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Vancouver Canucks pushing for 3rd-straight win against struggling Columbus

December 11, 2018, 2:37 PM ET [346 Comments]
Carol Schram
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Tuesday December 11 - Vancouver Canucks at Columbus Blue Jackets - 4 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet 650

Vancouver Canucks: 32 GP, 13-16-3, 29 pts, sixth in Pacific Division
Columbus Blue Jackets: 29 GP, 16-11-2, 24 pts, second in Metropolitan Division

The Vancouver Canucks will be icing the same lineup that trounced the St. Louis Blues on Sunday when they try to extend their current winning streak to three games against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

Adam Gaudette remains sidelined with the flu, so Tim Schaller will skate once again on the fourth line with Jay Beagle and Tyler Motte, and Jacob Markstrom will make his third straight start in net.

After carrying nearly all of the load while Anders Nilsson was out with his broken finger, Markstrom's numbers have improved since Nilsson returned to action on November 23. He's delivering results, with a 3-1-1 record in five starts to go along with a 2.40 goals-against average and .908 save percentage that's right on the league average for the 2018-19 season so far, according to Hockey Reference. That's a pretty significant dip from .912 last season and sharpens a downward trend from the historial peak of .915 set between 2014 and 2016.

The last time we saw an average save percentage below .910 for a full season was 10 years ago. But teams are also getting more shots on net—up to 31.3 per game this season, compared to 30.1 in 2008-09. This year's shot attempts have actually dipped a bit from 31.8 last season but all told, overall scoring continues to trend upward. Goalies are allowing an average of 2.88 goals per game this season—up from 2.78 last year and from 2.73 back in 2008-09—and those numbers don't include empty-net goals.

Markstrom's season can basically be broken down into three segments so far: before Nilsson's injury, during the injury, and this post-injury phase.

Nilsson's last game before his injury came on October 25. Before that, Markstrom was 3-2-0 with a .911 save percentage and 2.93 GAA. While Nilsson was sidelined, Markstrom went 4-6-2 with an .890 save percentage and 3.63 GAA. Whether he was battling injury or simply overworked, Markstrom's performance definitely suffered without his regular backup and has rebounded nicely in recent games.

Once again, the healthy scratches on defense on Tuesday will be Michael Del Zotto and Alex Biega.




As for the Blue Jackets, they're currently just three points behind division-leading Washington but also only two points away from dropping out of a playoff spot in the tight Metropolitan Division. They've also lost three of their last four games, including a wild 9-6 decision to Calgary last week and a 4-0 shutout by Washington on Saturday—with both of those losses coming on home ice.

Naturally, coach John Tortorella has dished up some delicious quotes about both of those games.










Torts has also been sick, which led to this surreal image from last Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over Philadelphia.




Meanwhile, assistant coach Brad Shaw was hospitalized in Philadelphia last week with an abdominal issue. He has since been released and re-joined the team.

On Monday, Torts said that he's changing the deployment of his assistants, with Shaw back to looking after the defense and Brad Larsen taking care of the forwards. The assistants had switched roles this season, starting in training camp. After finishing tied for ninth-best defensively last season, averaging 2.76 goals against per game, the Blue Jackets come into Tuesday's game ranked 26th this year at 3.38, just behind Vancouver's 3.34 in 25th place.

Sergei Bobrovsky has been in for the Blue Jackets' last six games, including eight goals on 26 shots in 46:29 before he got the hook against the Flames last week and three goals on 13 first-period shots before he was pulled against Washington last Saturday. The impending unrestricted free agent now carries a record of 11-10-0 this season, with a 3.14 GAA and .898 save percentage. It'll be interesting to see if another team takes a chance on him as a potential solution to their own goaltending woes, especially since he carries a reputation that he can't deliver in the playoffs.

Goalie Bob had a long on-ice session with his coach this morning, leading to speculation that Joonas Korpisalo will get the start against Vancouver. In 11 appearances this season, he's 5-1-2, but his personal numbers are scary: a goals-against average of 3.59 and an .885 save percentage.

Offensively, the Blue Jackets are being led this season by Cam Atkinson and Artemi Panarin, who each have 31 points. Sophomore centre Pierre-Luc Dubois is also having another great year with 13-12-25, averaging 18:18 per game.

Unlike their coaches, the Blue Jackets players are healthy. Here's how the lines were running at Monday's practice:




Finally, former Vancouver reporter Josh Clipperton caught up with Sam Gagner in Toronto after his return to the Marlies last week. Not surprisingly, Gagner calls his second AHL tour of duty this season "hard to take" after playing well when he was up with the Canucks for seven games between November 19 and December 1:




Gagner's now ready for a fresh start, if that's what it takes to re-start his NHL career:

"I want an NHL opportunity," he told Clipperton. "I'd like for it to be in Vancouver, but it doesn't really seem like I'm in their plans.

"I've proven I belong."

Gagner picked up one assist in the Marlies' two games last weekend after returning to the AHL club.

Enjoy the game!
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