With the snow falling all over Pennsylvania, the Canucks get set to wrap up their four-game road trip with a Saturday afternoon meeting with the Pittsburgh Penguins. This will be the one and only meeting of the season for two clubs, each going eight straight games without a regulation loss.
The Canucks (12-6-2) are coming off a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild Thursday night. It was the Canucks second win of the season when allowing their opponents to score the opening goal of a game. It was also Vancouver's third win of the year when scoring three or fewer goals.
The line of Daniel Sedin (8g,8a), Henrik Sedin (3g,15a), and Pavol Demitra (5g,5a) have developed some great chemistry on this current road trip and were the difference makers in St. Paul against the Wild.
Sami Salo has returned home to Vancouver with a lower body injury and will not be able to suit up against the Penguins. Fellow d-man Willie Mitchell is coming off a +2 effort against the Wild. He now leads all NHL defencemen in plus minus (+14).
Mitchell and the rest of the Canucks blue-line will be put to the test against the Penguins (12-4-3). Having gone 7-0-1 in their last eight games, the Pens are coming off a 3-2 win on the road against the Atlanta Thrashers Thursday. Sidney Crosby was the 1st star of the night, scoring a goal and adding two assists. Despite a good start to the season, Crosby is not the Pens leading point getter. Evgeni Malkin leads his team and the NHL in scoring with seven goals and 24 assists.
In their lone meeting last season, the Canucks dropped a 2-1 decision in a shoot-out at GM Place on Dec. 8. Roberto Luongo was busy that night turning aside 32 shots, which included a penalty shot save on Luongo. Also busy was Pittsburgh netminder Dany Sabourin, who made 35 saves. He'll likely get the start against Vancouver Saturday as their #1 goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is injured.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams:
Canucks
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Hordichuk - Johnson - Raymond
Ohlund - Nycholat
Mitchell - O'Brien
Edler - Davison/Baumgartner
Luongo
Sanford
Penguins
Miroslav Satan - Sidney Crosby - Maxime Talbot
Petr Sykora - Evgeni Malkin - Ruslan Fedotenko
Matt Cooke - Jordan Stall - Tyler Kennedy
Pascal Dupuis - Mike Zigomanis - Eric Godard
Rob Scuderi - Hal Gill
Phillipe Boucher - Alex Goligoski
Brooks Orpik - Kris Letang
Dany Sabourin
John Curry
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RE: play-by-play of Van vs Pitt
Saying that, "Crosby's shot was denied" is not English. Obviously Luongo made a save, so the shot happened. Crosby's goal might be said to have been denied. That could be confused with the ref denying a goal I suppose.
What is wrong with, "Save Luongo" or some such version of that. I personally like hear Luongo saved during the play by play. That makes the game sparkle.
Not meaning to be unkind, but your play by play is sounding very much like bad 1970ish American play by play.
Is your job as a play by play announcer, to relay the excitement of the game or for you to be different?
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