Vancouver Canucks Gameday Preview #53: Another Matchup Against The Sharks, Another Celebrini Masterclass

After dropping their second-straight game on home ice, the Vancouver Canucks (17–30–5) will take on the San Jose Sharks (26–21–3) for the third time this season. Vancouver is coming off a 3–2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, while the Sharks last played at home against the New York Rangers in a 3–1 victory. 

Tonight could be the night that Canucks fans welcome Kiefer Sherwood back to Rogers Arena a little more than a week after he was traded for Cole Clayton and two second-round picks. If Sherwood is in the lineup for San Jose, the forward will make a massive difference for the Sharks by providing them with hard forecheck and heavy hits. Sherwood was injured when the Canucks traded him but has joined the Sharks on their road trip and appears to be targeting tonight’s game as his Sharks debut date. 

Vancouver’s lines will likely see some massive shifts tonight, as the Canucks will be without both Brock Boeser and Zeev Buium after the two players sustained injuries on Sunday against the Penguins. The Canucks have also been dealing with an illness throughout the past few days, resulting in players missing practices or even sitting out of games to help recover. For example, Tom Willander missed Vancouver’s practice on Saturday and sat out of Sunday’s game as a result of sickness, while Jake DeBrusk and Elias Pettersson have also both been battling sickness. As a result of the various injury and health issues in the lineup, Vancouver’s lines may look a bit different from what was seen on Sunday. 

Jonathan Lekkerimäki

While his presence in Vancouver’s lineup tonight hasn’t been completely confirmed, the forward was called up from the Abbotsford Canucks on Monday in place of Boeser. Lekkerimäki has been on a heater in the AHL this season, averaging a point per game through 16 games and currently riding a four-game point streak. At the NHL level this season, Lekkerimäki has a goal and an assist in eight games played. During this particular stint with Vancouver — however long that may be — he’ll look to build on this personal success while likely playing in the top-six.   

Macklin Celebrini

It feels obvious to mention Celebrini as a player to watch for in tonight’s game, but with the season he’s been having, it feels unfair not to mention him. The forward put up two multi-point games against his hometown team this season, ultimately contributing to both of Vancouver’s losses. Celebrini is also coming off a game that saw him score two of his team’s three goals, including one scored on the power play.  

Vancouver Canucks (17–30–5): 

Points: 

Elias Pettersson: 13–18–31

Filip Hronek: 4–26–30

Jake DeBrusk: 13–12–25

Brock Boeser: 12–13–25

Linus Karlsson: 11–13–24

Goaltenders: 

Thatcher Demko: 8–10–1

Kevin Lankinen: 7–16–4

Nikita Tolopilo: 2–3–0

Jiří Patera: 0–1–0

San Jose Sharks (26–21–3): 

Points: 

Macklin Celebrini: 26–48–74

Tyler Toffoli: 14–20–34

Alexander Wennberg: 10–24–34

Will Smith: 14–19–33

William Eklund: 11–20–31

Goaltenders: 

Yaroslav Askarov: 16–13–1

Alex Nedeljkovic: 10–8–2  

Game Information: 

Start time: 7:00 pm PT 

Venue: Rogers Arena 

Television: Sportsnet

Radio: Sportsnet 650 

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