Tuesday September 27 - Vancouver Canucks at San Jose Sharks - 7:30 p.m. - TSN1040
And so it begins! The Vancouver Canucks hit the ice for the first time against another team on Tuesday night, visiting the San Jose Sharks in the Shark Tank.
Here's the latest info I've been able to find about television coverage:
Keep an eye on Canucks.com, the team's Facebook page and their YouTube channel to see if a livestream does come up.
We do have the full breakdown of tonight's roster:
The most intriguing line is that second group—Baertschi with Horvat and Virtanen. It's pretty-much guaranteed that Baertschi and Bo will start in that spot on the main roster when the regular season opens on October 15, but I imagine we'll see an audition process for the opportunity to be their right winger.
Virtanen didn't look out of place there during the late stages of last season, but his roster spot's not guaranteed, since he is eligible to be sent to the AHL without needing to clear waivers. We've heard lots of talk about how Jake has worked out like a beast and put on weight over the summer, but nobody seemed too excited about how he looked on the ice at training camp.
Jake basically cemented his roster spot in his rookie season with that crushing hit on Connor McDavid during the first game of the Young Stars tournament. If he can make the highlight reel tonight—in a good way—he'll certainly help his cause.
The rest of the forward group is a little bit of everything.
Of the players with the Canucks on PTOs, I think Jack Skille generated the most positive buzz, but he's not playing tonight. Instead, we get the other two former first-rounders, James Sheppard and Tuomo Ruutu, both on left wing.
Familiar names from the Utica Comets include Brendan Gaunce, Carter Bancks, Wacey Hamilton, Alex Grenier and Mike Zalewski. Gaunce is the only one getting a look in the top six.
Gaunce has one more year of being waiver exempt, so like Virtanen, he'll have to really dazzle if he hopes to earn a spot on the big club. Tonight's chance to play first line centre is probably the best opportunity that he's going to get.
The forward group is rounded out by two free-agent signees on right wing—26-year-old Jayson Megna on the first line and 24-year-old Borna Rendulic on the third line. I expect both will end up in Utica this year. According to
Cap Friendly, Rendulic is exempt from waivers while Megna would need to clear.
The blue line will be fascinating, with Nikita Tryamkin, Philip Larsen and Andrey Pedan all fighting for jobs with the big club. I'll put Jordan Subban one level below for the time being but would love to see him prove me wrong in that assessment.
I'm also looking forward to seeing what Michael Garteig brings tonight in net. He has been good so far in preseason and while I don't expect him to get NHL minutes anytime soon, I think he's going to prove to be a very valuable free-agent signing.
Click here for a look at the Sharks' lineup, courtesy of Kevin Kurz from CSN Bay Area.
Another very young lineup. NHL veterans Tommy Wingels, Brendan Dillon and new acquistion David Schlemko will play, as well a number of San Jose's promising young guns like Goldobin, Tierney, Nieto, Barclay Goodrow and Mirco Mueller.
According to Kurz, "Goalie Troy Grosenick will get the start in net, although newcomer Mantas Armalis could see some time before the night is through."
The Canucks sent six junior-age players home from camp on Monday:
See ya next year, boys.
Before the Canucks and Sharks get rolling at 7:30, we'll have the World Cup of Hockey Final to entertain us. Game 1 between Team Canada and Team Europe goes at 5 p.m. PT.
Big blow for Europe that Marian Gaborik has been diagnosed with a broken foot. With two goals, including one game winner, he was one of Europe's most important offensive players.
New San Jose Shark Mikkel Boedker draws in up front for the Europeans. It sounds like that'll be the only lineup change, so I expect Luca Sbisa will once again be relegated to press-box detail.
Enjoy the games!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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