Canucks Skate: To Tampa, Goalie Beer? Koochy Dip, Geno’s Back

The Vancouver Canucks will practice Wednesday at 1 pm eastern time in preparation for Thursday’s game in Tampa against the Lightning. It’s stop number-two on this five-game eastern US gauntlet against many of the top teams in the NHL. Here’s VHN’s tantalizing tidbits from night number-one in Sunrise, Florida, a 5-2 Vancouver Canucks loss to the Panthers. And for fun, here’s the FLA story of the rapper named Kodak Black fooling around in a luxury suite. Don’t ask. I have no idea.

While we await for the Canucks to skate, we might want to go for a twirl of our own …

Let’s Skate !!

Alternating Koochy

Great timing; the Canucks get to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning just as Nikita Kucherov gets his legs under him. The former NHL MVP and two-time Stanley Cup champion tallied a hat trick Tuesday night in his third game back off injury in a 6-1 Bolts win against the Buffalo Sabres. OK, one, it was the Sabres and two, there may be a silver lining for Canucks fans. Maybe they can hope a very brief pattern he has established continues.

In his first game back he tallied two assists in 17:27 of ice time in a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames. In his second game he finished a minus-three and was nary a threat in a 5-2 loss to the Bruins. Then game three with the hatty against Buffalo. Maybe the BC Boys will catch him on a down night.

Geno Goals

Another Russian star returned to action off injury when Evgeni Malkin played for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night. And like Kucherov, Geno had a monumental return. In his case, two goals and an assist. Needless to say, he, his teammates and his coach were pretty excited, per the Pittsburgh Hockey Now article. See a happy Geno talk.

(ex) Captain Jack

Speaking of the Sabres, their former captain Jack Eichel is getting closer to making his debut with the Vegas Golden Knights. Just two months after neck surgery and the trade that brought him south, Eichel was on the ice Tuesday with new teammates Reilly Smith, Michael Amadio, Keegan Kolesar, Brett Howden, Brayden McNabb, Ben Hutton, Logan Thompson, and Dylan Coghlan. As Vegas Hockey Now reports, it was an optional morning skate that had Eichel feeling like a little kid on Christmas morning.

Bear me, or is it Beer Me

Tuukka Rask signed a new one-year deal with the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, and he also made a goofy agreement with a beer company. Dilly dilly they say, or in this case, silly silly, unless of course you love beer. Rask went through hip surgery this past summer and is playing for a million-bucks. Pretty good deal for the Bruins if the 34-year-old plays like the Tuukka of old.

Enjoy the Hockey Action !!