Canucks make Multiple moves... - This has Major implications

Vancouver Canucks have lost 8 in a row, and with that, Manny Malhotra has made changes to the lineup. With Marco Rossi coming back, we see Malhotra make a shakeup, not only with the forwards, but now a major question sitting around the goaltending. We're gonna dive into everything you need to know heading into their game versus the Detroit Red Wings. The Canucks have 2 wins, 8 regulation losses, and 1 overtime loss, 5 points in their last 11 games. They have not won since October 3rd, and the Detroit Red Wings are in Rogers Arena tonight. So we're going to dive into the four updates. Of course, with the new lineups that Manny Malhotra is pushing out versus Detroit in hopes to get a win, we see Marco Rossi return and what he brings to the team. Any update on Filip Hronek as we see the reduction in ice time continue to rise, adding a lot of questions around this team. But before we get into that, if you guys are enjoying daily content around the Vancouver Canucks and you want to stay up to date with everything to do around the team, make sure to go down and hit that free subscribe button, it means the absolute world, and I'll keep you guys up to date with everything to do with the Canucks. First, let's take a look at where things stand. The streak started October 4th at home against Vegas. Then they lost all six games on the Eastern Conference road trip, and Tuesday night, Carolina beat them 6-3 at home. The only point in the streak came in Florida, a 3-2 overtime loss on October 15th. Over those 8 games, the Vancouver Canucks have scored 16 goals, but gave up a shocking 36 to the opposing teams. Tuesday night, it was tied 3-3, and going into the third period, Carolina scored 3 unanswered goals. That is 4 games in a row where the Canucks were tied, or leading going into the third, and somehow lost. Carolina also had 44 shots, to Vancouver's sadly 17. Pettersson said it afterwards, it sucks losing, I do not have any good words for it, and Manny Malhotra said 40 is not good enough, 45 is not good enough, 50 is not good enough in this league, which is why he's went out to change the line. Update 1 going into this game is what Manny Malhotra has done to this new look lines in hope to set things straight. Tuesday against Carolina. The lines were Jake DeBrusk centered by Elias Pettersson and Carlson, Paul Cotter with Filip Hronek and Brock Boeser, Drew O'Connor with Liam Ogren and Jonathan Leckermackie, then Arshdeep Baines, Max Sasson, and Brandon Gallagher rounding out the fourth line. But this where Manny Malhotra made a complete shakeup. Wednesday, in practice, Drew O'Connor, Pedersen, and Carlson, Paul Cotter with Marco Rossi, who just returned, and Besser, Jake DeBrusque with Hedl and Leckermackie, and Liam Ogren, Sasson, and Brandon Gallagher on the 4th. So the changes. Rossi is back in. O'Connor gives the center back the wing. Filip Hedl moves between Jake DeBrusque and Jonathan Leckermackie and DeBrusque who was on Pedersen's top line drops to the 3rd. Now of course this could change in the middle of the game but Manny Malhotra is proving a point by doing a complete shakeup on these forward lines as the production just has not been there at the moment. Now of course update 2. The biggest update is Marco Rossi return. Rossi missed the last two games with an illness. Both were losses. Tampa on October 17th, and Carolina on Tuesday. He skated Wednesday and is slotted between Paul Cotter and Brock Besser. So what does Marco Rossi bring to the lineup again? First, he is the natural center, and the Canucks needed one. With Rossi out, Drew O'Connor was playing center, and O'Connor won 35% of his faceoffs. Rossi has won 55%. Pedersen is at 47%. Second, which is the most important, is he shoots. 16 shots in 9 games. For a team that takes 20.7 shots a game as a whole, That is a lot of offense running through one player. And thirdly is he balances out the lines. Wednesday there were three natural centers. Pedersen, Rossi, and Hedl. And when Malhotra was asked about it, he said it does a lot of terms in slotting guys in where they need to be and putting guys in the right position. And one thing to remember was where Rossi was last season. He came over from Minnesota and had 22 points in 33 games with Vancouver. Late in the year he played with Besser and Liam Öhlin and that line created chances at an incredible rate. Now to the honest part. Rossi scored 3 goals and had an assist in the first 2 games of the season, since then 7 games without a point, and the Canucks were 2-6-1 with him in the lineup, and 0-2 without him. He does not fix the lineup himself but is a huge step in the right direction. And Manny Malhotra has been clear what he wants to see from Rossi. Being in our top 6, we would like to see some more offensive production, and that isn't just for Rossi. Which goes into update number 3, which is a very easy one to miss, and that is the minutes that Filip Hronek has been getting since returning. Hedl has only played three games this year, and none of them were short nights. 