GAME PREVIEW #55: Canucks vs NY

VANCOUVER CANUCKS (21-28-4) vs RANGERS (31-14-8)

7:00 PM PST

ROGERS ARENA, VANCOUVER, BC

TV: SPORTSNET PACIFIC RADIO: SN650

Welcome to round 2 of the home at home game against eastern teams that know how to play pro hockey.

No worries. Yesterday, Teacher Tocco took the millionaire kids back to hockey kindergarten. Where the kids got free balloon payments and ice cream time in Mr. Rogers’ arena of fantasy hockey.

If Tocco thinks a remedial hockey lesson is the cure for the Nucks team culture, he’s gonna have to get on the ice himself and teach the little ones how to cheapshot like a man.

Rangers projected lineup

Chris Kreider — Mika Zibanejad — Vladimir Tarasenko

Artemi Panarin — Vincent Trocheck — Jimmy Vesey

Alexis Lafreniere — Filip Chytil — Kaapo Kakko

Jake Leschyshyn — Barclay Goodrow — Julien Gauthier

Ryan Lindgren — Adam Fox

K’Andre Miller — Jacob Trouba

Niko Mikkola — Braden Schneider

Igor Shesterkin

Jaroslav Halak

Scratched: Ben Harpur, Vitali Kravtsov

Injured: None

Canucks projected lineup

Anthony Beauvillier — Elias Pettersson — Vasily Podkolzin

Phillip Di Giuseppe — J.T. Miller — Conor Garland

Andrei Kuzmenko — Sheldon Dries — Brock Boeser

Dakota Joshua — Nils Aman — Curtis Lazar

Quinn Hughes — Ethan Bear

Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Luke Schenn

Riley Stillman — Tyler Myers

Arturs Silovs

Collin Delia

Scratched: Jack Studnicka, Kyle Burroughs

Injured: Travis Dermott (undisclosed), Thatcher Demko (lower body), Ilya Mikheyev (torn ACL), Tanner Pearson (hand surgery), Tucker Poolman (undisclosed)

Demmers still isn’t back to ruin the tank run for the Nucks, but Silvos might steal this game - so the soft Nucking D need to forget the wall lessons and defensive details to keep the faint hope plan in place.

Podz and Di Giuseppe each moved up a line, with Boeser moving down to the third line - where previous interim coaches have played him.

Rags picked up Tarasenko from the Blues, so there’s more scoring possibilities - for the visitors.

However, Tocco is prepping some fancy positive stats in the pre-game presser process.

It’s so weird that none of the former coaches have mentioned making players better without the puck or moving their feet. These are the types of insights that Frankie doesn’t mind paying millions for over and over and over.

GAME DAY PUCK GAZING HUM

Since Teacher had the boys reading from the kinder hockey action book in Mr Rogers rink.. well... why not the full neighbourhood treatment.

Go Nucks Go - but not too far!