Game Day Preview #56: Feb 18, 2023- Canucks vs Philadelphia

VANCOUVER CANUCKS (21-30-4) vs PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (22-24-10)

7:00 PM PST

ROGERS ARENA, VANCOUVER, BC

TV: SPORTSNET PACIFIC, CBC RADIO: SN650

Is it just me, or is the longest three game losing streak ever? That win over Bo Horvat and the New York Islanders seems so long ago that it’s fading from memory. The good news for these two craptastic teams is that one of them is going to snap their losing skid tonight. The bad news? It’s going to move them a step away from potentially drafting Connor Bedard.

And there are few teams I would hate seeing get that first overall pick than the Philadelphia Flyers. Not just because Bedard would be ruined under a coach like John Tortorella, who would literally drain all the fun, wonderful skill and talent this kid has. Plus, after the whole Ivan “I’m a giant homophobe hiding behind my ‘religious beliefs’”Provorov garbage, I’d hate to see them get rewarded after pandering to that bullshit.

Anyway, back to the ceaseless misery that is being a Canucks fan. All kinds of fantastic news this week, from Thatcher Demko re-injuring himself at practice before he’d even been cleared to return to play. Great. Then we had Arturs Silovs, who made his NHL debut after a spectacular run for the Abbotsford Canucks. How did that go, a person who is unaware of how inept the Canucks are defensively would ask? Not well. Not well at all, my friend. And now, Travis Dermott has been moved to Injured Reserve, and they’ve called up Christian Wolanin from the farm. Add that to the Oliver Ekman-Larsson ankle sprain, and if you’re the kind of person who’d just like to see them win once in a while, it’s not looking good for you or them right now. The hits just keep on coming.

LINEUPS

Courtesy of nhl.com, this is what you’re gonna have to endure tonight:

Flyers projected lineup

Kevin Hayes — Noah Cates — Owen Tippett

James van Riemsdyk — Morgan Frost — Travis Konecny

Joel Farabee — Scott Laughton — Wade Allison

Nicolas Deslauriers — Patrick Brown

Ivan Provorov — Cam York

Travis Sanheim — Rasmus Ristolainen

Nick Seeler — Tony DeAngelo

Justin Braun

Carter Hart

Samuel Ersson

Scratched: Felix Sandstrom, Olle Lycksell, Kieffer Bellows

Injured: Zack MacEwen (jaw), Tanner Laczynski (lower body), Sean Couturier (back)

Canucks projected lineup

Andrei Kuzmenko — Elias Pettersson — Anthony Beauvillier

Phillip Di Giuseppe — J.T. Miller — Brock Boeser

Vasily Podkolzin — Jack Studnicka — Conor Garland

Dakota Joshua — Nils Aman — Sheldon Dries

Quinn Hughes — Ethan Bear

Christian Wolanin — Luke Schenn

Riley Stillman — Tyler Myers

Arturs Silovs

Collin Delia

Scratched: Kyle Burroughs

Injured: Oliver Ekman-Larsson (ankle sprain), Curtis Lazar (lower body), Thatcher Demko (groin), Travis Dermott (undisclosed), Ilya Mikheyev (torn ACL), Tanner Pearson (hand surgery), Tucker Poolman (undisclosed)

And after that dreadful night against the Rangers, Silovs is gonna get another opportunity for his first career NHL win tonight. Also note that Curtis Lazar is out and Jack Studnicka is back in, and no matter how many defencemen get hurt, it’s not enough to allow Kyle Burroughs back into the lineup, apparently.

GAME DAY CHATTER

GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN

All hail the old school. Swiss metal madmen CELTIC FROST with one of the songs that made me a banger for life.

Enjoy the game. Fuck Ivan Provorov. Go Canucks Go.