Canucks Gameday Preview: First meeting against the Winnipeg Jets

After a lengthy six-game home stand, the Vancouver Canucks are set to face off against the Jets tonight in Winnipeg.

The team has now rattled off three consecutive wins — albeit all against the Senators — and played arguably their most complete game on Thursday, while also outscoring Ottawa 16-3 during their brief mini-series.

Even so, the score doesn’t accurately reflect the level of competition in those matches, as both Thatcher Demko and Braden Holtby had to stand tall during certain moments to tilt the ice in Vancouver’s favour.

If the Canucks hope to defeat Winnipeg, they’ll need to keep improving their overall play as the Jets have gotten off to a fast start this year.

Vancouver’s lineup

The Canucks went with this lineup last game, and it will stay mostly intact tonight.

The one definite change will come in net, as Demko is slated to start. The only other tweaks that could be made would be swapping out Jalen Chatfield for Olli Juolevi and Adam Gaudette for Jake Virtanen.

The second scenario is more likely to happen since Chatfield has played quite well after returning from a brief injury while neither Gaudette nor Virtanen have solidified a permanent spot in the lineup thus far. Nothing has been confirmed yet, so we’ll likely know with more certainty closer to puck drop.

Winnipeg’s lineup

As previously mentioned, the Jets have gotten off to a fast start this year with a 5-2 record. The scary thing is, they may have even improved following the recent Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic for Pierre-Luc Dubois trade.

Yes, Laine might be a better player than Dubois in a vacuum, and Roslovic is no slouch either. However, it’s pretty obvious that Dubois fits with Winnipeg better given their previous lack of centre depth and need for more defensive-minded forwards. Fortunately for Vancouver, Dubois won’t be able to join the team yet due to Canada’s COVID protocols, so the Canucks have an opportunity to steal a game against a somewhat shorthanded Jets team.

Right now, Paul Statsny is currently filling in for Dubois as Winnipeg’s second-line centre.

Expect Connor Helleybuyck to get the start in net, as he’s had three days off before tonight’s game.

Players to watch

Thatcher Demko: Demko’s two wins against Ottawa have been somewhat overshadowed by the lopsided scores, but he was instrumental in both victories. If it weren’t for him, the Canucks would’ve had a much tougher time beating the Senators, especially in the second match when they fired 24 shots on net in the first period alone. Let’s see if he could keep up his stellar play tonight.

Nikolaj Ehlers: Over the past few seasons, Ehlers has largely been overshadowed by Laine and Kyle Connor, the two other young wingers on the Jets. That won’t be the case much longer, as Ehlers has been Winnipeg’s most dangerous forward and one of the best players in the entire league this year, as he’s currently tied for fourth in point with 11 in just seven games.

Puck drops at 7 PM Pacific Time tonight. It’s been nice seeing the Canucks win three in a row, but we need to keep in mind that those were all against a struggling Ottawa team. This game will signify whether Vancouver has truly turned a corner or not, and the schedule doesn’t get much easier with Montreal coming up once again. Let’s hope the team makes it four in a row!