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VANCOUVER CANUCKS (18-19-5) vs WINNIPEG JETS (17-15-7)
CANADA LIFE CENTRE, WINNIPEG, MB
5:00PM PST
TV: SPORTSNET PACIFIC, TSN3. RADIO: SPORTSNET 650
OPPOSING BLOG: ARCTIC ICE HOCKEY
The Vancouver Canucks have had a roller coaster season to say the very least, but they can put a real positive stamp on it tonight, as they look to sweep the season series against the Winnipeg Jets. That will be the first time they’ve swept the season series against the modern day Jets since they started playing multiple times a year against each other in the 2013-14 season.
The Canucks have cooled off a bit since going on a tear following the hiring of Bruce Boudreau, and they’re going to need to string some wins together, as three of these next four games are against teams ahead of them in the standings. A win tonight will vault the Canucks over the Jets, and possibly the Oilers, who are taking on the Nashville Predators tonight.
Transactions: The Vancouver Canucks announce today that Thatcher Demko, Jaroslav Halak, and Conor Garland have been removed from COVID protocol. Demko will join the team in Calgary.
— Canucks PR (@CanucksPR) January 27, 2022
Slowly, the Canucks are getting their regulars back, and while we still have to see if Halak will get the start tonight, Conor Garland is back in the lineup and ready to go for tonight, which can only help.
The Jets meanwhile, are trying to manage a slew of injuries, most notably to Nikolaj Ehlers, who is out for a while with a knee injury.
LINEUPS
Courtesy of nhl.com, tonight’s disasterpiece will go a lil somethin’ like this:
Canucks projected lineup
Vasily Podkolzin — J.T. Miller — Brock Boeser
Nils Hoglander — Elias Pettersson — Conor Garland
Tyler Motte — Juho Lammikko — Matthew Highmore
Justin Bailey — Jason Dickinson — Alex Chiasson
Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Tyler Myers
Scratched: Ashton Sautner, Justin Dowling, Thatcher Demko
Injured: Kyle Burroughs (lower body), Guillaume Brisebois (undisclosed), Travis Hamonic (lower body), Brady Keeper (leg), Brandon Sutter (illness)
COVID-19 protocol: Tanner Pearson, Bo Horvat
Jets projected lineup
Kyle Connor — Pierre-Luc Dubois — Cole Perfetti
Andrew Copp — Mark Scheifele — Blake Wheeler
Paul Stastny — Adam Lowry — Austin Poganski
Kristian Vesalainen — Jansen Harkins — Evgeny Svechnikov
Ville Heinola — Johnathan Kovacevic
Scratched: Kristian Reichel
Injured: Nikolaj Ehlers (knee), Logan Stanley (upper body), Dylan DeMelo (lower body), David Gustafsson (lower body), CJ Suess (upper body), Dylan Samberg (upper body)
COVID-19 protocol: Dominic Toninato, Josh Morrissey
It looks like they may roll with Spencer Martin one more time before Thatcher Demko rejoins the team Saturday for their game against the Calgary Flames. He definitely deserves the start after two fantastic performances, and it would be amazing for the guys to come through and give him the goal support he needs to get that elusive first NHL win at last.
GAME DAY CHATTER
Conor Garland speaks about his time during the last couple weeks since testing positive for COVID and quarantining in the United States.#Canucks | @TheProvince pic.twitter.com/xzdHY6YdXa
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) January 27, 2022
Head Coach Bruce Boudreau discusses the starting goaltender against the Jets and previews tonight's matchup as the road trip begins.#Canucks | @TheProvince pic.twitter.com/6i34FVZPtq
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) January 27, 2022
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
Gwarsenio Hall is back with another 2 Minutes To Late Night cover, and this time they’re tackling a David Bowie classic: ‘Station To Station’. This time, he’s enlisted Marty Friedman (ex-MEGADETH), Laura Pleasents (KYLESA), Chris Johnson (DEAFHEAVEN), John Rice (UNCLE ACID AND THE DEADBEATS), and Emily Lee (SHEARWATER) for an absolutely mesmerizing tribute to The Thin White Duke.
Enjoy the game, everyone. Go Canucks Go!
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