Vancouver Canucks Gameday Preview #62: A Battle With The Blackhawks On Trade Deadline Day

Happy Trade Deadline day, Vancouver Canucks fans. After the deadline passes at 12:00 pm PT later today, the Canucks (18–36–7) will take on the Chicago Blackhawks (23–28–10) in what will be the first of a road back-to-back. Vancouver’s last matchup saw the team show a little spirit, attempting a comeback but ultimately falling 6–4 to the Carolina Hurricanes at home. Chicago’s last game also ended in a loss, with the Blackhawks falling to the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 3–2 in overtime.

Today’s game will be an interesting one to watch, as the moves made ahead of the deadline today could cause both teams to look different from how they appeared at the start of the day. Already, both teams have gotten moves in ahead of the deadline, with the Canucks trading Tyler Myers to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday and Conor Garland to the Columbus Blue Jackets last night, and the Blackhawks dealing Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach to the Edmonton Oilers for Andrew Mangiapane and a first-round pick. It’s currently unclear whether either team will make another move before 12:00 pm PT or not. 

Vancouver is coming off what many view as the perfect tank game on Wednesday, as they managed to put up a decent comeback effort against the Hurricanes but ultimately fell short. Key players in Vancouver’s lineup — Filip Hronek, Elias Pettersson, and Marco Rossi — all recorded multi-point games, while Nils Höglander scored his first goal of the season. While the decisions made leading into the deadline could impact how the team looks come puck drop, Wednesday’s effort should be something the team looks to build on when they face the Blackhawks later today. 

Marco Rossi

Rossi had what’s been considered his best game in a Canucks uniform on Wednesday, putting up a goal and an assist in Vancouver’s loss to the Hurricanes. Prior to that, the forward’s last point came on December 27 against the San Jose Sharks, though he missed the entire month of January and parts of February due to injury. If Rossi remains paired with Brock Boeser and Liam Öhgren tonight, the two wingers he played with on Wednesday, it’ll be interesting to see if they can replicate their success from the prior game.  

Connor Bedard

Regardless of who he’s playing against, Connor Bedard is always a treat to watch. In his last game against the Canucks on November 5, the forward scored his first goal against his hometown team in a 5–2 win for Chicago. Since returning from the Olympic break, Bedard has put up a point-per-game pace all against Central Division teams. Chicago’s lines still have yet to be altered to fit Mangiapane in, though Bedard will likely contribute lots offensively no matter who he ends up playing with. 

Vancouver Canucks (18–36–7): 

Points: 

Elias Pettersson: 13–24–37

Filip Hronek: 6–29–35

Jake DeBrusk: 13–17–30

Brock Boeser: 13–14–27

Evander Kane: 11–16–27

Goaltenders: 

Thatcher Demko: 8–10–1

Kevin Lankinen: 7–20–4

Nikita Tolopilo: 3–5–2

Jiří Patera: 0–1–0

Chicago Blackhawks (23–28–10): 

Points: 

Connor Bedard: 25–32–57 

Tyler Bertuzzi: 26–19–45

Andre Burakovsky: 10–20–30

Teuvo Teräväinen: 13–15–28

Ryan Donato: 13–12–25 

Goaltenders: 

Spencer Knight: 16–18–8

Arvid Söderblom: 6–9–2

Drew Commesso: 1–1–0

Game Information: 

Start time: 5:30 pm PT 

Venue: United Center 

Television: Sportsnet

Radio: Sportsnet 650 

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