Rogers Arena; Vancouver, BC 7:00 PM ET; CBC (National) SBN Opponent Coverage: Nucks Misconduct
Matchup
The Leafs play in Vancouver in their final game on the Western Canada road swing, and their fourth stop on a five-game road trip. There isn't much noteworthy to say about this team. The Leafs have dropped all three games on the roadtrip by a combined 15-6 score. They haven't won in Vancouver since 2003. Everyone in British Columbia is going to complain about having to watch 4 PM because boo hoo my ego is so fragile. Frank Corrado gets a chance to haunt the team that let him walk for nothing and could probably use him right about now, so I suppose there's that.
The Canucks are one of those teams that, as Down Goes Brown puts it, is "prebuilding." This is a team that really should just be doing a full-scale rebuild. That said, through a combination of factors- a weak Pacific Division, the difficulty of trading the Sedins for emotional or cap reasons, ownership sweating over season ticket sales- it just isn't going to happen right now. The Canucks sit two points out of a playoff spot, and apparently are reconsider selling any of their pending UFAs in an effort to make a run for a low playoff seed.
Also, the Canucks will be wearing their retro "skate logo" jerseys tonight, which is kinda cool.
Sounds like Brendan Leipsic will make his Leafs debut tonight. Leivo injured. https://t.co/lsATycH7Mg
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) February 13, 2016
Brendan Leipsic and Jeremy Morin have been called up by the Leafs....the 9th and 10th Marlies this season to do so. #tmltalk
— Paul Hendrick (@HennyTweets) February 13, 2016
Probable Leafs Lineup
Nazem Kadri miraculously returns to the lineup after his one game "lower body injury" that was definitely not an in-house suspension or crowbar wound or anything of the sort. Josh Leivo, however, will remain out. James Reimer is the likely starter. (UPDATE: per his own brother, Brendan Leipsic will make his Leafs debut tonight). Today's morning skate lines, per Paul Hendrick:
Grabner - Kadri - Komarov
Holland - Arcobello - Parenteau
Winnik - Spaling - Greening
Leipsic - Froese - Boyes
Hunwick - Rielly
Gardiner - Polak
Marincin - Corrado
Reimer
Probable Vancouver Lineup
Per Jon Abbott of TSN 1040 Vancouver, the probable lineup. I'd expect Ryan Miller to start tonight for the Canucks.
Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Jannik Hansen
Sven Baertschi - Bo Horvat - Radim Vrbata
Alex Burrows - Linden Vey - Emerson Etem
Derek Dorsett - Jared McCann - Jake Virtanen
Ben Hutton - Christopher Tanev
Ryan Miller
Prediction
The Leafs outshoot the Canucks 40-15 and probably lose. Canucks fans make fun of me at the game and make me sad so I go watch Mitch Marner highlights on my phone until I'm not sad anymore.
How delicious are the tears about a 4 PM puck drop?
| Delicious | 29 |
| Scrumptious | 23 |
| Exquisite | 57 |
