Canucks Game Day: Roaring into the Big Smoke on a heater
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At some point, the Vancouver Canucks are going to cool off. Fans hope it won’t be soon.
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Published Nov 11, 2023 • Last updated 8 hours ago • 4 minute read
Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (right) speaks to linemate Auston Matthews. Photo by Dan Hamilton /USA TODAY SportsVancouver Canucks (10-2-1) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (7-5-2)
When/Where: Saturday, 4 p.m., Scotiabank Arena
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TV: Hockey Night in Canada. Radio: Sportsnet 650
The buzz: Even the Canucks know that the bounces are going their way — after Thursday’s 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators, the players felt they were lucky. They had just 16 shots on the night. Brady Tkachuk missed a chance on the doorstep. If he’d scored late in the second, it might have changed the course of the game. But, the team is doing lots of little things right. At some point though, the bounces are going to go against them.
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All that said, the Canucks have done lots already to set themselves up for a playoff push. They have 21 points on the season. Even winning just half of their remaining games, they’ll grab 70 points, putting them at 91 points. We usually say 95 points is a safe playoff total, so the Canucks are chasing 37 wins out of the remaining 69 games in their season.
Grabbing their next one on the biggest stage hockey has to offer, Saturday night, in Toronto, on Hockey Night in Canada, would be a big statement for the Canucks. They mean business this season and have been playing well — and then there’s the bounces.
Meanwhile, the Leafs are a chaotic mess. Saturday’s tilt is the second night in a row for them, having hosted the Flames on Friday, and their third game in four nights after losing on Wednesday to the Senators. The Leafs beat the Flames 5-4 in a shootout.
The history: The Canucks and Leafs split last season’s series, with the Leafs beating the Canucks on Hockey Hall of Fame weekend — the same week Jim Rutherford publicly ripped Bruce Boudreau. When the Canucks hosted the Leafs in March, Vancouver may have been badly outshot but they still managed to win 4-1 on the backs of a stellar performance by Thatcher Demko.
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The hope: The Leafs are tired. They’ve been very inconsistent defensively. Before Friday’s game versus Calgary, Toronto had given up 30 goals at five-on-five, fifth-most in the NHL. The Canucks have scored 36 at five-on-five, tied with Los Angeles for most in the league. The Canucks will be looking to keep that rolling.
The fear: The bounces finally start going the opposition’s way. Toronto isn’t that tired after Friday’s game. The Leafs’ stars shine even brighter than the Canucks’ on this night. There are plenty of things that could go against the Canucks on Saturday night.
The top guns: The Canucks have a trio of red-hot scorers in Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and J.T. Miller. For the Leafs, Auston Matthews had 13 goals in 13 games before Friday. Mitch Marner has 17 points. William Nylander had three points Friday night versus the Flames and now has 21, tying him with Hughes and keeping him just three points back of Pettersson, who has 24 points.
The wounded: Canucks: Teddy Blueger (ankle, day to day) and Guillaume Brisebois (concussion, LTIR). Maple Leafs: John Klingberg (undisclosed, day to day), Timothy Liljegren (high-ankle sprain, LTIR), Conor Timmins (lower-body, IR).
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said Saturday morning that Klingberg will draw back into the lineup against the Canucks. The veteran defenceman has struggled so far this season.
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Sheldon Keefe tells reporters that Bobby McMann will draw in for healthy scratch Ryan Reaves (-11) against Canucks tonight and that John Klingberg will return to the lineup, replacing Simon Benoit.
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) November 11, 2023
The quote: “We were kind of sloppy all over the place and just found a way to capitalize. You’re going to win some ugly ones. We know we need to be a heck of a lot better against Toronto.” — J.T. Miller on Thursday, after Vancouver’s win in Ottawa.
The lineup:
Forwards
Mikheyev-Pettersson-Kuzmenko
Di Giuseppe-Miller-Boeser
Joshua-Suter-Garland
Höglander-Lafferty-Beauvillier (Blueger also skated on the fourth line on Wednesday during practice and is an option to play Sunday in Montreal. Rick Tocchet said Saturday the veteran checking forward wouldn’t suit up versus Toronto.)
Defence
Hughes-Hronek
Cole-Friedman
Soucy-Myers
Thatcher Demko will start Saturday, meaning Casey DeSmith is now slated to start his second game in three on Sunday in Montreal.
The prediction: The tired Leafs still have plenty of pop to them. Saturday night in Toronto is always a hard matchup for the visitors. The Leafs will win this one 4-3.
(FAN FORUM: Do you have a specific question for a player? Pass it along to @provincesports and we’ll get it in a future edition.)
pjohnston@postmedia.com
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