Tuesday December 20 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Winnipeg Jets - 7 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific
Vancouver Canucks: 32 GP, 13-16-3, 29 pts, sixth in Pacific Division Winnipeg Jets: 34 GP, 15-16-3, 33 pts, fifth in Central Division
When I first wrote this year's Vancouver Canucks schedule into my calendar, I was sure I'd made a mistake when I realized that I had the Canucks pegged to play back-to-back home games against the Winnipeg Jets right before the Christmas break.
But it's true. This'll be Winnipeg's only visit to Vancouver this year, and the team will knock off both its games over a three-day period.
Jets games are usually pretty fun, with all the Winnipeggers heartily representing for their team and shouting "True North" during the national anthem. I'm curious to see how the vibe of the two games will compare tonight and on Thursday.
Apparently the situation is not unprecedented:
Per @EliasSports the #Canucks have played B2B games against the same team in the same city on 20 previous occasions, including 6x in 2005.06
— Canucks PR (@CanucksPR) December 20, 2016
Looking back at that post-lockout 2005-06 season, here are the same-city back-to-backs:
• in Minnesota: lost 6-0 on October 12, then won 5-3 on October 14 • in Colorado: lost 6-2 on October 27, then lost 4-3 in overtime on October 29 • in Calgary: lost 1-0 on November 5, then lost 4-3 on November 7 • vs. Calgary in Vancouver: lost 6-5 in a shootout on December 23, then lost 2-1 on December 26 • 3 straight games vs Edmonton: won 4-1 in Edmonton on March 21, then won 4-3 in a shootout in Vancouver on March 23 and lost 3-2 in Vancouver on March 25 • vs. Minnesota in Vancouver: won 2-1 on March 29, then lost 2-1 in a shootout on March 31
Out of those 13 games, Vancouver went 4-7-2 in a season where the team's record was 42-32-8 overall. On balance, it looks like it was a scheduling situation that didn't do the Canucks any favours.
Vancouver has a few holdovers from that season still on the roster—the Sedins, of course, and Alex Burrows. Current team president Trevor Linden and goalie coach Dan Cloutier were also part of that roster. Alex Edler had been drafted in 2004 but was in his last season of junior with the Kelowna Rockets, while the same was true of Jannik Hansen with the Portland Winter Hawks.
As I mentioned yesterday, the Canucks currently sit just four points behind the Jets in the Western Conference standings. With wins in both these games, they could catch 'em, but Vancouver's record so far this season makes that seem unlikely.
Since the four-game winning streak that opened the season, the Canucks have not been able to collect points in three straight games. Coming off last week's win over Tampa Bay and overtime loss to Columbus, that's how the stage is set for Tuesday's contest.
Nothing newsworthy to report from this morning's skate at Rogers Arena.
Optional morning skate, featuring 10 players and two goalies. pic.twitter.com/GIMMSNn9US
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 20, 2016
#Canucks optional has 10 players/Miller ahead of game vs WPG
— Jon Abbott (@HockeyAbbs) December 20, 2016
Troy Stecher among them
No line changes out of CBJ expected
Markstrom starts
Jacob Markstrom will get the start in net. He's now 6-7-2 for the season, with a 2.74 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. He hasn't won a game in nearly a month, going back to that strong showing in Denver against the Avalanche on November 26.
Today's other fun storyline: it's the first time in history that the Tanev brothers have faced off against each other in a hockey game.
Tanev Bowl tonight in Vancouver. First time ever Chris has faced younger brother Brandon in competitive hockey. #canucks #jets pic.twitter.com/vMrdibeznq
— Dan Murphy (@sportsnetmurph) December 20, 2016
Today is older brother Chris' 27th birthday. An undrafted player who was signed as a free agent after one year of college, he now has 304 regular-season games on his NHL resume, through seven seasons.
Brandon plays left wing. He'll be turning 25 on New Year's Eve. He was signed by the Jets as a free agent last spring after completing four years of college at Providence. He's 2-2-4 so far in his 37-game NHL career.
I'm interested to see him play live for the first time. It seems like, even though he's on the small side at 6'0" and 180 pounds, he plays with some tenacity in his game.
Also fun—this'll be the first chance for Canucks fans to watch Patrik Laine in the flesh. I got to see Laine play last spring in Russia at the World Championships. He was impressive there, finishing with seven goals and 12 points in 10 games and being named MVP—even though it was a men's tournament and he just turned 18 last April.
So Laine's still 18, but he's showing that he can also score goals at the NHL level. He leads the Jets with 18 goals, which puts him third right now in the Rocket Richard Trophy race, behind Sidney Crosby (21) and David Pastrnak (19). He's also one point off the Jets' team scoring lead with 29 points. That ties him with Wayne Simmonds for 17th overall in the Art Ross race.
Laine's offensive acumen, and especially his shot, are world class. He should be a treat to watch this week.
To close off today, I offer this endearing shot of Nikita Tryamkin from the Canucks' family skate, which appears to have happened on Monday night:
We're still waiting for the big Russian to get the green light to actually speak with the media. Till then, his charming Instagram feed will have to suffice.
Enjoy the game!