Tuesday January 13 - Vancouver Canucks at Nashville Predators - 5:00 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific
Vancouver Canucks: 23-14-3, 49 points, third in Pacific Division Nashville Predators: 28-9-4, 60 points, first in Central Division
The Vancouver Canucks are going into their Tuesday night matchup against the Nashville Predators on a two-game losing streak, which has affected their position in the standings. After Martin Jones and the Los Angeles Kings shut out the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night, the Kings have leapfrogged the Canucks into second place in the Pacific Division.
Vancouver hangs on to third for now by virtue of its games in hand, but is tied with San Jose at 49 points. The Sharks play Arizona tonight, so the Canucks need some points to hold steady in their tight playoff race.
Insider Bob McKenzie was on the TSN1040 morning show this morning and summed up the Canucks' position like this: "Now they're settling into what they are, and that's a team that's going to have to battle like crazy just to make the playoffs, but has a shot."
When asked whether Jim Benning would be a buyer or a seller at the trade deadline, McKenzie compares him to Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin, saying, "The plan is not to waste future assets on short-term fixes to try to get you into the playoffs, knowing that the impact of those moves are going to be counterproductive in the long term."
McKenzie says he thinks Jim Benning knows what kind of players he wants and is looking to make "hockey deals": if he acquires an older player, it won't be anybody too old, and probably someone who will be under contract beyond the end of the season.
McKenzie goes on to talk about the situation in Toronto and some other stuff during his segment. Click here to listen for yourself.
I take his comparison of Benning to Marc Bergevin in Montreal as a nice bit of praise. I think Bergevin has done an outstanding job of improving the identity of the Canadiens in just two and a half seasons, not to mention the face that they've done very well on the ice.
Bergevin placed second in voting for the 2014 General Manager of the Year. I'd say the Canucks should be trending in the right direction if Benning can follow in his footsteps by the end of his second season.
One more note on the Canucks' playoff prospects before I get into the nitty-gritty of today's game against Nashville. It's time to start keeping an eye on SportsClubStats.com, which tracks a team's mathematical probability of making it to the dance.
As of today, the Canucks have a 91.1 percent chance of getting in. Good odds, as long as they can score some goals and win some games. It's interesting to see that San Jose, by comparison, is already down to 64.4 percent, just a hair ahead of Calgary and behind Winnipeg.
It's pretty amazing to see that Nashville has already clinched, and can't finish the year seeded worse than fifth. It has been an extraordinary turnaround for a team that finished just five points ahead of the Canucks, out of the playoffs last season. Nashville's also the current runaway favourite for the Presidents' Trophy, with a 40 percent chance of winning. The next-best odds belong to Chicago, at 15 percent.
The Preds have looked good in all aspects of their game this season. Pekka Rinne, of course, has been stellar in net after missing most of last season with an infected hip. He now leads the league with 28 wins and his current 1.98 goals-against average is the best of his career.
Rinne will be facing Eddie Lack in net tonight for the Canucks. Sounds like Ryan Miller's still sick:
Lack on Miller: "I know that for him not to play in this game, he’s not feeling very good." #Canucks
— Brad Ziemer (@BradZiemer) January 13, 2015Lack has been solid in his last three starts, giving up just one goal in the loss to Calgary after a win over the New York Islanders last Tuesday. His previous start was all the way back on December 17, when he gave up just one goal in the Canucks' 2-0 loss to the Dallas Stars (the second goal was scored into an empty net).
Is Eddie being showcased for a trade? It's not a crazy idea. The Minnesota Wild, for one, are in desperate need of a goaltender—again. It's feast or famine for them. Lack has plenty of upside and his contract is a beauty. According to NHLNumbers.com (RIP CapGeek, sniff), Lack's cap hit is just 1.15 million, with another year left on his deal before he hits free agency.
The Detroit Red Wings also just lost Jimmy Howard to a serious groin tear, and backup Jonas Gustavsson has been out of action since early November with a shoulder problem, so they're going with Petr Mzarek and Tom McCollum for the time being.
It's safe to say that the goalie market is starting to heat up. Will the Canucks take a chance that AHL All-Star Jacob Markstrom could step into a solid backup role for the stretch run if Lack is moved by the trade deadline?
Other than Miller, the Canucks are said to be healthy tonight—with the exception of Dan Hamhuis, of course. Bo Horvat is said to be a "game-day decision" but did take the morning skate. It sounds like Frank Corrado will see action for the second straight game, in place of Yannick Weber.
On the Preds side, James Neal will make his return after missing five games. Defenseman Ryan Ellis is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. And ex-Oiler Marc Arcobello, who was acquired just weeks ago in a trade for Derek Roy, was placed on waivers today by Nashville.
Enjoy the game!