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Vancouver Canucks recall Anton Rodin ahead of Monday game vs. Dallas |
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Monday October 30 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Dallas Stars - 7 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet 650
Vancouver Canucks: 10 GP, 6-3-1, 11 pts, third in Pacific Division
Dallas Stars: 11 GP, 6-5-0, 12 pts, fourth in Central Division
The Vancouver Canucks have made a contingency plan, but they might not need Anton Rodin for tonight's game after all.
After recalling Jayson Megna over the weekend, the Vancouver Canucks also recalled right winger Rodin on Monday morning, ahead of their date with the Dallas Stars at Rogers Arena.
In yesterday's blog, I mentioned that if Boeser was going to miss any amount of time due to the injury he suffered when he took a puck off the foot against Washington last Thursday, the Canucks should recall a scoring winger like Reid Boucher or Nikolay Goldobin.
Anton Rodin doesn't have the same stats as those two through the early part of this season, but he also fits the bill. He's also a good choice because his call-up helps to relieve the veteran player logjam in Utica and keeps the Comets' top offensive unit together during the week when they finally play some home game safter waiting for their arena renovation to be completed.
After a 6-3 win in Charlotte on Sunday, the Comets will kick off a five-game homestand when they host Rochester on Wednesday for a rare mid-week game.
A late arrival in Utica after waiting for his paperwork to be completed, that veteran logjam made it tough for Rodin to get into the lineup. He had played just one game before getting into both contests in Charlotte this past weekend, and tallied his first two assists of the year in Sunday's win.
This was the report on Boeser's status from Sunday's practice:
Coming into this season, Boeser's scouting report was all about his shot and his skill. He has also shown us some terrific hockey sense so far. Now, we may be seeing his compete level come to the surface. After such a great game against Washington last Thursday, I bet he does want to play!
On the ice tonight, the Stars will likely present a challenge to the Canucks. I feel like ever since Tom Gaglardi bought the team in 2011, they've been a thorn in Vancouver's side, in good seasons and bad.
Recent stats bear this out:
The Stars were overhauled this summer after dropping from Western Conference leaders in 2015-16 to a 24th-place finish in the league last season, so this will be our first chance to see the new-look team with Ken Hitchcock behind the bench, Alexander Radulov up front and big Ben Bishop in net.
Radulov has clicked nicely with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, especially on the power play, which is tops in the league with a 32.4 percent success rate. They'll be tested by a strong Vancouver penalty-killing unit, which hasn't given up a single goal since that disastrous night in Boston 11 days ago. Even after giving up four power-play goals by the Bruins, the PK has climbed to eighth in the league with a solid 84.2 percent kill rate. That's a huge uptick from last season.
The Stars are coming into this game after a 2-1 win in Calgary on Friday, with Kari Lehtonen in goal. I heard some speculation about what the team would get up to with two days off over Halloween weekend—the organization opted to keep the group together.
I feel like Tom Gaglardi always dishes out the B.C. hospitality when his boys are in his home province, so I'm not expecting this side trip will have a negative impact on the Stars' on-ice performance tonight.
Bishop is confirmed as the starter for Dallas. He's 5-2-0 so far with the Stars, with a 2.71 goals-against average and .911 save percentage, but butted heads with tough Ken Hitchcock for the first time last week.
The Canucks can only hope that more fuel gets poured on that fire tonight.
Finally—pop over and read my latest piece for Forbes, where I talk about how the Golden Knights' hot start could mess with George McPhee's long-term plans for his team—and quote Luca Sbisa talking playoffs!
Sbisa is thriving in Vegas. He's one of five alternate captains, is tied for the team lead among defensemen with six points so far and has even seen a bit of power-play time—all in a contract year. Meanwhile, Vegas' other ex-Canuck defenseman, Jason Garrison, just cleared waivers. He's also in the last year of his contract—the one he signed when he joined the Canucks.
Vegas plays its first Eastern Time Zone game at Barclays Center against the New York Islanders today, while the Canucks hit the ice against the Stars at the usual 7 p.m. on a busy Monday, with eight games on the schedule.
Enjoy!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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