Bruce Here He Comes: Everything you Need to Know Ahead of Lightning vs. Canucks

Here is everything you need to know ahead of tonight’s Tampa Bay Lightning game against the Vancouver Canucks.

1. Ondrej Palat will not play tonight and will likely not play Saturday. Palat skated just 8:12 on Tuesday in Buffalo and missed the entirety of the third period. After the game we learned that Palat has been battling through a lingering issue. Boris Katchouk will likely draw back into the lineup and Mathieu Joseph will get a shot skating on Tampa Bay’s top line.

2. Ryan McDonagh will miss his third straight game with a lower body injury. He is now considered to be day to day after participating in today’s morning skate.

3. Luke Schenn makes his return to Tampa. A very overlooked piece in Tampa Bay’s run to back-to-back Stanley Cup’s, Schenn will finally receive his second ring and be recognized for his contributions. Schenn was a very likable player who always did whatever was asked of him and was always ready when his number was called. His physicality, especially in both playoff series against the New York Islanders, was huge as he helped his team stand tall and never get pushed around.

4. Despite an extremely disappointing start to the season, the Canucks have begun to right the ship and became one of the hottest teams in the NHL. Vancouver is 7-1-1 since Bruce Boudreau took over behind the bench for Travis Greene in December. They will be coming into tonight’s game after losing 5-2 to the Panthers in South Florida on Tuesday.

5. It has been over two years since the last time the Lightning and Canucks met. Tampa Bay crushed Vancouver on January 7th, 2020, by a score of 9-2 at Amalie Arena. Carter Verhaeghe recorded a hat-trick in the rout.