Bo Horvat

Vancouver Canucks: Alex Burrows out, Anton Rodin in vs. Avalanche

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:25 p.m. ET

Fansided, Janik Beichler/FanSided via The Canuck Way

The Vancouver Canucks will be without forward Alex Burrows tonight against the Colorado Avalanche.

After long weeks of lineup experiments, Vancouver Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins finally found the right line mate for Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi: Alex Burrows. Unfortunately, Burrows will miss tonight’s match-up against the Colorado Avalanche because of a “scratch in his eye.”

Luckily, the Canucks were able to compensate this bad news with something positive: rookie winger Anton Rodin is back and will play on the Horvat-Baertschi line.

“I’m happy I’m back and those are two good players, so I have to play my best hockey,” Rodin said per the Canucks’ Twitter.

Desjardins sees “a skilled player” in Rodin who can “contribute at both ends of the rink.”

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Rodin missed the majority of Vancouver’s first 38 games with a knee injury he suffered during the 2015-16 campaign. Following a three-game conditioning stint with the AHL Utica Comets, he returned to the NHL lineup for his debut on Dec 23, but had to sit out the next three contests.

The Canucks are currently on a three-game winning streak, with a chance to make it four straight against the Colorado Avalanche, the NHL’s last-placed team.

Rodin could hardly play on a better line right now. Horvat is the Canucks’ leading scorer with 10 goals and 25 points, quickly turning into a star player. Baertschi sits at eight goals and 20 points, good for fourth on the team.

With a little bit of luck, Rodin can not only keep up with them, but provide a much-needed offensive boost himself.