Tuesday November 10 - Vancouver Canucks at Columbus Blue Jackets - 4 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific, TSN1040
Vancouver Canucks: 15 GP, 6-4-5, 17 pts, second in Pacific Division
Columbus Blue Jackets: 15 GP, 4-11-0, 8 pts, eighth in Metropolitan Division
I can't think of another time in Canucks history that a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets was Must See TV, but plenty of intrigue should surround tonight's contest at Nationwide Arena.
Going into the season, I had high hopes for the Jackets as a sleeper team after their strong finish last season and then-coach Todd Richards' impressive performance as he guided Team USA to a bronze medal at the World Championships in Prague last May. Columbus also impressed as an All-Star Game host, where Nick Foligno and Ryan Johansen did an outstanding job of representing on a league-wide stage.
So—I felt bad for them during their terrible start. And felt worse when Richards got the axe in favour of John Tortorella. But it'll certainly be intriguing to see what bubbles up out of tonight's game.
The Jackets are 4-4-0 since Tortorella took the reins and are coming into tonight's game after a reasonably successful 2-1-0 road trip through California but at 0-5-0, they're the only team in the NHL that has not yet won at home this season.
Last time they played at Nationwide was a 3-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Halloween—a night when the team was serenaded with boos by their home fans. If the Canucks can get out to a fast start tonight, they could put the Jackets behind the eight ball once again in an already-tense environment.
The Canucks have a chance to beat the Blue Jackets tonight for their first win of this road trip, but there's also a chance that the Jackets will beat themselves.
The big news for Vancouver is that Jacob Markstrom will make his first start of the regular season in net tonight.
Miller wasn't at his best last weekend—either on the ice, where he failed to make the late save in regulation against Buffalo or the OT save against New Jersey, or after the Buffalo game when he laid some blame for Vancouver's third-period collapses at the feet of his teammates.
If you missed the comments,
click here for the summary—with video—from Emily Sadler at Sportsnet.
As Dan Murphy pointed out, Miller wasn't angry when he made the comments.
Do you think Miller should have said what he did?
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Miller started so well this season that he had become almost endearing to fans for the first time since he pulled on a Canucks uniform. Now, I feel like his popularity is dipping just as Markstrom rides in on his white stallion with a chance to save the day. If Markstrom plays well tonight, are we setting up for Goalie Controversy round...five? I don't even know, I've lost count.
Eddie Lack may be struggling in Carolina this season with his 3.46 goals-against average and .865 save percentage but the other goalie that Torts drove out of town, Roberto Luongo, is tearing it up in Florida with a .931 save percentage and 2.30 goals-against average. That's a career high save percentage for him and a GAA on par with his amazing first season with Vancouver back in 2006-07.
The Canucks lines are getting a shakeup tonight.
Chris Tanev also took part in the game-day skate and might play tonight. He'll be a game-time decision.
Adam Cracknell's in—for some extra toughness, and also probably because he'll have an extra spring in his step, having spent 17 games with the Blue Jackets last season.
From Derek Jory's "Fort Nucks" piece at
Canucks.com:
The former Blue Jackets forward skated with Jacob Markstrom early Monday morning and afterward he stood outside the Columbus dressing room visiting with friends. He loved his time here, said the organization is superb, stadium unreal and he lived basically beside the rink making for a breezy commute. When asked what he’s up to with Monday evening free, Cracknell said he’s taking some teammates to see the new James Bond flick ‘Spectre’ at the IMAX. What a guy.
I'm not seeing any info on why Jake Virtanen has been pulled from the lineup—one game after being a coach's challenge away from a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. I hope it doesn't have anything to do with that hand he was favouring after his fight with Bobby Farnham on Sunday.
Yannick Weber has been moved off the first power-play unit. It's a start...
Don't forget, since the Canucks are in the eastern time zone, the game will have an early 4 p.m. start. Could be a good game to set the PVR then catch up with some fast-forwarding.
A few other quick notes to wrap up today:
• Alex Burrows will not face further league discipline for the comments he made to Jordin Tootoo during Sunday's game. Burrows wouldn't go into details, but says he didn't cross the line or disparage Tootoo's personal history and that what he said wasn't atypical within the league.
Memories of this incident will still be fresh when the Devils visit Vancouver in less than two weeks, on November 22.
• Looks like Frankie Corrado is a healthy scratch again for the Leafs in Dallas tonight.
Corrado has yet to play a game for the Leafs after having been picked up on waivers at the beginning of the season. He had three assists in seven games during his two-week conditioning stint with the AHL Toronto Marlies and was recalled by Toronto on November 5.
The Leafs can continue parking Corrado in the press box for as long as they want, but if they put him on waivers, the Canucks will get first chance at reclaiming him. I can't find the original article that explained the nitty gritty about whether or not Vancouver would then be able to send him to Utica without him having to go through waivers yet again but it seems like the carousel would have to stop at some point, wouldn't it?
Or—maybe this is much ado about nothing. A young player who can't even get a look on a 2-8-4 Maple Leafs team probably is not the solution to the Canucks' defensive challenges...
• Anton Rodin—a name from the past that has bubbled up over the last week.
Rodin's now 24—a 5'11", 174-pound Swede who was chosen in the second round by Vancouver back in 2009.
Rodin spent the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons in North America with the Chicago Wolves before returning to Sweden, where he has been playing for Brynas IF Gavle of the Swedish Hockey League.
This year, he's leading the league in scoring, with 10 goals and 24 points in 16 games. He's also team captain. And he's open to coming back to North America.
Jim Benning told
Brad Ziemer of the
Vancouver Sun that he has an eye on Rodin, but no movement is imminent.
“We have scouts over there this week watching him,” Benning said. “I might try to get over there in early February. We still own his rights so we could sign him and bring him back if that’s what we decide.”
The Canucks retain Rodin's rights until he's 27. He's not the biggest guy, so Benning would have to be convinced that Rodin could hold his own in the NHL.
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