Canucks @ Bruins Preview: Shipping out to Nilsson

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      I’m a sailor peg
      And I’ve lost my leg

      While we aren’t sure what exactly a “sailor peg” is — a quick Googling and it seems as though the Dropkick Murphys are referring to a ship’s assistant — it does seem as though the song applies to the Canucks current goaltending situation.

      With his second start in as many nights, Anders Nilsson will don the crease for the Canucks. This is after the team slotted Jacob Markstrom — ostensibly the Canucks’ number one goaltender — in the pipes for the entirety of the team’s four-game homestand.

      But after a shutout against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, it appears that Nilsson may have a leg up, as it were, on the starting job. That, of course, can change very quickly and the odds are high that coach Travis Green will start Markstrom against Buffalo on Friday in the second game of the Canucks’ first back-to-back situation this season.

      And while this probably robs Nilsson of the chance of a revenge game against his former team in the Sabres, the Canucks’ coach — and the rest of us — are eager to see what the big(ger) Swede can do against Boston.

      Here are some other things to watch for tonight — B-themed, of course:

      Battle of the backups

      Tuukka Rask was helped off the ice during practice yesterday, and the Finnish goaltender won’t be available tonight. The Canucks will instead face Anton Khudobin, who has started only one game this season, a 6-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes.

      Battling Brad

      Brad Marchand has continued where he left off last year, with six points in five games. Turns out that, after all his whining about the enforcement of the faceoff rule, it hasn’t really affected him after all.

      You can bet he’ll be at his most annoying tonight, as the star (yes, unfortunately, he has fully earned that designation) tries to get his team to rebound from an embarrassing loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.

      Bergeron questionable, Backes in

      Marchand might not have his favourite linemate, however, as the fantastic Patrice Bergeron is nursing a lower-body injury. He’s been skating the last couple days in a no-contact jersey. The same was true for the Bruins’ morning skate today. Odds are he doesn’t go.

      Another veteran centre, David Backes, will make his season debut for the Bruins after dealing with something called diverticulitis. The tradeoff of Bergeron for Backes, if it happens, is a positive one for the Canucks.

      Update: Bergeron will play 

      The B Line

      Travis Green likes to keep his lineup the same after wins (and while he insists it doesn’t matter if it was a win, just that the team played well, the only previous time the lineup has stayed completely intact was after the Edmonton win), so it stands to reason that the coach will keep Alexander Burmistrov between Brock Boeser and Sven Baertschi.

      The line was spectacular on Tuesday against Ottawa. Boeser remains on fire with a point in every game he’s played so far, as Green sat him in the press box for the first two games of the season in a move that was either incredibly dumb or actually genius. Burmistrov looked great last game as well, and Baertschi has been winning puck battles all year.

      The trio was easily the Canucks’ best unit last game and if the team wins again, bet on them being back together tomorrow against Buffalo.

      Prediction:

      The Bruins will be hungry and motivated, as they haven’t played since the loss to Vegas on Sunday. However, without Bergeron, the Bruins might be in trouble, as forward depth isn’t the team’s best attribute.

      Look for a tight, hotly contested game in which the Canucks dropkick the Bruins in OT.

      Canucks 3-2 OT

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