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VANCOUVER CANUCKS (32-27-9) vs ST LOUIS BLUES (36-20-9)
ROGERS ARENA, VANCOUVER, BC
7:00PM PST
TV: SPORTSNET PACIFIC. RADIO: SPORTSNET 650
OPPOSING BLOG: ST LOUIS GAME TIME
While a chance at the playoffs has been a long shot, the Canucks 4-1 loss in St Louis Sunday night was a major blow to whatever chances they had. Unless they damn near run the table in their remaining fourteen games starting with tonight’s rematch against the Blues, they’ll miss the post-season for the seventh time in the last decade. Still, I suppose a glimmer of hope is better than what we had to endure last season, but the frustration that this team didn’t start rolling until the club cleaned house is warranted. I suppose I can understand blaming COVID on last year to give Benning and Green one more kick at the can, but I stand by my assertion that no matter how much fun it was, the Canucks making the playoffs through the play-in round did more harm than good. Benning and Green could have been replaced at that point, and a rebuild could have been well underway.
Still, they are where they are, and as long as they’re still alive I suppose we can hope. And it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility for a team to go from where Vancouver was to the playoffs, and you don’t have to look any further than the St Louis Blues for proof of that. In the 2018-19 season the Blues fired head coach Mike Yeo on Nov, 19th, and were in last place in the NHL on New Year's Day. They not only made the playoffs, but won the whole damn thing.
There’s still the possibility that the teams ahead of them will take the opportunity for post-season action out of the Canucks’ hands, so all the Canucks can do is win out and hope it’s enough. What they’re going to need is a better effort than we saw on Sunday, and while we get they were tired, at this point in the year, and knowing what was at stake it was still disappointing to watch.
LINEUPS
#Canucks projected lineup Wednesday vs. STL based on lineup during drills:
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) March 30, 2022
Pearson-Miller-Garland
Pettersson-Horvat-Boeser
Podkolzin-Lammikko-Chiasson
Petan-Richardson-Lockwood
Dickinson
OEL-Myers
Hughes-Schenn
Hunt-Dermott
Burroughs-Poolman pic.twitter.com/BP55s2Vvf4
Blues projected lineup
Brandon Saad — Ryan O’Reilly — David Perron
Pavel Buchnevich — Robert Thomas — Vladimir Tarasenko
Ivan Barbashev — Brayden Schenn — Jordan Kyrou
Mackenzie MacEachern — Nathan Walker — Alexei Toropchenko
Marco Scandella — Justin Faulk
Apart from Thatcher Demko getting the start tonight, both of these teams should roll the same lineups as Sunday night, but there is a possibility that Jason Dickinson could be cleared to return to the lineup tonight.
GAME DAY CHATTER
"We can only focus what we're going to do and winning our games. Is it going to be easy the last 14 games, absolutely not. But I think if there is any team to do it, I think it is ours."
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) March 30, 2022
️ Bo Horvat on the team's want to make the post season#Canucks | @TheProvince pic.twitter.com/qy7YbiqTQj
"They're a good team, play hard, play pretty deep in their forward group. It's a big game tonight. We've got to play our game."
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) March 30, 2022
️ Conor Garland on tonight's rematch against the Blues#Canucks | @TheProvince pic.twitter.com/j16KY3GerI
The Vancouver Canucks will celebrate their fourth annual First Nations Night, presented by @Rogers, on March 30th against the St. Louis Blues.
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) March 28, 2022
DETAILS | https://t.co/pSS1oNRkwy pic.twitter.com/8Igau2mZG4
The colour of the jersey, as well as the “Every Child Matters” shoulder patch, was used to honour the Indigenous children who were victims and survivors of residential schools and acknowledge the continued path towards truth and reconciliation. pic.twitter.com/etxOBiMz5r
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) March 25, 2022
Gino Odjick will be in the house tonight, and you can bet that’s gonna have everyone fired up.
GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN
From their 2009 album ‘Breathing The Fire’ this is ‘Crushed Beyond Dust’ from Athens, Ohio’s SKELETONWITCH.
Enjoy the game, folks. Go Canucks Go! Slava Ukraini!
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