Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames - Wednesday October 8 - 7:00 p.m. - Sportnset
It's game day!
We've come full circle, back to the last team that we played on the last day of the 2013-14 regular season. The Canucks beat Calgary 5-1 at Rogers Arena on April 13: Jacob Markstrom was in net, Johnny Gaudreau got his first NHL goal and Daniel Sedin left the ice on a stretcher after a terrifying hit from Paul Byron that silenced the crowd at Rogers Arena.
The Canucks are now a very different team and the Flames have made plenty of changes as well. Daniel has, thankfully, shown no lingering effects from that hit. Markstrom's safely tucked away in Utica. Several changes have been made to the lineup and, of course, we have a different maestro running the show from behind the bench.
We've analyzed this team to death all summer long. Now, it just comes down to game day details and on-ice execution.
At Wednesday's morning skate, Kevin Bieksa is on the ice but is not skating in a regular pair, so it looks like the team's pairings will be the same as they were last weekend against Edmonton:
Roger Millions of Sportsnet says Bieksa's issue is a shoulder injury. If he misses tonight's game, I become much more concerned that when he sits out an exhibition contest, so we'll continue to keep an eye on this.
Here are Vancouver's forward lines. No surprises here.
Ryan Miller will start in net.
More bad news for the Flames as they kick things off. In addition to Sam Bennett starting the season on the sidelines, last year's rookie sensation Sean Monahan will also miss tonight's game, with the flu. Here's how the lines will shape up:
Ex-Canuck Mason Raymond is listed here on the second line. Defenseman Raphael Diaz, who spent six games with the Canucks last season, has made the Flames opening-night roster after joining the team on a professional tryout, but is expected to be scratched tonight.
Jonas Hiller gets the start in goal for Calgary.
What I'll be watching most closely is the overall tone of the game. Without two of their most explosive young guns, the Flames' forward group looks pretty ordinary. The Canucks have won their last seven straight games against Calgary and should still have the edge. I want to see Vancouver come out with authority and dictate the tone of the game; not get caught up in the Flames' shenanigans.
It looks like Tom Sestito will be scratched tonight, which would lead me to believe that this is Willie Desjardins' philosophy as well. Now, we just have to see whether or not that plays out on the ice.
What's your prediction for tonight?
The new Rogers era of NHL broadcasts gets off to a good start, content-wise. They're showing Toronto vs. Montreal nationally, starting at 4:00 PT, then following up with a national broadcast of the Canucks and Flames on the main Sportsnet regional networks, as well as the Sharks and Kings on Sportsnet One.
The real fun will start on Saturday, with five early games and two late games across the CBC and the Rogers networks.
Make sure you tune in for the beginning of the game. After 16 years as the Flames' primary anthem singer, Heather Liscano is retiring this season. She's scheduled to make her final appearance at the Saddledome tonight.
Drop the puck!
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