Canucks Game Day vs Blackhawks, Line-up, Goalies, Greener Goal

The Vancouver Canucks get the benefit of having another team coming to town on the tail-end of back-to-back games Sunday when the Chicago Blackhawks arrive to play. Like the Winnipeg Jets before them, the Blackhawks are coming in off a visit to Edmonton the night before, having chased around Connor McDavid and his chums. Chicago lost Saturday night 5-2, snapping their four-game win streak.

It it Ain’t Broke’, Don’t Fix it

No morning skate Sunday with a 5 pm pacific start. Will Vancouver Canucks Head Coach Travis Green stick with the line-up that worked Friday night against the Winnipeg Jets?  One catch, forward Alex Chiasson did not participate in practice Saturday, so he earns a question mark.

“He wasn’t feeling very well,” said Green.

Here’s what the line-up looked like Friday night and at practice Saturday, with Justin Dowling, a lefty, substituting for Chiasson on the fourth line.

Tanner Pearson, Bo Horvat, Nils Höglander

Visaly Podkolzin, JT Miller, Conor Garland

Jason Dickinson, Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser

Tyler Motte, Juho Lammikko, Justin Dowling (Alex Chiasson)

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Tucker Poolman

Quinn Hughes, Travis Hamonic

Kyle Burroughs, Tyler Myers

Thatcher Demo

Jaroslav Halak

Caged Crusaders

The Canucks will see Marc-Andre Fleury between the pipes for the Blackhawks Sunday as Kevin Lankinen received the start Saturday night in Edmonton. “Flower” has won his last three starts, giving up a grand total of five goals during that span. He won the Jennings Trophy for lowest GAA with his partner Robin Lehner in Vegas last season, and also took home the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender.

Fleury was traded to the Blackhawks in late-July.

The Canucks will likely come back with Thatcher Demko although they could go either way. Both goalies have been stalwarts, despite the inflated team-related goals-against-averages (GAA) lately. Back-up Jaroslav Halak is looking for his first win as a member of the Canucks, but coach Green might want to keep the momentum rolling the way he has it. Halak’s last start came a week ago Sunday in Anaheim in the 5-1 loss to the Ducks.

Greener’s First

With Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kyle Burroughs getting his first NHL goal Friday night, he earned congratulations from his teammates and his coach. One’s first NHL goal is unforgettable, and with that in mind, we asked “Greener” about his first. Top shelf wrister on the rush against Dominik Hasek?? No, actually, quite the opposite.

“You never forget,” Green said, “it was my second game in Calgary, (Flames goalie) Mike Vernon overplayed a puck and I was the lucky recipient of a pretty open net.”

Green scored it as a member of the New York Islanders, the team that drafted him, and it came on November 21, 1992. It was the first of his 193 NHL goals in 970 games played.

Enjoy the Hockey Action !!