Vancouver Canucks appear to make surprise scratch for biggest game of the season
The Vancouver Canucks made a notable switch in their forward lines ahead of what’s the biggest game of the season tonight.
The club is preparing to take on the St. Louis Blues in a contest that has massive implications for both teams’ playoff chances.
The Canucks are coming off a huge 6-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets. However, from what they showed at morning skate today, they’re switching up their lineup for tonight’s matchup against the Blues.
Rookie winger Jonathan Lekkerimäki appears to be a healthy scratch, as Conor Garland was skating on a normal line after missing one game. Garland is officially a game-time decision, as per head coach Rick Tocchet, but he seems set to play.
The Canucks forward lines looked as follows, per Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy.
Höglander – Pettersson – Boeser
DeBrusk – Suter – Sherwood
O’Connor – Blueger – Karlsson
Joshua – Aman – Garland
It’s a surprising decision, as the Canucks have been struggling massively to score goals, something the Swedish rookie specializes in. While he hasn’t been a huge contributor at five-on-five yet, Lekkerimäki has one of the best shots on the team and is a wizard with the man advantage.
Lekkerimäki was elevated to the Canucks first power-play unit last game and looked dangerous. The power play looked much improved after sputtering in big moments in the previous games.
He finished the game with an assist and two shots on net, tied for second-most among team forwards, helping them get a crucial win over the NHL-best Jets.
“I don’t think the moment was too big for him,” said Tocchet afterwards. “For a young kid like him, when he got the puck, he was nice and relaxed. That’s his gift, his hands. There are still things that we’ve got to work with him on the power play. I think he can be even more deceptive, and I’d like to see him take a couple more rips at it, he’s got such a good shot, but that’ll come with experience. I thought he was really poised out there.”
Linus Karlsson stays in the lineup over Lekkerimäki. While Karlsson played well against the Jets and has produced in the AHL, the 25-year-old has just one point in 14 career NHL games. He hasn’t provided a lot of offence at the NHL level so far in his career.
The Canucks playoff odds could swing from above 50 per cent down to as low as 23 per cent, depending on the result tonight. They are opting to go with a more defensively responsible lineup for the big game, and it remains to be seen how that will turn out for them.