It was a eventful day at GM Place, and it continued that way into the evening. The Canucks capped off their home portion of the 2008 schedule with a 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. In the process, goalie Curtis Sanford went down with a groin injury that could keep him sidelined for a couple of weeks. This occured on the same night that the Canucks made a trade to acquire goalie Jason LaBarbera from the Los Angeles Kings. More on that later.
A lot of Canucks fans might have expected the club to be distracted heading into this game following the debut of Mats Sundin at practice for the first time earlier in the day. However, the home team came out with lots of energy to start the contest. Kevin Bieska through a solid hit on the opening shift against Flyers forward Simon Gagne and then proceeded to drop the gloves with Philly captain Mike Richards. Gagne wound up leaving the game with a shoulder injury just 15 seconds into the action.
The Flyers drew first blood on a nice passing play during a rush into the Vancouver zone. Claude Giroux and Matt Carle did great work to get the puck to Jeff Carter, who wound sliding his back-handed chance past Sanford. For Carter, it was his team-leading 27th goal of the season at 3:16.
The Canucks were able to tie the game up on their first power play chance of the night. Off a face off in the Flyers end, Pavol Demitra wound up getting the puck low in the zone to Henrik Sedin, who wasted no time dishing it off to his brother. Daniel Sedin was then able to snap home his shot over the shoulder of Martin Biron. Daniel's team-high 18th of the season was also his third power play marker of the season at 16:54.
Less than a minute later, the Flyers got their lead back. Scott Hartnell's long blast found its way by Sanford. Carter and Joffrey Lupul help Hartnell notch his 14th of the season at 17:39. That would be the last goal allowed by Sanford, who didn't return after the first intermission. It was revealed afterwards that he suffered a groin injury and has subsequently been placed on the club's injured reserve list for up to two weeks.
Cory Schneider came in to start the second period and wound up allowing the first shot that came his way. Josh Gratton was able to get a loose puck into the slot which wound up being gobbled up by Jonathon Kalinski. He was able to scoop the puck to the back of the net for his first ever NHL goal. It also proved to be the game winner and it came at 2:36.
The Canucks picked up their play and had a couple of great chances to capitalize on the power play. Both Daniel Sedin and Mason Raymond had some golden opportunities in close, but were unable to get the chances past Biron. Eventually Vancouver did get the goal they deserved. Alex Burrows fed a beautiful pass off the half boards to the low slot, where Ryan Kesler re-directed a nifty finish benhind the netminder. Steve Bernier gets the other assist on Kesler's 9th of the season at 11:56.
Schneider came up with a couple of hi-lite reel saves to keep his team close before the period was out. He robbed Lupul and Hartnell on chances that on many other nights would be sure-goals. At the other end of the rink, Willie Mitchell had a couple of fantastic chance down low around the Flyers crease, but was unable to finish.
Both goalies were the best players in the final frame, where no goals were scored. The best save for Biron came on Bernier with under seven minutes to play. He looked to have found the top corner with a wrist shot, until Biron made a miraculous glove save. The best save for Schneider came off of Hartnell who was robbed on a toe save after going to the back-hand on a breakaway. The Canucks were able to get Schneider to the bench for the extra attacker and finished the period on the power play, but were unable to force the game to overtime.
Final shots on net favoured the Canucks 31-29. In what was a relatively disciplined night for both clubs, the Canucks finished the night 1-for-3 on the power play while the Flyers were 0-for-1.
As mentioned off the top, the Canucks announced a trade during the first intermission of tonight's contest. LaBarbera comes to the Canucks from L.A. in exchange for a 7th round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. The 28 year-old who grew up in both Burnaby and Prince George, B.C. has appeared in 19 games this year with the Kings. His overall record is 5-8-4 with a 2.83 GAA and a save percentage of 89.3%. He has appeared in 98 career NHL games split between L.A. and the New York Rangers. He will join the Canucks for their two-game trip to finish off this week in Nashville and Atlanta.
Now with an overall record of 20-15-3, the Canucks complete 2008 with a 12-month record of 37-34-9. To open up 2009, the Canucks will play the Predators on New Year's Day. Game time on Thursday will be 5:00pm PST.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Canucks/Flyers Game Day & Sundin Meets Media
It wasn't your typical game day skate for the Vancouver Canucks at GM Place today as the team prepares to play the Philadelphia Flyers.
