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Vancouver Canucks without Dorsett, Burrows, Tanev Tuesday; Stecher debuts |
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Tuesday October 25 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Ottawa Senators - 7 p.m. - Sportsnet Vancouver
Vancouver Canucks: 6 GP, 4-1-1, 9 points, second in Pacific Division
Ottawa Senators: 5 GP, 3-2-0, 6 points, fifth in Atlantic Division
Lineup changes are the news of the day as the Vancouver Canucks return to Rogers Arena and open a three-game homestand against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.
First, who's in:
Now, who's out:
Burrows and Dorsett were both injured in Saturday's game against Los Angeles.
Also sidelined, tonight—Chris Tanev. He took a hard hit from Anze Kopitar on Saturday, then slammed heavily into the boards in the first period on Sunday against the Ducks, but isn't expected to be out long term.
Stecher and Megna will both make their Canucks regular-season debuts tonight, and that'll also be an NHL debut for Richmond's Stecher.
Here's how the combinations looked this morning at practice:
Stecher is No. 51 and will slot into the first pairing with Alex Edler. Megna is No. 46 and will play on the fourth line—with Brendan Gaunce and Jake Virtanen.
The forward lines have been re-shuffled. Loui Eriksson is back with the twins and Jack Skille will skate with Baertschi and Horvat.
There's a lot of excitement surrounding Stecher after a strong preseason, but it's also worth noting that he hasn't exactly torn up the AHL since joining the Utica Comets. In four games, Stecher has managed just a single assist so far, on the power play, and has registered eight shots on goal.
Megna, 26, has 54 games of previous NHL experience with the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers, which may help to explain why he got the call. He has tallied a goal and two assists so far for the 1-3-0 Comets.
The Canucks could use a bit of grit up front with Dorsett and Burrows sidelined, but big Joe LaBate is unfortunately not available right now.
Also—I don't think Cole Cassels (pointless in three games) would have been in the running as a call-up, but he's also unavailable at the moment.
Stecher logged most of his preseason time with the Canucks on a pairing with Alex Edler, so it's convenient that he'll slot back into that role tonight, in Tanev's spot. He could also see some time on the power play.
So far this season, the Canucks are ranked 21st at 13 percent efficiency. They've gotten their chances—23 power-play opportunities is tied for sixth overall, but they've managed just three goals so far and given up one shorthanded goal.
Last year, Vancouver finished in a tie for 26th place—with the Ottawa Senators, as well as the Tampa Bay Lightning—at 15.8 percent. For now, they're ranked a little higher but their rate of efficiency is actually lower so far this year.
With Stecher's insertion straight into the lineup, that means more opportunity to follow up on the status of the absent Russian Bear, Nikita Tyramkin.
And speaking of missing players, it sounds like it'll still be awhile before we see Anton Rodin in a game.
As for tonight's opponent—Marc Crawford makes his return to Rogers Arena as the assistant to Guy Boucher as part of Ottawa's offseason coaching overhaul. So far, the change has delivered mixed results. The Sens have managed just one regulation win so far this season—over Arizona—and have triumphed in extra time against Toronto and Montreal. But when their offense sputters, they're in trouble. They managed just one goal in both their losses, against Detroit (their only road game so far) and Tampa Bay.
Tonight's game kicks off Ottawa's three-game swing through Western Canada. They played last on Saturday.
As usual, Erik Karlsson will be the man to watch for the Senators—and he'll be on the ice a lot. Karlsson has seven points in his first five games this season and is averaging a conservative-for-him 26:48 of ice time per game. Sophomore left wing Ryan Dzingel, 24, is off to a hot start with four points in his first five games.
The Sens shuffled their lines at practice in Vancouver. Here's what to expect tonight:
While I was on the AHL website looking at the Comets' stats, I noticed an article about Ottawa prospect Curtis Lazar on the front page. The Salmon Arm native was drafted eight spots behind Bo Horvat in the first round in 2013, but suffered a setback this summer due to a bout of mononeucleosis, so he's currently getting his game back in shape in the minors.
Lazar has 35 points in 143 career NHL games so far, while Horvat has 68 points in 156 games.
One final item to note: due to the World Series, you'll find tonight's game on the Sportsnet Vancouver Hockey channel. Enjoy!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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