The Vancouver Canucks are gearing up for their biggest game of the season so far, with the chance to take a stranglehold in their Stanley Cup playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers.
The Canucks lead the best-of-seven series 2-1, and victory on Tuesday night would give them a chance to eliminate their Alberta rivals in Game 5 on Thursday night at Rogers Arena.
Numerous public viewing opportunities will be available throughout the Lower Mainland for fans who want a crowd experience for the matchup.
Tuesday’s contest will look a little bit different than the three prior games.
Edmonton is starting backup goalie Calvin Pickard as they seek to reset after going down 2-1 in the series.
Oilers starting goalie Stuart Skinner has given up 12 goals on just 58 shots so far.
On the flip side, Vancouver will be without Carson Soucy for Game 4 after the 6-foot-5 defenceman was assessed a one-game suspension for cross-checking Oilers superstar Connor McDavid during a scrum following the final whistle in Sunday’s game.
The incident has dominated social media chatter and could provide a physical spark to what was already sure to be an intense matchup.
As to the potential for lingering bad blood from the incident — which saw Soucy suspended and defenceman Nikita Zadorov fined, but no supplemental discipline for a slash by McDavid or another cross-check by Edmonton’s Zach Hyman — Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said, “It’s over.”
“I think Connor said it. It’s tough hockey, he loves these types of games, we say the same thing,” Tocchet said.
Despite that, with Edmonton expected to bring a physical game Tuesday night, the coach stressed the need to stay disciplined and to focus on the task at hand.
“This is a game we’ve got to win,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter if we are three down or three up. You have to think that way in the playoffs.”
Quizzed about the incident and the league’s response on Tuesday, Zadorov quipped, “Unfortunately, that’s the world we’re living in.”
“Sometimes social media and public … can create some hard decisions for specific people, and they might make questionable decisions at the end of the day,” he said.
“At the end of the day, they have to protect their investment, so that’s my understanding.”
Tocchet confirmed Noah Juulsen will take Soucy’s place and hinted Vancouver could potentially make one other lineup change, without providing details.
“Great shot blocker, physical, even five-on-five he’s one of our best hitters, so that’s another element he’s going to bring into our lineup,” Tocchet said of Juulsen.
Tocchet said the team has worked with mixing up defensive pairs throughout the season to prepare for situations like this, and are prepared to defend by “committee” to limit opportunities for Edmonton stars McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Defenceman Tyler Myers, who typically pairs with Soucy, acknowledged the one-game loss would be a “big one,” but said Vancouver would stick to its system and bring the same level of intensity it has every game so far.
“We know they are going to play their most desperate game of the series and we have to do the same,” he said.
Tuesday’s matchup begins at 6:30 p.m. PT.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.