Mats Sundin officially met the local media for the first time today. 13 television network cameras, plus numerous other reporters were on hand to see the newest Canucks forward on the ice and at the podium. It's been confirmed that he won't travel with the team this coming week to either Nashville or Atlanta. In fact, coach Alain Vigneault said he won't play until at least after the game at home against the Dallas Stars on Jan. 4. He will remain in Vancouver over the next week and skate with the injured Canucks.
Roberto Luongo was on the ice in full gear before the Canucks took their morning skate. He didn't skate for more than ten minutes today, and said afterwards it was just another step in the rehab and recovery process. There was no update given as to his time-line for returning to the line-up.
The Canucks (20-14-3) are likely to go with their same line-up tonight as to the one they iced in a 3-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Dec 28. Vancouver enters the night three points back of the Calgary Flames for top spot in the Northwest Division.
The Flyers (19-10-7) are in second spot in the Atlantic Division, four points back of the New York Rangers. They are sporting the top power play in the NHL (38/141=27.0%) and have not lost a game in Vancouver since 1989.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Raymond - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Hordichuk - Jaffray - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Nycholat
O'Brien - Edler
Sanford
Schneider
Flyers:
Simone Gagne - Mike Richards - Mike Knuble
Scott Hartnell - Jeff Carter - Joffrey Lupul
Jonathan Kalinski - Darrol Powe - Claude Giroux
Riley Cote - Glen Metropolit - Josh Gratton
Kimmo Timonen - Ossi Vaanenen
Luca Sbisa - Randy JonesBrayden Coburn - Matt Carle
Martin Biron
Antero Niittymaki
Mats Sundin officially met the local media for the first time today. 13 television network cameras, plus numerous other reporters were on hand to see the newest Canucks forward on the ice and at the podium. It's been confirmed that he won't travel with the team this coming week to either Nashville or Atlanta. In fact, coach Alain Vigneault said he won't play until at least after the game at home against the Dallas Stars on Jan. 4. He will remain in Vancouver over the next week and skate with the injured Canucks.
Roberto Luongo was on the ice in full gear before the Canucks took their morning skate. He didn't skate for more than ten minutes today, and said afterwards it was just another step in the rehab and recovery process. There was no update given as to his time-line for returning to the line-up.
The Canucks (20-14-3) are likely to go with their same line-up tonight as to the one they iced in a 3-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Dec 28. Vancouver enters the night three points back of the Calgary Flames for top spot in the Northwest Division.
The Flyers (19-10-7) are in second spot in the Atlantic Division, four points back of the New York Rangers. They are sporting the top power play in the NHL (38/141=27.0%) and have not lost a game in Vancouver since 1989.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Raymond - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Hordichuk - Jaffray - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Nycholat
O'Brien - Edler
Sanford
Schneider
Flyers:
Simone Gagne - Mike Richards - Mike Knuble
Scott Hartnell - Jeff Carter - Joffrey Lupul
Jonathan Kalinski - Darrol Powe - Claude Giroux
Riley Cote - Glen Metropolit - Josh Gratton
Kimmo Timonen - Ossi Vaanenen
Luca Sbisa - Randy JonesBrayden Coburn - Matt Carle
Martin Biron
Antero Niittymaki
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Sandman Shuts Out Sens Sunday
For the first time as a Vancouver Canuck and for the first time in 35 months, Curtis Sanford held an opponent of the scoreboard. Sunday evening, Sanford turned aside all 18 shots the Ottawa Senators put his way as the Canucks cruised to a 3-0 win.
Sanford's best save of the night came on the first good scoring chance of the game. Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson was able to collect a pass on a 2-on-1 rush from Nick Foligno. His chance looked to be a sure goal, but it was foiled by a great left pad save made by the netminder.
Senators goalie Martin Gerber was tested a short time later by Jason Jaffray at the top of the Ottawa crease. Then Shane O'Brien had a chance to got by Gerber but rattled off the outside of the post.
Vancouver opened the scoring after the Senators turned the puck over. Pavol Demitra was able to find Henrik Sedin all alone in front of the net. His first chance was denied, but he made no mistake burying the rebound. For Henrik, it was his first goal in 11 games. His 5th of the season proved to be his second game winner of the year as well and it came at 8:17.
The Canucks padded their lead just past the midway point of the second period. Henrik fed a rink-wide pass through centre to his brother Daniel Sedin, who wasted no time dishing the puck to Demitra. After breaking past the Ottawa rearguards, he snapped home a shot past Gerber. For Demitra, it was his first goal in six games and his 11th of the campaign at 10:15.
