Canucks vs. Blackhawks Game Day: J.T. Miller is a 'game-time ...

Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks

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When/where: Tuesday, 5:15 p.m. United Center

TV: SN Pacific. Radio: Sportsnet 650

The buzz: Will he or won’t he?

J.T. Miller was on the ice in advance of the morning skate Tuesday and was labelled a “game-time decision” for the four game road-trip finale in Chicago. If he plays, the biggest decision will be whether he takes face-offs against the Blackhawks.

The workhorse centre suffered discomfort on the opening draw Saturday in Philadelphia and was limited to two faceoffs and two shots in a 3-0 victory over the Flyers. He briefly left the game after getting tangled up while winning the draw against Ryan Poehling.

Upon returning to the bench, Miller favoured his left arm to possibly indicate a midsection problem or perhaps a shoulder strain — although he did deliver three hits in 17:01 of ice time. He took a maintenance day Monday and then took to the United Center practice ice on Tuesday morning.

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“He’s dealing with some stuff,” said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet. “We didn’t want him to take draws (Saturday), but he still played well for us. We’ll have to see how it is. He’ll get a couple of days off to rest.” On Tuesday, the bench boss sounded more encouraged that Miller might suit up.

“He looks like a probable,” said Tocchet. “We’ll see at game time and I’ll talk to him later today. We’ll decide face-offs and I’m going to err on the side of caution.”

Another encouraging sign Tuesday morning was winger Dakota Joshua, who’s recovering from testicular cancer, starting to take some bumps while in a non-contact jersey.

“Another hump day,” said Tocchet. “He’s getting closer and ramping up his mental aspect and that’s the big key. A week ago, he was kind of in a rut but is getting over it. It (playing) is getting close.”

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The buzz 2.0: Kevin Lankinen endured two tough seasons in Chicago, never won three games in a row, and probably came away with a lasting impression: Is this how my NHL career is going to play out?

As he prepares to face his former team Tuesday, the latest Canucks crease crusader could win for the third-straight time as the latest good news story for a club that’s starting to turn a corner. And because the undrafted and undaunted Helsinki native has always maintained a belief system, he got to this place through patience and perseverance.

Lankinen, 29, sports a 2-0-1 record, a minuscule 1.28 goals-against average and an eye-popping .953 saves percentage by stopping 81 of 85 shots. His shutout performance in a 3-0 win Saturday at Philadelphia was the latest return on a shrewd and cost-effective acquisition of the unrestricted free agent for one year at $875,000 US.

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And with Thatcher Demko rehabbing a knee muscle ailment — and the wavier claim and re-claim scenario with depth goalie Jiri Patera — the Canucks have their go-to guy while Arturs Silovs awaits his next start. Listen to Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet gush about Lankinen.

“He’s playing great and I’ve got to play the guy. He has been unreal,” said the bench boss. “I like his composure and he’s good at just stopping pucks. He has put three good games together and just looks really solid. Big in the net. Not flip-flopping, just really steady. He hasn’t had a bad start and has been a factor in every game.” Canucks winger Brock Boeser scores against Blackhawks goaltender Kevin Lankinen on Oct. 21, 2021 in Chicago. Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski /USA TODAY Sports

It wasn’t that way in Chicago. Lankinen shared the net with Malcolm Subban and Collin Delia in 2020-21, went a credible 17-14-5 with a 3.01 GAA and .909 percentage on the league’s 21st-place team. He managed two shutouts, and in a 3-2 victory over Florida, he dove and lifted his leg to cause an Aaron Ekblad shot to skip off his thigh and over the net to preserve the win.

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“That was just something else from the toolbox, I guess,” Lankinen told the Chicago Tribune. “I was in a good state of mind, I just wanted to do whatever it takes to win, whether it’s throwing a leg or a hand or just whatever, being in front of the puck and I was lucky to make a couple good saves.”

The following season, the Blackhawks used four stoppers, and when Marc-Andre Fleury was traded to Minnesota, Lankinen did what he could — 40, 42 and 44-save nights — behind the NHL’s sixth-worst club that gave up the seventh-most goals and scored the fourth fewest.

However, his 5-9-3 record as the starter plus an 8-15-6 season record with a bloated 3.50 GAA and .891 percentage made him expendable. To his credit, he made the most of serving as a back-up to Juuse Saros in Nashville for two seasons to resurrect his career.

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The history: The Canucks swept the series last season. On Dec. 17 at Chicago, they struck for three straight goals in the second period to erase a 2-1 deficit in a 4-3 win. Elias Pettersson, Dakota Joshua, Brock Boeser and Ilya Mikheyev scored. On Jan.22 at home, Demko made 31 saves for his fifth shutout of the season in a 2-0 triumph. Pius Suter and Quinn Hughes scored.

The hope: Something is brewing in a third pairing of Erik Brannstrom and Vincent Desharnais. Brannstrom logged a tidy 14:16, moved the puck well and wasn’t a defensive deficiency Saturday. And with the towering stay-at-home Desharnais, this might work out well.

The fear: Do we make too much of the power play? Maybe. Maybe not. After going 2-for-4 in the season opener, it’s 1-for-10 the last four games with 11 shots. Of the three goals, only one has come from PP1 (Boeser). Daniel Sprong and Conor Garland have struck on PP2.

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The top guns: Boeser leads the club with five points (3-2) on 13 shots and gaudy 23.1 per cent shooting accuracy. Garland (2-2), Hughes (1-3) and Jake DeBrusk (0-4) have four points apiece. Pettersson has been held to two assists and just eight shots.

The wounded: Canucks: Thatcher Demko (knee, IR), Dakota Joshua (testicular cancer, IR). Blackhawks: Alec Martinez (groin, IR), Laurent Brossoit (knee, IR), Joey Anderson (day-to-day, illness).

The quote: “We played a little quicker in the neutral zone (Saturday), more of our style to get the puck out of our end quicker” — Rick Tocchet.

The projected lineup: 

DeBrusk-Miller-Boeser

Hoglander-Pettersson-Garland

Heinen-Blueger-Sherwood

Suter-Aman-Sprong

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Hughes-Hronek

Soucy-Myers

Brannstrom-Desharnais

Lankinen

The prediction: The Canucks continue to gain confidence, increase compete level and prevail in scrappy game for a 4-2 victory.

(FAN FORUM: Do you have a specific question for a player? Pass it along to @provincesports and we’ll get it in a future edition.)

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