Vancouver Canucks split Boeser and DeBrusk in lineup shuffle
The Vancouver Canucks continue searching for answers.
That was clear at practice on Friday, after the team once again changed their lines and defence pairs ahead of back-to-back home games against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche this weekend.
Here’s what the Canucks rolled with at practice on Friday.
Forwards
Kane – Pettersson – Garland
O’Connor – Reichel – DeBrusk
Boeser – RĂ€ty – Sherwood
Bains – Sasson – Karlsson
Defence
Hughes – Hronek
M. Pettersson – Myers
E. Pettersson – Willander
Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Mackenzie MacEachern skated as the extras.
The Canucks have been forced to alter their forward units due to the fact that injuries have ravaged this team.
Evander Kane, Elias Pettersson and Conor Garland remained a unit after playing together in Chicago. However, even before Garland’s injury, that wasn’t a trio that Adam Foote regularly used.
Two other lines from practice were brand new.
Jake DeBrusk made a rare appearance at right wing, skating with Lukas Reichel and Drew O’Connor. Brock Boeser also practiced in an unusual spot, skating at left wing alongside Aatu RĂ€ty and Kiefer Sherwood.
Boeser, the longest-tenured Canucks player, has rarely ever played left wing.
In terms of the defence, Foote changed every single pair at practice. Quinn Hughes was back with Filip Hronek, while Marcus Pettersson skated with Tyler Myers. Defenceman Elias Pettersson also drew back in after he was scratched against the Blackhawks, and he skated alongside Tom Willander.
Canucks’ Calder Cup Line remains together
The trio of Arshdeep Bains, Max Sasson and Linus Karlsson have been a constant for the Canucks almost entirely since Sasson was recalled back on Oct. 15.
At even strength, they’ve played 72 minutes together this season. No Canucks line has spent more than 51 minutes as a trio.
“I think they just play well together,” Foote explained. “They bring a good pace, they bring a good forecheck, and whether they’re they’re a line that can do it with five minutes of ice or ten, they’re always ready to go.”
“I don’t want to disrupt that right now. We’ll see what happens with the rest of the lineup as we move forward.”
Arshdeep Bains, Linus Karlsson, and Max Sasson celebrated a Calder Cup championship last season. (Abbotsford Canucks)
The trio of Bains, Sasson and Karlsson have held their own, but the pressure may be mounting for them to be even better.
Players like Teddy Blueger and Jonathan LekkerimÀki are close to returning, and the team is hopeful that Nils Höglander can continue progressing ahead of schedule, with a potential return later this month.
The Canucks have controlled 48 per cent of expected goals with Bains, Sasson and Karlsson together on the ice.
They’ve been relatively high-event minutes, with the trio registering 3.6 expected goals. That suggests they’ve been unlucky not to score more, as they’ve produced one goal in 72 minutes together.
However, they’ve been on the ice for two goals against, but their 3.9 expected goals against suggests that the Calder Line has been bailed out by goaltending.
With players returning soon, Bains, Sasson and Karlsson will likely have to produce more if they want to continue playing together.
Karlsson has three assists in 12 games this season. Sasson has gone pointless in seven games since scoring three goals in his first five contests. Bains hasn’t registered a point in 12 games since starting the season with two assists in his first three games.