Good Co. Bars is your home for the playoffs! Enjoy $5 beers, prizes, a full game-day experience, and the best atmosphere to catch the game. Join us at any of our five locations.
The Vancouver Canucks’ “next man up” mentality will be tested once again tomorrow night.
With news of Carson Soucy’s one-game suspension coming this afternoon, it seems likely that Noah Juulsen will draw into the team’s lineup. The 27-year-old has played one postseason game earlier this run when Tyler Myers was sick.
Juulsen had a career-best season with seven points in 54 games. He was a reliable depth option for the Canucks throughout the year and established himself as an everyday NHLer.
“We’re lucky we have him as technically our seventh [defenceman] right now,” said Rick Tocchet today. “He’s been a big contributor all year and played in some tough spots. We’re really confident in Juuls, that’s why we’ve got him.”
The Canucks’ organizational depth has been tested throughout these playoffs. Third-string goalie Arturs Silovs has been a breakout star and regular AHL players like Linus Karlsson have been handed huge opportunities.
“I think we’ve done that all year,” said Juulsen about the team’s “next man up” mentality. “Guys have been injured here and there. Anybody who’s gotten into the lineup I think has done a great job at filling that role.”
The BC native made major strides with his penalty-killing and defensive game. He’ll likely log minutes against the Edmonton Oilers’ historic power play group tomorrow night.
“Obviously, they’re a hot unit right now, but I think for us, it’s just continued to do the things that we need to do to be successful and not get away from that right now,” said Juulsen about his role on the penalty kill.
Juulsen hasn’t played since April 23, meaning he’s gone nearly three full weeks without any game action. He’ll now be dropped right into a tense and physical playoff series.
“The longer you’re out, the harder it gets, but I think as a group, we try to keep each other engaged and stay on it the best we can,” he said after today’s practice.
The forced substitution of Juulsen for Soucy does mean that the Canucks will go back to having a balanced blue line with three left-handed players and three right-handed players.
With Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek solidified as the team’s top pair, Juulsen will likely skate alongside either Ian Cole or Nikita Zadorov. Those were his two most popular partners during the regular season, and he spent a similar amount of time with each.
Here is how Juulsen did with both Cole and Zadorov at five-on-five this season.
| Pairing | TOI | Shots for % | Goals for % | Expected goals for % |
| Juulsen/Cole | 299:03 | 50.39% | 57.86% | 50.86% |
| Juulsen/Zadorov | 229 | 50.26% | 55% | 42.59% |
The two options have very similar numbers, although Juulsen and Cole did do a better job with the expected goals share. However, Tocchet may view that duo as too slow to put together.
We’ll likely get a first look at the units that Tocchet puts together tomorrow morning at pre-game skate.
The Canucks and Oilers face off in Game 4 of their series tomorrow at 7 pm PT.