Thursday March 5 - Vancouver Canucks at Arizona Coyotes - 6:00 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific, TSN1040
Vancouver Canucks: 36-24-3, 75 points, second in Pacific Division Arizona Coyotes: 20-37-7, 47 points, sixth in Pacific Division
Good news! It looks like the Vancouver Canucks' roster will get a solid boost as the team takes to the ice against the Arizona Coyotes tonight. Alex Edler, Alex Burrows and Zack Kassian are all actively involved in today's pre-game skate:
RT @HockeyAbbs: #Canucks appear to get healthy bodies back: Edler-Weber pair,
Kassian returns to Sedin(s) and Burrows with Higgins/Matthias
— TSN Radio Vancouver (@TSN1040) March 5, 2015Here's the word on what was ailing Kassian, who missed Tuesday's game with the flu:
Kassian said he had stomach flu from bad meal Monday night. Looks pale, had IV. #Canucks
— Ben Kuzma (@benkuzma) March 5, 2015And your likely scratches for tonight:
Based on morning skate lines for #Canucks, Vey & McMillan odd men out up front with Kassian/Burrows back. Edler in for Corrado, too
— Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) March 5, 2015It sounds like the mood around the team is loose as Radim Vrbata makes his first return to the arena where he spent a total of six seasons.
Morning skate began w #canucks honour guard for Vrbata, returning to PHX ice under archway of sticks. Then Eddie Lack crashed it.
— Iain MacIntyre (@imacVanSun) March 5, 2015By the way, Vrbata's on pace to finish the season with 28 goals and 58 points, which would be the second-best campaign of his career and nearly identical to the first season that he played in Phoenix, when he was a 26-year-old back in 2007-08. Can't argue with that signing!
It seems the team is ignoring my advice to get Jacob Markstrom back between the pipes to erase that memory of last game:
Lack versus Smith in goal. #Canucks #coyotes
— Dan Murphy (@sportsnetmurph) March 5, 2015It's throwback night at the Gila River Arena tonight—the Coyotes are going back to those peyote-inspired jerseys they wore when they entered the league in 1996.
Coyotes bringing back retro sweaters tonight: http://t.co/1bK2BQ3Bd2
— Hockey Central (@SNHockeyCentral) March 5, 2015The team will also be honoring Jeremy Roenick tonight. I wonder if they can convince him to strap on the skates? After losing 10 in a row and clearcutting their roster at the trade deadline, he could probably offer some help.
Here's the full breakdown of the lines and pairings for tonight. Alex Edler will be playing with Yannick Weber tonight, while Luca Sbisa slots in with Dan Hamhuis.
#Canucks game-day lines/pairings: 22-33-9/20-27-14/51-13-17/41-53-36/2-5/23-6/18-44.
— Ben Kuzma (@benkuzma) March 5, 2015Click here for the Arizona lines—and a look at the insane Alice Cooper mask that Mike Smith will be sporting tonight.
If you ask me, the Coyotes are on the inside track in the Connor McDavid sweepstakes. Their recent losing streak now has them just one point ahead of the Edmonton Oilers at the bottom of the Western Conference, and they're just four points ahead of Buffalo.
With McDavid's World Junior Championship linemates Max Domi and now Anthony Duclair already in the fold, the team would have a nice foundation to build around as its new ownership settles in. It'd be a heckuva boost for a franchise that has had its struggles, but has also made some inroads into its community at a grassroots level in recent years.
Utica Debuts
It was a solid night down on the farm on Wednesday, as the Utica Comets defeated the Rochester Americans 3-2 thanks to a six-round shootout victory.
New additions Sven Baertschi and Cory Conacher both had one assist in the win, but failed in their shootout attempts. Bobby Sanguinetti ultimately potted the game-winner.
Big defenseman Andrey Pedan, who was acquired earlier in the season, scored the game's first goal. That gives him a total of three goals and 13 points in 37 games since joining the Comets. He seems to be developing nicely.
After such strong play earlier in the season, the Comets have been struggling a bit recently. Wednesday's win snaps a three-game losing streak, and the team is 5-5-0 in its last 10. Still, the Comets sit first in their North division, with a healthy seven-point lead over the Hamilton Bulldogs.