The Vancouver Canucks are in Nashville for games three and four of the opening round of the playoffs. Following a split on home ice, the series is tied at one game apiece.
Friday’s game is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. PT start.
We will continue with our Playoff Notebook series, bringing you the quotes, stats, and tidbits that help add to your fandom. The Canucks arrived in Nashville on Wednesday and practiced on Thursday ahead of their game on Friday evening.
The Canucks won both of their games in Nashville during the regular season. The combined score was 8-4 in the two matchups. Quinn Hughes and Ilya Mikheyev led the way in the two road games against the Preds – each of them putting up a goal and two assists.
Let’s dive into today’s playoff notebook and give you what you need to know.
From the Coach
Rick Tocchet met with the media on Wednesday following the team travelling to Nashville.
He was asked if some work in the film room sparked any adjustments he wanted with his group.
“They played really well defensively,” said Tocchet. “They blocked a lot of shots. They did a lot of good things. There are a few tweaks that we can do, but I don't think there's a major game plan changed honestly, I just think you stick with what got us here, but there are some tweaks I'd like to see us do differently. And we'll work on that in practice [on Thursday].”
This series sees the longest travel between the two cities in the playoffs. The Canucks travelling to Nashville is over 1000 kilometres longer than the second-longest travel between cities in the opening round of the playoffs (Edmonton and Los Angeles).
Tocchet is not worried about the trip and is more locked in on making a few slight changes and getting back in the win column for game three.
"Every game has a life of its own in the playoffs,” said Tocchet. “So, you move on from it, you learn from both sides and then you make a few adjustments. You do some work individually with certain players and then you get ready for game three. I think we're very confident going on the road. We know how to travel well.”
The coach also confirmed that Casey DeSmith would return to the net for game three and that Tyler Myers is fine and had a good practice on Thursday. Myers missed game two with the flu.
From the Room
As a reigning Stanley Cup champion, Teddy Blueger knows that the road to the cup is not a straight line from start to finish.
“We weren’t really expecting to go through four-to-zero, there's going to be challenges [and] ups-and-downs,” said Blueger. “It's pretty normal, we're in it now so we just have to embrace it, improve on the things that we can do better and just keep competing and fighting for the next one.”
A little crowd noise isn’t anything new for these players and Blueger wants his group to embrace the atmosphere on Friday night.
“I don't know that you do anything different,” he said. “You know it’s going to be loud, and you know they're going to be on top of you. They've had some big playoff games here before. We expect it to be rowdy and loud. It can be challenging at times, but we’ve got to embrace that and stick together and do a good job supporting one another.”
Insider Extra
Our Kate Pettersen caught up with Dakota Joshua for a quick one-on-one hit to ask a few questions.
You are leading this series with 14 hits, how important has it been for you to play physically early in this series?
“Very important,” said Joshua. “You never know how long it's going to go, so, you’ve got to play physical every chance you get to wear them down. And hopefully, the hits add up later in the series. I get a little extra fire for sure. It's exciting to battle and it brings the most out of me. Hopefully, it pays off.”
Rick Tocchet spoke about wanting to see you guys play more ‘road hockey,’ what does that mean for you?
“Just playing hard and going to the dirty areas. Maybe not making the prettiest play, but the one that'll get you farther. No high-risk plays and just be hard around both nets. Not giving them anything easy.”
Your coach mentioned being the villain on the road, do you enjoy that?
“I like that a lot. It's a you guys against the world mentality. The only people on your side are those on the bench with you. So yeah, it brings a good element to be hated. If you're getting booed or they're not a fan of you, that means you're doing the right thing. So, it propels me to the best hockey I can play.”
How important are the guys on the coaching staff and them bringing all their experience to the players at this time of the year?
“It's really nice for them just to share their personal experiences and give us an idea of what to expect even though it was a little bit of a long time ago for some of them,” he said with a laugh. “They come in and share things that they think are important stories here and there. They have all been very successful, they know that this is just the start. There will be more bumps in the road to get to where we want to go, and they help keep it relaxed and not so uptight the whole time. They do a good job of keeping it loose.”
By The Numbers
- The shots on net have almost been equal through the first two games of the series. The Canucks have 39 shots on net while the Preds have hit the net 38 times.
- Vancouver has 64 scoring chances compared to 41 for Nashville.
- The biggest number for the Preds this series has been their 53 blocked shots through two games.
- J.T. Miller (11) and Pius Suter (10) are the two Canucks with double-digit scoring chances so far in the series.
- At five-on-five, Pius Suter has been on the ice for 17 scoring chances for and only three scoring chances against. His 85% control of on-ice scoring chances at five-on-five is the highest through the playoffs of any forward in the league.
- Quinn Hughes leads the Canucks in ice time through two games. He played 22:20 in game one and 27:29 in game two.
- Miller has won 29 of his 45 faceoffs through two games – good enough for a 64.4% winning percentage.
Rogers Arena Viewing Party
Though the team is on the road in Nashville, you can be a part of the atmosphere at Rogers Arena as we will be hosting a viewing party for game three.
Presented by Rogers, the viewing party is a ticketed event, costing $15, with proceeds benefiting the Canucks for Kids Fund.
With doors opening at 3:30 p.m., fans should plan to be in their seats in time to experience the authentic pre-game show before puck drop.
From the entire pre-game video sequence to the national anthem, siren crank, Al Murdoch, FIN, and in-game hosts, fans will be entertained just like a Canucks home playoff game.
Rally towels will be on every seat and live music, contests and giveaways will take place during breaks and intermissions.
Visit canucks.com/watch to secure tickets for this family-friendly event.
*And this just in, we have opened the upper bowl as well!
Friday is a 4:30 pm PT start time and if you are not able to make it down to our viewing party at Rogers Arena, you can watch the game on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor on the radio play-by-play with Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
