Vancouver Canucks Round 1, Game 2 Preview: A Chance To Head To Nashville With A 2-0 Series Lead

Adam Kierszenblat

Apr 23, 2024, 07:01

Adam Kierszenblat

Apr 23, 2024, 07:01

The Vancouver Canucks will be looking to build off their 4-2 Game 1 win as they take on the Nashville Predators in Game 2 on Tuesday night.

After a strong performance in Game 1, the Vancouver Canucks will look to extend their series to 2-0 against the Nashville Predators. The last time Rogers Arena hosted a Game 2 was on April 17, 2015, when Vancouver defeated the Calgary Flames 4-1. With a win, the Canucks would improve their record to 6-2 all-time against the Predators, which would be tied with the Minnesota Wild for seventh on the franchise's all-time playoff wins against an opponent list.

The big question for Vancouver heading into this game will be hitting the net. In Game 1, the Canucks missed the net 20 times while having 14 others blocked. While Vancouver did show they can capitalize on low shot totals, finishing the game with 21 shots on net, having that many missed shot attempts on a nightly basis could cause trouble as the series progresses.

Just like in Game 1, the Canucks also need to make sure they build off of the crowd. If the atmosphere is anything like Sunday night, it should give Vancouver a slight boost while also creating an intimidating scenario for Nashville. It is clear from the player's comments that the fans played a part in their Game 1 win; now, the Canucks need to replicate that success and send the Rogers Arena crowd home happy for the second consecutive game.

Player to Watch

Elias Lindholm

Elias Lindholm was fantastic in Game 1 at both ends of the ice. He scored a goal, threw five hits and was able to shut down the Predators' top line all night at even strength. If he can replicate his performance, Vancouver should have no problem leaving Game 2 with a 2-0 series lead.

Colton Sissons

Colton Sissons had a solid first game of the series. Nashville's third-line center left a strong impression on the game, finishing with three shots and three hits while going 50% in the faceoff dot. Projected to match up against Elias Pettersson all game, he will be a pain in the Canucks side every time he is on the ice.

Canucks Projected Lineup

Suter-Miller-Boeser

Lafferty-Pettersson-Höglander

Joshua-Lindholm-Garland

Di Giuseppe-Blueger-Mikheyev

Hughes- Hronek

Soucy- Myers

Zadorov- Cole

DeSmith

Šilovs

Predators Projected Lines

Forsberg- O'Reilly- Nyquist