marco Scandella — Robert Bortuzzo
Scratched: Jake Walman, Pavel Buchnevich
Injured: Scott Perunovich (undisclosed)
Canucks projected lineup
Nils Hoglander — Elias Pettersson — Brock Boeser
Tanner Pearson — Jason Dickinson — Alex Chiasson
Tyler Motte — Juho Lammikko — Matthew Highmore
Vasily Podkolzin — Sheldon Dries — Justin Bailey
Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Tyler Myers
Scratched: Justin Dowling, Brad Hunt
Injured: Guillaume Brisebois (undisclosed), Travis Harmonic (lower body), Brady Keeper (leg), Brandon Sutter (illness)
COVID-19 protocol: Spencer Martin, Thatcher Demko, J.T. Miller, Jaroslav Halak, Conor Garland, Bo Horvat
Ville Husso first goalie off for Blues at morning slate, appears he gets consecutive starts ahead of Jordan Binnington
— Kevin Woodley (@KevinisInGoal) January 23, 2022
Such a shame we won’t get to see Elias Pettersson clown the Blues thin-skinned goaltender, but it looks like Binnington may be in the process of losing his starting job and that’s just so gosh-darn sad.
And in the latest chapter of ‘Why is it so easy to dislike the St Louis Blues?’:
"It just seems to be that things are going a little bit differently up there... I like where we’re at in this country"https://t.co/YnSC6FFNxb
— Yahoo Sports NHL (@YahooSportsNHL) January 23, 2022
Where you’re at? Like the over four thousand who died from COVID yesterday? Weird flex, but okay, I guess? Those Missouri brain worms are relentless, eh?
GAME DAY CHATTER
"Going back to last year, I think I'm the only player not to get COVID on the Canucks."
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) January 23, 2022
Tanner Pearson meets with the media after morning skate#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/8nWVEfSIbo
Head Coach Bruce Boudreau addresses the media about the team’s current COVID situation and on coaching in his 1000th game tonight.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/IPLs9nmv5A
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) January 23, 2022
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
A little ANNIHILATOR for ya today. Going back to album #2 ‘Never Neverland’, the Canadian thrash legends absolutely bring it here, with probably my favorite track from that disc.
This could be a memorable one tonight, for all kinds of reasons. Either way, enjoy it! Go Canucks Go!
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