Vegas Golden Knights Vs. Canucks Game 3: Lineup, TV, Odds, More
Things are really heating up for the Vegas Golden Knights as they prepare for Game 3.
We have a series on our hands now after the Vancouver Canucks won Game 2 5-2, which came in the wake of the Vegas Golden Knights taking the opening contest of this series.
Game 3 was of course meant to take place on Thursday but was postponed as the NHL joined the rest of the sporting world in protesting against social injustice following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.
As a result, the Golden Knights will now have to navigate a crucial back-to-back this weekend with Game 4 slated to be played on Sunday.
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It does mean that both teams should be well-rested heading into Game 3 and that should translate to a mouthwatering contest as the Knights and the Canucks look to seize the initiative in this series.
The Skinny
This could be a long series.
Styles make fights after all and we have a hell of a fight on our hands.
The Golden Knights are big, they are skilled and you name it, they can play anyway you want and they are the best team in the NHL when it comes to keeping hold of the puck.
The Vancouver Canucks, on the other hand, are quick and they boast an abundance of skill thanks to their core of young studs, led by Calder Trophy finalist Quinn Hughes and phenom forward Elias Pettersson.
But the Canucks also have players who can play a real gritty game of hockey when required, and they’ve been getting great goaltending from Jacob Markstrom.
They proved in Game 2 that they have the firepower to go toe-to-toe with the Golden Knights too, and this weekend will be crucial in determining the eventual outcome of this series.
The extra rest should have been beneficial for both teams and that should only be reflected tonight, with the chance to go up in the series and seize the momentum on the line.
Betting Odds
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Streaming
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Projected Lineups
As mentioned above, the extra rest between Games 2 & 3 should be incredibly beneficial for both teams.
For the Golden Knights it would have allowed them to heal any minor knocks and bruises, so I wouldn’t expect any major lineup changes tonight.
However, the biggest question going into tonight’s game is who gets the start in net for the Golden Knights?
We covered it in-depth here but Robin Lehner has been lights out so far during the postseason and should get the start in Game 3, although there is a back-to-back to worry about this weekend.
Marc-Andre Fleury should start one of the games but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him between the pipes in Game 4 given that Lehner has had an extra couple of days to recharge the batteries.
This is the Vegas Golden Knights Projected Lineup, per nhl.com…
Max Pacioretty – William Karlsson – Mark Stone
Jonathan Marchessault – Paul Stastny – Reilly Smith
Nick Cousins – Nicolas Roy – Alex Tuch
William Carrier – Chandler Stephenson – Ryan Reaves
Robin Lehner
Marc-Andre Fleury
Like the Golden Knights, there isn’t expected to be any real lineup changes for the Vancouver Canucks tonight.
And why should there be?
They showed their talent in Game 2 and they will again lean on good goaltending from Jacob Markstrom, a solid blueline and big games from the likes of Bo Horvat, J.T. Miller, Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson.
This is the Vancouver Canucks Projected Lineup for Game 3, per nhl.com…
Tanner Pearson – Elias Pettersson – Tyler Toffoli
J.T. Miller – Bo Horvat – Brock Boeser
Antoine Roussel – Adam Gaudette – Brandon Sutter
Jake Virtanen – Jay Beagle – Tyler Motte
Alexander Edler – Troy Stecher
Christopher Tanev – Quinn Hughes
Oscar Fantenberg – Jordie Benn
Jacob Markstrom
Thatcher Demko
Team Leaders
Vegas Golden Knights Postseason Leaders
Shea Theodore: 11 points (4 G, 7 A)
Mark Stone: 10 points (5 G, 5 A)
Reilly Smith: 10 points (4 G, 6 A)
Alex Tuch: 8 points (6 G, 2 A)
Jonathan Marchessault: 8 points (3 G, 5 A)
Vancouver Canucks Postseason Leaders
Elias Pettersson: 16 points (5 G, 11 A)
J.T. Miller: 11 points (5 G, 6 A)
Quinn Hughes: 11 points (1 G, 10 A)
Bo Horvat: 10 points (8 G, 2 A)
Brock Boeser: 9 points (3 G, 6 A)
Stats
Power Play: VGK: 21.4% (8th) – VAN: 25.0% (6th)
Penalty Kill: VGK: 85.7% (5th) – VAN: 79.6% (15th)
Faceoff: VGK: 44.5% (23rd) – VAN: 54.8% (3rd)
GF/GP: VGK: 3.70 (3rd) – VAN: 3.25 (6th)
GA/GP: VGK: 2.60 (10th) – VAN: 2.75 (12th)
Prediction
I think the Golden Knights will come out firing and, while the Canucks will give as good as they’ve got, superior depth will help push Vegas over the line in Game 3.
Game Info
Puck Drop: 6:45 p.m. PT
Venue: Rogers Place, Edmonton
TV: NBCSN
Radio: FOX Sports 98.9/1340 | Deportes Vegas 1460