The Vancouver Canucks (4-5-1) celebrate Diwali as they take on the Nashville Predators (5-5-0) at Rogers Arena tonight at 7PM PST (10PM EST)
Where to watch: Sportsnet Pacific or listen on Sportsnet 650
This will be the first time since February 10, 2020 that Vancouver and Nashville will meet, when the Canucks defeated the Predators 6-2 at Rogers Arena. Quinn Hughes recorded 3 assists, and J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson each recorded a goal and an assist.
The Canucks are hoping to build off their win on Tuesday night against the New York Rangers, when they won in overtime 3-2 thanks to J.T. Millers brilliant wrap around goal.
Vancouver is 2-6 in their Past 8 home games.
The Predators are coming off a 5-2 Loss to the Oilers on Wednesday night. Nashville is 2-6 in their Past 8 road games.
Nashville currently has a red-hot powerplay and has scored 8 goals on 32 powerplay attempts (25%), 7th best in the NHL. Which means Vancouver will have to find success on the penalty kill to suppress this Predators team.
Special teams have not been great for the Canucks so far this year through 10 games.
Current stats for the Canucks include:
15.8% on the Power Play (20th)
70% on the Penalty Kill (29th)
Projected Lineups
Here were some of the Canucks line's at their Friday morning practice.
It looks like the Canucks will be rolling with the 8-40-9 line as Boeser gets sent down to the third line as his struggles continue.
These were the Powerplay lines the Canucks had set up this morning.
Ekman-Larsson has replaced Hughes on the 1st powerplay unit.
The Canucks will now have 2 right-handed shooters, and a left-handed defender to feed Pettersson. Lets hope this move will get the Canucks powerplay rolling.
Tyler Motte continues to practice and skate with the team, but he is not quite ready to make his return to the lineup as he will be an extra tonight.
Thatcher Demko is expected to get the start in net tonight for the Canucks (4-3-1 record with a 2.48 GAA and a .923 save percentage)
Juuse Saros is expected to get the start in net tonight for the Predators (4-4 record with a 2.39 GAA and a .922 save percentage)
Diwali Festivities
The Canucks will be rocking some sweet yellow jerseys at warmup to celebrate their fifth annual Diwali night. Celebrities and all of Canucks nation are currently buzzing over them.
The warm-up player worn jerseys will be going up for auction tonight at vanbase.ca, with partial proceeds donated to the Punjabi Market Regeneration Collective (PMRC).
Surrey-based music producer 'intense' will be performing at the game tonight, alongside VanCity Bhangra dancers and Beats by Dhol drummers.
Intense is one of the biggest producers of Punjabi music and has collaborated with some popular South Asian artists including Diljit Dosanjh, Jasmine Sandlas and AP Dhillon.
Nashville Players to Watch
Roman Josi - Defense - (Currently 3G, 8A in 10 GP)
The veteran defenseman for Nashville is off to a great start this season. He is on a streak of 8 points (1 Goal, 7 Assists) in his last 5 games. With 6 powerplay points so far (2 Goals, 4 Assists), he is a key part of the Predators early powerplay success this season.
Matt Duchene - Center - (Currently 4G, 5A in 10 GP)
The Skilled Center is having a major bounce back season after a disappointing 2020-21. He is currently on a streak of 8 points (3 Goals, 5 Assists) in his last 5 games. Duchene is also a big reason for the Predators power play success, putting up 4 points (2 Goals, 2 Assists) on the advantage so far.
Predators VS Canucks: Odds and Totals
Vancouver appears to be the betting favorite heading into tonight's game. Three of Nashville's past 4 games have gone under the total, whilst Vancouver has had the under hit in five of their past six games.
This game is way too close to call. Nashville was on a 4-game winning streak before losing on Tuesday night, while Vancouver was on a 4-game losing streak before winning on Tuesday night.
​Nashville Predators (5-5) vs. Vancouver Canucks (4-5-1) November 5, 2021 10:00 pm EDT The Line: Vancouver Canucks -120 / Nashville Predators +100; Over/Under: 5.5 |
Odds of Fridays game are Via Sportschatplace.com
My Pick: Under 5.5 Goals as both teams are currently in the bottom half of the league in scoring. Demko has played exceptional while the Canucks struggle to score goals.
Predictions:
My Prediction: 3-2 Canucks
