The Vancouver Canucks will welcome defenceman Chris Tanev back to the lineup on Friday when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tanev originally injured his ankle on Oct. 22 in a game against the Los Angeles Kings, but tweaked it a couple of games later against the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 2 and has been out ever since, missing a span of 20 games.
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The 26-year-old defenceman has only played in seven games this season and has recorded just one assist.
“It was awesome to get back out there,” Tanev told reporters after practice on Thursday. “I was really excited. It sucks not being out there and not being able to help the guys. I had a lot of fun back with the guys and being in a full practice.”
The timing couldn’t be better for the Canucks, who can use all the help they can get in front of their net right now. On Tuesday, the Canucks suffered an epic collapse against the Carolina Hurricanes when they entered the third period up 5-2, but let in six third-period goals en route to an 8-6 loss.
However, the Canucks could be down another defenceman right as they get one back, as Erik Gudbranson could potentially miss Friday’s game with an undisclosed injury.
Vancouver has been struggling a lot recently, only winning four times in their last 10, and they currently sit third last in the Western Conference with a 12-16-2 record.