1830 in Florida, 2031 in the Tampa Bay game, and 1843 against Carolina. That is an average of about 19 minutes per game. Daily Hive broke it down at even strength. Over the last three games, Filip Hronek is averaging 17:39 a night. That is more minutes than a game over any other Canucks forward. Pedersen is sitting at 1343. Part of it is the penalty kill. And Malhotra's explanation was simple. Speed and size. He said those are the two main assets getting him the minutes. But here's the catch. Hedl has no goals and two assists in those three games, and he has won 36% of his faceoffs, so it is a lot of trust from a coach in a small sample size, and tonight's just another tough test for the forward. And that leads me to look at this line heading into tonight's game. We know Jake DeBrusk and Jonathan Lekhachok both have seven points on the season, so if this can get the production going, for Filippito, that is a newfound gold line for the Canucks. And update four is, of course, the rest of the roster, which we're going to break down super fast. On defense, Victor Mancini skated with Zbořil at practice, and Luke Shen was on the extra pair. That suggests that Victor Mancini will get into the game tonight with Luke Schenn being an extra top pair the exact same DPD with Filip Hronek, Hronek plays 25.6 minutes a night the most on the team and he is a minus ace on IR of course Thatcher Demko is still out and his estimated return is December 21st now with Marco Rossi returning of course we have another forward back and the Vancouver Canucks have been kind of lucky when it comes to not many players out these are all estimated return dates so these are not a guaranteed but the canucks are looking at the return for multiple guys including Marco Rossi tonight and hopefully Thatcher Demko in the near future. And then we get into update number five, which a lot of Canucks fans are truly wondering on a game-by-game basis, and that's who's between the pipes. Kevin Lankinen has played seven games. He is one win and six regulation losses with 6.4 goals against average and a 8.07 save percentage. That is the worst save percentage in the NHL among goaltenders with more than one start. Miro Heiskanen has also played seven games. He's in one win, two regulation losses, and one overtime loss, with a 2.95 goals against average and a .901 save percentage, and he stopped Sebastian Aho on a penalty shot just this past Tuesday. So who starts tonight? Well, Miro Heiskanen is on for an extra skate with the Vancouver Canucks, so there's a strong chance that Kevin Lankinen will be the starting goaltender heading into their game versus Detroit. Here's the twist. Lankinen has some good games against Detroit in his career. 5 wins, 4 losses, and 1 overtime loss, a .93 save percentage in 10 games. And the Detroit's goalie John Gibson is 15-5-2 against the Canucks with 9.33. Now the final update is getting into special teams, and specifically the penalty kill. The Canucks entered Tuesday with the worst penalty kill in the NHL, 58.1%. They killed all of Carolina's power plays that game, which pulled them to 63.9% through 11 games. Detroit's penalty kill is 68.7%. Their power play and Vancouver's are identical, 21.9%. So special teams are close to a coin flip, which means every penalty matters, including Pedersen's stick throw on Tuesday, which he called one of the dumbest things he's done on ice. Now the team in the other room. The Red Wings are 3-3-3. They have a point in 5 straight games, 2 wins, and 3 overtime or shootout losses. Tuesday in Seattle, they were down 3-0 in the 3rd and tied it. That loss in a shootout. Alex DeBrincat tied with 17 seconds left. It was his 6th goal of the season and 300th goal of his career. He leads Detroit with 11 points in 9 games. The lines to know. DeBrincat, Emi Fit, and MBN on the 1st. Victor Arvidsson, Dylan Larkin, and Lucas Raymond on the 2nd, with Mo Seider playing 26 minutes a night. The Red Wings won both meetings last season, and they outscored the Vancouver Canucks 9-1 in them. Thursday is the first of the two meetings this season. The second is in Detroit on November 25th. Injuries matter for Detroit as well. Marco Casper, Mason Appleton are just the start of the list for multiple players that are out for the Detroit Red Wings heading into this game. So here's how I see it tonight. T1 the third period four straight games tied or ahead going into the third and four straight losses if they're going to tie after 40 minutes they have to play a different third period completely T2 is the second line with Marco Rossi returning how the production looks with Marco Rossi now playing with Paul Cotter and Brock Besser and how the new look line with Philip Hedley playing with Jonathan Lekkermaa and Jakub Roskvist's newfound offense to add to a desperate team looking for it T3 is shots. Detroit takes 29.8 shots a game and gives up 27. Vancouver takes 20.7 and gives up 33.7. The gap is mostly on Vancouver. And of course, point four is looking at the Vancouver Canucks goaltending situation. Who gets the start tonight with Kevin Lankinen looking like the suspected starter and John Gibson's performance after an incredible career versus the Canucks, Seeing can we rewrite history for the first time it ever feels like Now of course going into this game there's going to be a lot to look at The forward lines, the new look of them How Manny Malhotra looks to deploy these lines If holding a third pair which we're desperately looking for But Canucks fans it feels like one of those games We're finally going to get back into the win column And with a team that's struggling with their own situation With their captain and players not signed I do truly think the Canucks can come out with a win tonight Let me know your thoughts down in the comments, though. What is your thoughts on the new lines from Manny Malhotra with Marco Rossi stationed on the third with Philip Hedley getting increased minutes and two new line mates? What is your thoughts on everything around the Canucks? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments. And if you made it this far, make sure to hit that free subscribe button. What is your thoughts on this new content? Do you enjoy this? Let me know all your thoughts down there because I love reading through it. Take care, Canucks fans, and I'll see you in the next one.