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It’s been a tough series for Vancouver Canucks defenceman Ian Cole.
The 35-year-old grizzled veteran brings leadership and playoff experience to Vancouver’s blue line, and he knows what it takes to win a Stanley Cup.
But the first three games against the Edmonton Oilers have been mostly a nightmare for him.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins passed a puck through his legs on Zach Hyman’s power-play goal in Game 1. In the same game, it was his giveaway that led to Mattias Ekholm’s goal, and the puck deflected off him on Cody Ceci’s harmless-looking point shot that found the back of the net.
In Game 2, he effectively scored on his own goalie in overtime. Some fans were calling for Cole to come out of the lineup after that gaffe, but Rick Tocchet stuck with his veteran.
They’re going to need Cole to step up in Game 4, with Carson Soucy out due to suspension.
Cole will move to the left side, where he’s more comfortable. That means he’ll either play difficult minutes with Tyler Myers or the bottom pairing with Noah Juulsen.
The Canucks didn’t do line rushes at today’s optional morning skate, so we’ll need to wait for the pre-game warmup to see who he plays with.
If Cole plays with Myers, it means big minutes against either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, who are expected to play on separate lines in Game 4. If he instead plays with Juulsen, the Oilers could look to exploit the Canucks’ bottom pair.
Is he up for the challenge? We’ll find out tonight.