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Vancouver Canucks looking to head into weekend on a winning note vs. Avs |
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Friday November 2 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Colorado Avalanche - Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet 650
Vancouver Canucks: 14 GP, 8-6-0, 16 pts, second in Pacific Division
Colorado Avalanche: 13 GP, 7-4-2, 16 pts, fourth in Central Division
TGIF!
I'm sure that's how the Vancouver Canucks must be feeling as they prepare to wrap up their homestand against the Colorado Avalanche. After a very busy month of October, the team will get a whopping THREE days off for the first time this season before embarking on a six-game road trip that kicks off Tuesday in Detroit.
I'm not sure exactly how the practice/travel schedule will play out, but I'm sure it'll be nice to have at least a couple of free evenings at home before hopping back on Air Canuck.
Not surprisingly after a good four-line win on Tuesday against Chicago, Travis Green is sticking with the same lineup tonight.
The good news here is that tough-as-nails Troy Stecher is good to go after getting crunched by Brandon Manning in the third period on Tuesday. And yes, Bo Horvat was given the day off from practice on Thursday, so he's also in the lineup tonight.
One not-so-good injury update—on Sven Baertschi's recovery from the concussion he suffered last week in Vegas.
As for the Avalanche, I'm not really sure how they'll come in after blowing a 4-1 lead at the Saddledome on Thursday night on their way to a 6-5 loss to the Flames.
Bo was not alone. I ducked out to do a couple of errands after Sam Bennett went after Ian Cole for a nasty hit on Mark Jankowski, 12 seconds after Carl Soderberg made it 4-1 for Colorado near the end of the second period. I got back just as Mark Giordano was giving his team the lead with a little over six minutes left to play in the third.
The Avs pushed back with one late 6-on-4 goal with the goalie pulled, but had to settle for the regulation loss. Will they be tired or fired up tonight?
Also interesting: Colorado's early-season success this year has mostly been a result of a three-pronged attack by their big line. Last year, Nathan MacKinnon got all the attention, and he's off to another great start with 18 points in 13 games. But his linemates are also right there: Mikko Rantanen, who just turned 22 this week, currently leads the league with 21 points and was named the league's first star for October while captain Gabriel Landeskog was first star for the week of October 22 and has 17 points.
Landeskog turns 26 later this month, which seems surprising to me. He's already in his seventh season as Colorado captain. How'd that happen??
All told, the Avs are tied with Nashville for fifth in the NHL with an average of 3.54 goals per game. More impressively, they're fourth in goals against, at just 2.46. Even after taking the loss last night in Calgary, Semyon Varlamov has a .936 save percentage.
We'll see Philipp Grubauer in his fifth start as a member of the Avalanche on Friday. So far, he's 3-1-0 in a Colorado uniform, with a .916 save percentage and 2.76 goals-against average. His last appearance was in Colorado's 6-3 win over Ottawa last Friday.
Last year, Grubauer mopped up in relief for Braden Holtby in the Canucks' October win over the Capitals at Rogers Arena, then stopped 37 of 38 shots when the Canucks dropped a 3-1 decision to the Capitals on January 9 at Capital One Arena. The soon-to-be 27-year-old also earned the W in his one other appearance against the Canucks, a 5-2 win for the Capitals at Rogers Arena on October 29, 2016.
It's Diwali Night tonight at Rogers Arena. I really enjoyed last year's South Asian celebration night, so I'm looking forward to this!
Down on the farm, the Utica Comets are on the road this weekend for back-to-back games against the Laval Rocket.
With Richard Bachman on recall to the Canucks, it's expected that Ivan Kulbakov will start both games. His backup, for the moment, is Connor LaCouvee, who has been signed to a PTO. LaCouvee is a 24-year-old from Qualicum Beach, BC, who started this year with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL. He's coming off four years of college hockey: three at Boston University and one at Minnesota State (Mankato).
The good news: Thatcher Demko is close to a return after sitting out for the last five or six weeks with that concussion suffered in preseason.
Comets veteran forward Wacey Hamilton is scheduled to return tonight after suffering a concussion and shoulder injury of his own during Canucks camp. He has been on in the injured list since September 19. Ashton Sautner is also scheduled to return from his injury, while Reid Boucher and Kole Lind are both expected to be out for at least a couple more weeks.
Enjoy the game!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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