The Canucks aim for the season sweep of the Avalanche

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The Canucks playoff hopes are quickly fading, while the Avalanche are just one point back of Minnesota for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Vancouver would love to play the roll of spoiler this evening at Rogers Arena, but will have to do so with a patchwork lineup. The Canucks continue to be decimated by injuries and their roster this evening resembles something you might see in the preseason.

Jannik Hansen, Markus Granlund, Derek Dorsett, Yannick Weber, Alex Biega, Luca Sbisa, Brandon Sutter and Alexander Edler will be watching from the sidelines, which will allow some of the youngsters to step in to the spotlight.

The big Russian Nikita Tryamkin will make his NHL debut. The 21-year old is a towering 6’8 and 240lbs. Coach Willie Desjardins says he will likely pair him with Dan Hamhuis.

“We might pair him with Dan Hamhuis. Hamhuis is really structurally sound, he’s a good person, he’s good to work with and he is easy to play with so I think he is a good pairing.”

Hamhuis says he has been very impressed with how quickly Tryamkin has adapted to the NHL game.

“He has had quite a few practices now and getting used to the smaller ice surface and the style of game we have over here. It is nothing like playing in a game though. He has a great skill set and I am excited to see him play tonight.”

The Canucks struggles are well documented this season, but you wouldn’t know it watching them play against the Avalanche. Vancouver has defeated Colorado in both meetings this season. Avalanche defenceman Tyson Barrie says they need a strong effort against the Canucks tonight especially with his team in the thick of the playoff race.

“There are only a handful of games left that you know how big they all are. If you start worrying about who is after, who is next, you start righting games off, if you start thinking you are going to easily beat Vancouver that is when you get in to trouble. We are totally focused on playing the Canucks.”

Ryan Miller gets the start in net while Colorado is expected to have Semyon Varlamov between the pipes.

The puck drops at 7 p.m. on Sportsnet.

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