Saturday December 26 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Edmonton Oilers - 7 p.m. - CBC, TSN1040
Vancouver Canucks: 36 GP, 13-14-9, 35 points, third in Pacific Division
Edmonton Oilers: 35 GP, 15-18-2, 32 points, sixth in Pacific Division
It's a big day for hockey! First, Canada and the U.S. face off on Day 1 at the World Junior Championship. Later, there are nine games on the NHL schedule, wrapping up with the Vancouver Canucks hosting the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena.
In the second period, Vancouver prospect Brock Boeser has been moved up to the first line with Auston Matthews on Team USA after Alex DeBrincat was ejected for a first-period spear.
Considering their season so far, the Canucks are coming into tonight's game on a relative high note. They gutted out an improbable 2-1 win in their last game against the Tampa Bay Lightning and are also riding a two-game home winning streak thanks to victories against the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers back in early December.
Tonight's game also marks the beginning of a season-high seven-game homestand. The first four games are all against Pacific Division opponents. Considering how tightly packed the division is, the next week could go a long way towards helping to solidify Vancouver's position as a playoff team or adding momentum to a possible tank for a high draft pick.
The Canucks are hitting the ice at Rogers Arena this morning ahead of tonight's game.
I like the sound of this:
This is our first Sutter sighting since his sports hernia surgery was announced on December 3—23 days ago. His recovery timeline was originally said to be four to six weeks.
Here's the rest of the report from the morning skate:
Three days off weren't enough for Ryan Miller or Chris Tanev to overcome their injury issues. Miller left the shootout against Florida last Sunday and is said to be suffering from muscle cramps, while Tanev limped off the ice after the Tampa Bay game after a last-second shot block off his foot.
Goaltender Joe Cannata was recalled to back up Jacob Markstrom against the Lightning on Tuesday. If Tanev can't go tonight, that could mean that Andrey Pedan will draw in as a defenseman for the first time this season—he made one brief emergency appearance as a forward when the Canucks were shorthanded in early December.
One other lineup note:
Higgins did skate this morning.
As for the Oilers, they're still down two first-overall draft picks as Connor McDavid and Nail Yakupov recover from their respective injuries. Edmonton is also missing forward Rob Klinkhammer and three defensemen—Oscar Klefbom, Brandon Davidson and Andrew Ference. Klefbom has been arguably Edmonton's best defenseman this season but he suffered a fractured finger back on December 11th.
The Oilers went on an impressive six-game winning streak in early December, which got them back within spitting distance of a playoff spot in the Pacific Division. Four of those six wins came after regulation time, so that's bad news for the Canucks if tonight's game extends beyond 60 minutes. Anders Nilsson has been a pleasant surprise in net for Edmonton, but it was Cam Talbot who made 44 saves in what might have been his best outing of the year right before Christmas—a 3-1 Edmonton win over the Winnipeg Jets.
No word yet on which visiting netminder will get the nod tonight.
The Canucks and Oilers have met just once before this season—a 2-1 overtime win for Edmonton back on October 18. After tonight, the two teams won't see each other again till mid-March. They have three games scheduled for the last three weeks of the season.
It'll be nice to get back to the rink tonight. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Oilers are coming along as the Todd McLellan era takes hold, but worried about Vancouver's defense without Tanev's big minutes and his ability to bring out the best in Alex Edler.
One bright spot on the blue line has been Alex Biega, who has been solid in the last 10 games since his most recent recall.
Brad Ziemer has a good interview with the Canucks' best-educated player in today's
Vancouver Sun. I hadn't realized that, in addition to his degree from Harvard, Biega also has an MBA from the University of New Hampshire.
"I like staying busy," Biega says of his impressive academic accomplishments, which he hopes will set him up for a management role in hockey when his playing days are done. He certainly plays smart on the ice—and feels that the style of today's game is better suited than it has been in the past to players like him who are on the small side.
“I look at the NHL and it’s kind of trending where you get more smaller defencemen in the league now, more puck-moving guys, and more of a puck-possession game,” he says. “That is something I have tried to hang onto.”
Biega tells Ziemer that he's happy to be getting increased responsibility, game by game. With Tanev out, expect to see "Bulldog" in an even more prominent role tonight.
Enjoy the game!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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