Thursday February 19 - Vancouver Canucks at New York Rangers - 4:00 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific, TSN1040
Vancouver Canucks: 32-21-3, 67 points, third in Pacific Division
New York Rangers: 34-16-5, 73 points, second in Metropolitan Division
When the Vancouver Canucks hosted the New York Rangers last December, they got their lunch handed to them by one of the speediest teams in the league, dropping a 5-1 decision.
New Canuck Brandon McMillan will draw into the lineup tonight for the first time—perhaps, in part, to help address the speed issue. He's not much of an offensive force but is said to have some wheels, according to
Ben Kuzma at
The Province.
He’s going to bring energy because he’s a strong skater and that’s probably one of his best assets,” said an NHL scout. “He gets in quick on the forecheck and will help turn over a few pucks. And he’s pretty good on the penalty kill. He’s got decent skill, it’s not high end, but it’s average and he plays the game with a little bit of passion. He doesn’t back off from anything and he’s not timid.
Here's how the lineup changes look for tonight's game:
After scoring his 13th goal of the season to help the Utica Comets to a 5-2 win over the Texas Stars last night, AHL All-Star defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti has now been recalled by the Canucks. This could be a depth move, since Vancouver is about to play back-to-back games, but also might be a chance to see if the offensively-oriented blueliner can slide into the lineup as impressively as his fellow Comet Alex Biega did against Minnesota on Monday.
One other roster note: injured centre Nick Bonino took to the ice for this morning's skate for the first time since suffering his foot injury 10 days ago. Everyone else might be dreading the seven feet of snow in Boston, but Bonino's looking forward to the visit and hoping he'll be able to play:
For the Rangers, Cam Talbot is being hailed as a saviour thanks to his 5-1-1 record since Henrik Lundqvist was injured, but his personal stats have been average at best. Talbot has given up less than three goals just twice during this span—back on Feb. 4, against Boston, and last weekend against Arizona.
In his last outing on Monday, the Rangers fell behind the New York Islanders 5-3 early in the third period before rallying for a 6-5 win. If anything, New York's second-ranked offense will likely be the challenge for the Canucks' rag-tag defense tonight.
Deadline Deals - LeBrun Weighs In
In case you missed it, the reliable Pierre LeBrun of ESPN
has weighed in on the Vancouver Canucks' strategy heading into the Mar. 2 trade deadline. It's coming up fast—now 11 days and six games away.
LeBrun suggests that the Canucks hope to have "most" of their five injured regulars (Bieksa, Edler, Tanev, Bonino and Richardson) back in the lineup by the time they return from this road trip—just days before the deadline—but admits that's a big question mark.
He labels the Canucks' status as "potential buyer."
For you Shawn Matthias fans, LeBrun says:
I'm told the Canucks have not spoken to a single team about Matthias, they'd much rather keep him and are very happy with his play. But in the context of making a hockey deal and getting their top-six forward, the Canucks would have to at least ponder the possibility of moving Matthias. But I think they'd rather keep him at this point.
Bottom line for LeBrun: "If (Benning's) able to get that top-six forward that helps the team not just now but past this season, it's mission accomplished."
Was Gillis on the Right Track?
Did you catch
this story from the
Vancouver Sun's Cam Cole, talking about which teams players are most likely to include on their no-trade lists?
Craig Custance of ESPN did the original research. "I hate to say it, but it’s the Canadian teams," said one agent quoted by Custance. "Vancouver would be the most desirable out of those teams."
I'm no Mike Gillis apologist, but one of his goals when he took over as general manager was to make Vancouver a desirable destination for players. The Canucks still have terrible travel, and now they play in one of the NHL's most competitive divisions, but the nice quality-of-life here on the west coast, a clique-free dressing room and a quick return to respectability as an organization seems to keep the team off the no-go list (Ryan Kesler excepted, of course).
Gillis certainly made some mistakes early in his tenure when he tried to make bold moves, but as draft pick Bo Horvat comes into his own and exceeds all of our expectations and even Brendan Gaunce is starting to shine down in Utica, maybe he was starting to get the hang of his gig towards the end—undone, really, by John Tortorella's ineffective coaching, the Heritage Classic decision that forced him to trade Roberto Luongo, and his inability to move Ryan Kesler at last year's deadline.
Yeah—those are probably enough reasons to have let him go. As you were.
Enjoy the game!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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