Canucks lines @ Sharks: Expected lineups and goalies

VANCOUVER, CANADA - DECEMBER 27: Jack Studnicka #18 of the Vancouver Canucks and Mario Ferraro #38 of the San Jose Sharks battle for position during the second period of their NHL game at Rogers Arena on December 27, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, CANADA - DECEMBER 27: Jack Studnicka #18 of the Vancouver Canucks and Mario Ferraro #38 of the San Jose Sharks battle for position during the second period of their NHL game at Rogers Arena on December 27, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Getty Images)

The Vancouver Canucks (6-2-1) play the winless San Jose Sharks (0-8-1) for the first time this season as they seek to keep their hot streak rolling into November. This game will be an important one for the Canucks, as a much tougher test lies ahead with the Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Maple Leafs all on tap over the next nine days. Thatcher Demko will make his second consecutive start tonight against the Sharks, with Casey DeSmith backing him up.

Canucks lines vs Sharks (proj.)

Phillip Di Giuseppe – J.T. Miller – Brock Boeser

Ilya Mikheyev – Elias Pettersson – Andrei Kuzmenko

Dakota Joshua – Pius Suter – Conor Garland

Nils Hoglander – Sam Lafferty – Anthony Beauvillier

Canucks defense:

Quinn Hughes – Filip Hronek

Ian Cole – Mark Friedman

Carson Soucy – Tyler Myers

Canucks goaltending:

Thatcher Demko starts, with Casey DeSmith serving as the backup.

Notes:

  • Dakota Joshua was originally supposed to be a scratch last game, but ended up replacing Jack Studnicka in the lineup.
  • Anthony Beauvillier wound up playing on the fourth line as a result, but put up two assists against the Predators anyway.
  • Head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters that he has a ‘couple of game-time decisions‘, but we don’t know what that means just yet.

Sharks lines (proj.)

Anthony Duclair – Tomas Hertl – Fabian Zetterlund

William Eklund – Mikael Granlund – Luke Kunin

Mike Hoffman – Nico Sturm – Filip Zadina

Givani Smith – Ryan Carpenter – Kevin Labanc

Sharks defense:

Mario Ferraro – Ty Emberson

Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Kyle Burroughs

Matt Benning (IR) – Jan Rutta

Sharks goaltending: 

Kaapo Kahkonen should start as he’s started just once since Oct. 19. Mackenzie Blackwood, who’s handled a ton of work for the Sharks so far, should get the night off.

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For those looking to catch this matchup tonight, the game will be broadcast on Sportsnet Pacific, and can be heard on Sportsnet 650.