Canucks Gameday vs. Nashville
Ain’t No Rest The Wicked
The Vancouver Canucks are fresh off of a 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars last night, snapping their three game skid. The Canucks are back in action tonight, in Nashville taking on the Predators.The Back Half
The Canucks were able to exact a little revenge on the Stars last night after losing to them last Friday. The Canucks are on their third game of a four game road trip that will wrap up in Detroit for a matinee against the Red Wings on Sunday. The Canucks are 1-0-1 on the current trip, looking to finish strong before they head home for a couple of games.What the Canucks need to do to win?
A solid start:
A good start to the game is key for the Canucks to win tonight in Nashville. This will be Vancouver’s third game in four nights, in order for them to have a chance at winning they will need to start strong and maintain that and take it through the first and into the second. The Canucks can’t afford to have another start like last night in Dallas that saw them down 1-0 just 35 seconds in. There won’t be any room for error. Nashville is 6-2-2 in their last ten games and falling behind early could prove costly.
If I’m picking a player to break out tonight against the Predators, I’m choosing Ryan Kesler. Though his legs may not be under him just yet, he’s proved in the past he can take the team on his back against this team and carry them to victory.
Special teams - Capitalize on the power play and shut it down on the penalty kill
Vancouver’s power play has improved of late; going into tonight’s game they have the 10th ranked power play in the league. However, Nashville is amongst the league leaders on the penalty kill at 6th. If the Canucks find themselves in a position where they are on the power play multiple times, especially early on, they can’t afford to pass up on those chances. Efficiency is key for them.
Going into tonight’s game the Predators are ranked 21st in the league with the man advantage while the Canucks have the 17th best penalty kill in the league. Though Nashville captain Shea Weber is just starting to get his game going, it doesn’t mean the Canucks can take a shift off, especially down a man.
The defense stays strong:
If you don’t count last night’s opening goal, the Canucks newly paired defense played one of their best games of the season. They need to keep doing that. It was nice to see Alex Edler playing on his proper side, though I think a bigger deal is made of it than it actually is. Jason Garrison got the monkey off his back with a bomb from the point and Kevin Bieksa scored on a partial breakaway from a great pass from his partner Dan Hamhuis.
If the D stays consistent tonight and they can play like a team that isn’t playing their third game in four nights, they should make out just fine.
There you go, folks. My Canucks game day tips for success. Enjoy the game tonight and thanks for reading!
- Mitch