Before the period was out, the Canucks dealt a huge blow to the Sens if they thought about any chance of mounting a comeback. Daniel got the puck to the Ottawa line for Alexander Edler, who proceeded to step into a long range slap shot. Whether Gerber was ready for it or not, Edler's blast found the back of the net. Now with three points in back-to-back games, Edler tallied his 3rd of the season at 17:10.
No goals came in the final frame, but there were a couple of physical altercations. Darcy Hordichuk and Chris Neil were involved in a spirited scrap six minutes into the period while Neil and Jaffray exchanged shots in an after-the-whistle scrum.
Final shots on net favoured the Canucks 32-18. Vancouver didn't score on any of their seven power play chances, but they were a very disciplined group in this game...killing off all five Ottawa man advantages.
Now with an overall record 20-14-3, the Canucks move to within a point of the Calgary Flames for top spot in the Northwest Divison. As for the Sens, they drop to 12-17-5 and have now gone 12 straight games on the road without a victory.
Next up for the Canucks, the Philadelphia Flyers. Game time Tuesday night will be 7:00pm.
Sanford's best save of the night came on the first good scoring chance of the game. Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson was able to collect a pass on a 2-on-1 rush from Nick Foligno. His chance looked to be a sure goal, but it was foiled by a great left pad save made by the netminder.
Senators goalie Martin Gerber was tested a short time later by Jason Jaffray at the top of the Ottawa crease. Then Shane O'Brien had a chance to got by Gerber but rattled off the outside of the post.
Vancouver opened the scoring after the Senators turned the puck over. Pavol Demitra was able to find Henrik Sedin all alone in front of the net. His first chance was denied, but he made no mistake burying the rebound. For Henrik, it was his first goal in 11 games. His 5th of the season proved to be his second game winner of the year as well and it came at 8:17.
The Canucks padded their lead just past the midway point of the second period. Henrik fed a rink-wide pass through centre to his brother Daniel Sedin, who wasted no time dishing the puck to Demitra. After breaking past the Ottawa rearguards, he snapped home a shot past Gerber. For Demitra, it was his first goal in six games and his 11th of the campaign at 10:15.
Before the period was out, the Canucks dealt a huge blow to the Sens if they thought about any chance of mounting a comeback. Daniel got the puck to the Ottawa line for Alexander Edler, who proceeded to step into a long range slap shot. Whether Gerber was ready for it or not, Edler's blast found the back of the net. Now with three points in back-to-back games, Edler tallied his 3rd of the season at 17:10.
No goals came in the final frame, but there were a couple of physical altercations. Darcy Hordichuk and Chris Neil were involved in a spirited scrap six minutes into the period while Neil and Jaffray exchanged shots in an after-the-whistle scrum.
Final shots on net favoured the Canucks 32-18. Vancouver didn't score on any of their seven power play chances, but they were a very disciplined group in this game...killing off all five Ottawa man advantages.
Now with an overall record 20-14-3, the Canucks move to within a point of the Calgary Flames for top spot in the Northwest Divison. As for the Sens, they drop to 12-17-5 and have now gone 12 straight games on the road without a victory.
Next up for the Canucks, the Philadelphia Flyers. Game time Tuesday night will be 7:00pm.
Canucks Oilers Recap & Senators Preview
On Boxing Day, the Canucks dug themselves too deep a hole against the Edmonton Oilers. Despite a very strong comeback in the third period, they weren't able to get the equalizer and wound up falling 3-2 at GM Place.
Mason Raymond and Kyle Wellwood had the Vancouver goals on a night which saw the home team surrender back-to-back 5-on-3 power play tallies by the Oilers in the second period.
Dwayne Roloson did his part to keep the Oilers in the lead and preserve the win, stopping 26 shots, including 13 in the final frame. Curtis Sanford could not be faulted in the loss as he made 20 saves.
The Canucks wound up going 1-for-5 on the power play while the Oilers went 2-for-5.
Tonight, the Canucks have a chance to get back to within a point of top spot of the Northwest Division as they prepare for their first of two meetings this season against the Ottawa Senators.
The Canucks (19-14-3) have seen their list of the walking wounded grow as Taylor Pyatt is sidelined indefinitely with a broken foot. Pavol Demitra, who's gone five straight games without a point, will play with Daniel and Henrik Sedin tonight while Jannik Hansen goes back on a line with Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler. Lawrence Nycholat, who came over in an off-season trade with Ottawa, will draw into the line-up and play on defence alongside Mattias Ohlund.
Vancouver is 4-3-1 against teams in the Eastern Conference this season, which includes 1-2-0 against clubs from the Northeast Division.
