Canucks holding down fort while Hamhuis remains out

Hamhuis

BOSTON — Vancouver defenseman Dan Hamhuis did not join his teammates for their morning skate today in preparation for tonight’s Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden.

Despite his absence, the Canucks were able to get out to a 2-0 series lead with a win in Game 2 Saturday night. Canucks head coach Alain Vigeneault went with Andrew Alberts in Hamhuis’ lineup spot. Alberts was minus-1 in 11:40 of ice time.

If it’s Alberts or another fill-in in the lineup tonight, Vigneault’s confident his team can stem the tide.

“Well, I mean, it’s something that because of the injuries that we had throughout the season, we used 13 defensemen,” said the coach. “We used quite a few players in our back end that gave them experience. With that experience, they’ve been able to contribute to our team.

“The guys we have right now that are available, Alberts and [Keith] Ballard and [Chris] Tanev, all three guys, they bring different things to the table. At this time we feel that Alberts, with his size, with his physicality, is what we need in our lineup right now.”