Remember when the Canucks were riding a four-game winning streak and putting together comeback after comeback? Me neither.
Vancouver is coming off of a wild 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs and has now lost eight straight. Tonight they will look to finally add one to the win column against a New York Islanders team that is struggling almost as much.
Matchup
Vancouver Canucks (4-7-1, 9 points) vs New York Islanders (4-6-2, 10 points)
Venue: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Time: 4 pm PT
TV: Sportsnet
Radio: TSN 1040
By the numbers
| Canucks | Islanders | |
| Goals for | 1.58 (30th) | 2.75 (13th) |
| Goals against | 2.75 (17th) | 3.00 (23rd) |
| Power play % | 7.7 (30th) | 11.4 (24th) |
| Penalty kill % | 84.8 (8th) | 78.3 (23rd) |
| Shots for | 26.9 (29th) | 29.5 (19th) |
| Shots against | 28.6 (22nd) | 31.1 (12th) |
| Faceoff % | 49.1 (19th) | 48.8 (22nd) |
Lineup
Jannik Hansen has been placed on IR. #Canucks have recalled @MichaelChaput62 from @UticaComets. Release to follow. pic.twitter.com/VPzyyI4Khq
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 7, 2016
Jannik Hansen was placed on the IR this morning after suffering a shoulder injury as a result of a hit by Morgan Rielly on Saturday night. That isn’t going to help matters.
Michael Chaput has been called up from Utica to take his place. Ryan Miller gets the start in goal.
There weren’t any reported line rushes, although it was revealed that Loui Eriksson will play on the top line, while Chaput draws in on the fourth line.
*Update: Alex Edler will return from injury, while Jake Virtanen and Troy Stecher will sit
| D. Sedin | H. Sedin | Eriksson | |||
| Granlund | Sutter | Burrows | |||
| Baertschi | Horvat | Dorsett | |||
| Chaput | Gaunce | Skille | |||
| Edler | Larsen | ||||
| Hutton | Gudbranson | ||||
| Sbisa | Tryamkin | ||||
| Miller | |||||
See also
- Hansen injured, Canucks recall Chaput
- Leafs' Kadri will not receive a suspension for hit on Daniel Sedin
- It's ok to admit it Leaf fans: Nazem Kadri is a dirty player
- SixPack: Canucks and Leafs turn back the clock
- The Canucks have direction and it's pointed the wrong way
What you need to know
1. The hit
By now you may have gotten over the fact that Nazem Kadri received no supplemental discipline for his cheap shot on Daniel Sedin. Maybe you haven’t and just need a good laugh.
Check out this gem:
The NHL DoPS video on the Kadri / Sedin hit. pic.twitter.com/m9YfwMULzW
— Squampton (@squampton) November 6, 2016
The reality is that the Canucks and their fans often feel like they have gotten the shaft when it comes to the NHL Department of Player Safety. Just add Saturday night’s hit to the list.
somewhere Aaron Rome continues to weep
— Dan Murphy (@sportsnetmurph) November 6, 2016
2. Time for Baertschi to be a difference maker
Image: Vancouver Canucks / Twitter
The Canucks need someone to step up not named Sedin. Certainly Loui Eriksson needs to get it going, but Sven Baertschi is one player that Vancouver really needs to start scoring as well.
The 24-year-old left winger had high expectations at the start of the season, but has been snake bitten (not unlike most of the team) on the scoresheet. Baertschi is one of the few players that has looked dangerous on a regular basis.
If the Canucks are to end this eight game winless streak, they are going to need Baertschi to figure it out quickly. He is one of the few players on the team that has the ability to score in bunches. Tonight in Brooklyn would be a good place to start.
3. Islanders in a funk
Image: New York Islanders / Twitter
Prior to the start of the season, Islanders coach Jack Capuano was named by Oddsshark as the third coach most likely to get fired first this season. Only John Tortorella (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Willie Desjardins had better odds of being the first to be let go by their respective teams. It seems the odds makers had it right.
The Islanders have struggled so far this season and currently sit last in the Metropolitan Division. They’ve lost five of their last six games, with four of those losses coming at home.
Things are not going to get any easier for them as it was just announced that talented defenceman Travis Hamonic will be out 4-6 weeks with an upper body injury.
High profile offseason free agent signing, Andrew Ladd, has struggled to fit in with his new team. Ladd has just one point in New York’s first 12 games.
Prediction
This is a battle of two teams that are possibly blowing any chance of a successful season within the first four weeks of the new NHL season.
The Islanders are coming off one of their best performances of the year, a 4-3 shootout loss to the Oilers, and the Canucks are trying to rebound from the debacle in Toronto. Baertschi and Eriksson hit the score sheet, but the Canucks lose their ninth straight in a 5-3 loss.
Follow Channels and Categories