Canucks Notebook: Tampa in Town, Playoff Update, VAN Line-up

A very rare, actually ‘one-off’ missed Vancouver Canucks home morning skate for me this am as I used the stove clock as my guide before realizing we sprung ahead by an hour.

Sorry; blame a night out combined with a delayed morning electronics ritual. I won’t be missing my usual conversation with the visiting team’s head coach or GM however, as no one from the LIghtning, other than the equipment guys, are headed to Rogers Arena this morning following last night’s 4-1 loss in Edmonton to the Oilers.

Anyway …

Let’s Skate! …

Lining Up

Elias Pettersson skipped morning skate today according to this line-up provided by Canucks broadcaster Brendan Batchelor via twitter. Fans should not panic, we saw a healthy and intact ‘Petey’ practicing yesterday in Burnaby.

Meanwhile, there are some new names in some new places with the am line juggles. Take with a grain of salt.

Pearson-Miller-Garland

Höglander-Rempal-Boeser

Podkolzin-Horvat-Chiasson

Motte-Lammikko-Highmore

OEL-Myers

Hughes-Hamonic

Hunt-Schenn

Poolman-Juulsen

Noah Juulsen was called up this morning to give the Canucks four D-pairs.

Don’t expect to see Tucker Poolman back in the Canucks game line-up just yet, but very likely at some point before the end of the homestand.

As VHN reported yesterday, you should see Sheldon Rempal in the Vancouver Canucks line-up Sunday night. It would be his first NHL game of the season after 41 with the AHL Abbotsford Canucks.

“Obviously it’s a tight race for the playoffs right now, you can just see the guys, they’re grinding every day, so I want to come in and try to step up and help these guys,” Rempal said after morning skate.

Playoff Pecking Order

That Oilers’ win Saturday night put Edmonton into third place in the Pacific Division with 68 points, the same number possessed by the Vegas Golden Knights, who fell to the 2nd wild card spot based on games played. The Canucks (65) are 3 points behind both of them.

The Nashville Predators are in the 1st Western Conference wild card position with 70 points.

One team sits between the Canucks and that playoff pack, that would be the Dallas Stars and their 67 points.

Pertinent games this evening: the Nashville Predators visit the Minnesota Wild, the Vegas Golden Knights are in Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets, the Anaheim Ducks, trailing the Canucks by a point, are visiting the New York Islanders, and the Pacific Division’s 2nd place LA Kings (72 points) host the Florida Panthers.

Enjoy the Hockey Action!!