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Adam Gaudette is in, Loui Eriksson is scratched as Canucks visit the Flames
October 5, 2019, 2:31 PM ET [338 Comments]
Carol Schram
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Saturday October 5 - Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames - 7 p.m. - Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet 650

Vancouver Canucks: 1 GP, 0-1-0, 0 pts, fifth in Pacific Division
Calgary Flames: 1 GP, 0-1-0, 0 pts, seventh in Pacific Division

"Are you comfortable riding a horse?"

That's the question of the day, after the Vancouver Canucks spent their team-building time in Banff at the Warner Stables Dude Ranch ahead of their second game of the season in Calgary on Saturday night.



Not surprisingly, Derek Jory of Canucks.com reports that it was Alberta boys Jay Beagle and Brandon Sutter who came up with the horseback-riding idea on the directive of coach Travis Green. Chirps ensued thanks to the fashion choices and overall comfort levels of some of the city slickers — although Troy Stecher had good reason for his apprehension.

My mom got bucked off a horse when I was young and broke her ankle. The horse got stung by a bee and knocked her off. So that was in the back of my mind the entire time because that was my first time getting on a horse. Don't get bucked, don't get bucked, don't get bucked.

Nothing went wrong, I was very thankful. It was really easy, you just sat there, the horse put its head down and walked. It was the blind leading the blind. I'd do it again, 100 per cent.


Bo Horvat's wife rides equestrian, so he was in his element.



Thatcher Demko — notsomuch.



Most girls go through a horsey phase in elementary school, and I was no exception. My mom had owned a horse when she was young, so I went trail riding with her often when I was a kid. I guess it's different for boys — especially boys whose parents had to spend-spend-spend to keep them in hockey.

The Canucks also hit the ice for practice in Banff on Friday, where Travis Green unveiled a new look bottom six that saw Adam Gaudette slot into the third-line centre spot. That dropped Brandon Sutter to the fourth-line wing — and Loui Eriksson to a spare part. He skated with Oscar Fantenberg on the fourth defense pairing.

The Canucks start the season with a very light schedule — just five games in 14 nights before they hit the road for a four-in-six out east. From a fatigue point of view, there's not much reason to shuffle the lineup. That means it may be awhile before Thatcher Demko gets his first start of the year. And it certainly raised questions about when Adam Gaudette would get a chance to play after his strong preseason play earned him a spot on the Canucks' opening-night roster.

“We didn’t keep him around here just to sit out and not play,” Green told Patrick Johnston of The Province about Gaudette after Friday's practice, while also defending Sutter.

“I wanted to have Sutter in the game and I thought he was pretty good, limiting some chances. I want to get a look at Gaudette. He got back into the fold today and practice and we’ll see where we go (Saturday).

“I don’t think this is a practice league,” Green reiterated. “This is not a league where you just sit and practice and just hope to play.”

Though Green didn't commit to playing Gaudette on Friday, the lines rolled out the same way at Saturday's morning skate in Calgary.



Safe to say that I'm not the only one who's pleased to see this lineup change? Gaudette earned a chance to play in preseason — and it certainly won't hurt to have someone in the bottom six who should be able to put the puck in the net.

The trickle-down effect, of course, is a seat in the press box for Loui Eriksson. After struggling with injuries during his first two years in Vancouver, Eriksson played 81 games for the Canucks last season. He was scratched for the first time under Travis Green last March in a 4-1 home win over the New York Rangers.

It's too soon to write Loui's ticket to Utica, but it is worth noting what Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini had to say about high-priced players during a rare radio appearance on Sportsnet 650 earlier this week.



As for the team's last round of roster cuts — immigration paperwork is being processed for Sven Baertschi, Nikolay Goldobin and Alex Biega. The trio are expected to report to the Utica Comets sometime next week.

The Comets kick off their regular season on Saturday in Binghamton, with puck drop at 4:05 p.m. PT, so you can set up a franchise double-header if you choose. AHL livestreams are free to watch this weekend.



Comets Cory has a detailed rundown of the Comets' opening-night roster, include status details on all the players.



No breakdowns yet on line combinations. One interesting item to note is that the team is starting the season by carrying three goaltenders — veterans Richard Bachman and Zane McIntyre and rookie Michael DiPietro. I imagine that will sort itself out as the season rolls along.

One other prospect note — Petrus Palmu found himself a home this week, signing with JYP of Finland's Liiga.

The 22-year-old got off to a great start in his first game!



Back to the Canucks and Flames...

Both teams will be looking for their first win of the year tonight, after Calgary dropped a 5-3 road decision to Colorado Avalanche in a high-paced thriller on Thursday. In their usual fashion, Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan led the way offensively with two points each.



Calgary's only lineup change from Thursday is on the fourth line. Toby Rieder swaps in for Austin Czarnik, who left the game in Denver after a big second-period hit from Nikita Zadorov, but who is OK. David Rittich will make his second start in net.

With that, you're up to date. Enjoy the game!
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