The Senators (9-6-3) have lost 11 straight on the road and are the lowest scoring team in the NHL, with just 80 goals for in 33 games. They also have the worst road record of any team in the league (3-10-2). The club did not take morning skate after falling 6-3 to the Calgary Flames last night.
Their list of the walking wounded has grown as well. Cody Blass injured his shoulder in a fight last night and he joins defencemen Filip Kuba and Anton Volchenkov on the injured list. Volchenkov though may play tonight. After former Canuck Alex Auld allowed five goals on 42 Calgary shots last night, Martin Gerber is expected to start tonight. Lifetime he is 1-2-1 against the Canucks with a 2.16 GAA.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams tonight:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Raymond - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Hordichuk - Jaffray - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
O'Brien - Edler
Ohlund - Nycholat
Sanford
Schneider
Senators:
Chris Kelly - Jason Spezza - Dany Heatley
Nick Foligno - Mike Fisher - Daniel Alfredsson
Jarkko Ruutu - Dean McAmmond - Chris Neil
Antoine Vermette - Ilya Zubov - Shean Donovan
Chris Phillips - Brian Lee
Brendan Bell - Jason Smith
Alexandre Picard - Christoph Schubert
Martin Gerber
Alex Auld
Mason Raymond and Kyle Wellwood had the Vancouver goals on a night which saw the home team surrender back-to-back 5-on-3 power play tallies by the Oilers in the second period.
Dwayne Roloson did his part to keep the Oilers in the lead and preserve the win, stopping 26 shots, including 13 in the final frame. Curtis Sanford could not be faulted in the loss as he made 20 saves.
The Canucks wound up going 1-for-5 on the power play while the Oilers went 2-for-5.
Tonight, the Canucks have a chance to get back to within a point of top spot of the Northwest Division as they prepare for their first of two meetings this season against the Ottawa Senators.
The Canucks (19-14-3) have seen their list of the walking wounded grow as Taylor Pyatt is sidelined indefinitely with a broken foot. Pavol Demitra, who's gone five straight games without a point, will play with Daniel and Henrik Sedin tonight while Jannik Hansen goes back on a line with Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler. Lawrence Nycholat, who came over in an off-season trade with Ottawa, will draw into the line-up and play on defence alongside Mattias Ohlund.
Vancouver is 4-3-1 against teams in the Eastern Conference this season, which includes 1-2-0 against clubs from the Northeast Division.
The Senators (9-6-3) have lost 11 straight on the road and are the lowest scoring team in the NHL, with just 80 goals for in 33 games. They also have the worst road record of any team in the league (3-10-2). The club did not take morning skate after falling 6-3 to the Calgary Flames last night.
Their list of the walking wounded has grown as well. Cody Blass injured his shoulder in a fight last night and he joins defencemen Filip Kuba and Anton Volchenkov on the injured list. Volchenkov though may play tonight. After former Canuck Alex Auld allowed five goals on 42 Calgary shots last night, Martin Gerber is expected to start tonight. Lifetime he is 1-2-1 against the Canucks with a 2.16 GAA.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams tonight:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Raymond - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Hordichuk - Jaffray - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
O'Brien - Edler
Ohlund - Nycholat
Sanford
Schneider
Senators:
Chris Kelly - Jason Spezza - Dany Heatley
Nick Foligno - Mike Fisher - Daniel Alfredsson
Jarkko Ruutu - Dean McAmmond - Chris Neil
Antoine Vermette - Ilya Zubov - Shean Donovan
Chris Phillips - Brian Lee
Brendan Bell - Jason Smith
Alexandre Picard - Christoph Schubert
Martin Gerber
Alex Auld
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Sharks Prey on Canucks Monday
It was not the ideal way to head into the Christmas break for the Vancouver Canucks. A combonation of undisciplined play, careless turnovers, and average goaltending all were contributing factors in a San Jose Sharks 5-0 win at the HP Pavillion Tuesday night.
One night after the Canucks skated away with a 4-3 win at home against the Anaheim Ducks, they wound up being bombarded by the hottest team in the NHL. Cory Schneider wound up getting blitzed early on as Rob Blake deposited a rebound that had rattled off the end boards. For Blake, who hadn't scored in nine games, it was his 6th of the season at 4:22.
Vancouver's first shot on goal didn't come until the 5:30 mark of the period. Shortly after that, the Canucks got into serious penalty trouble. Patrick Marleau snapped home his 18th of the season from the right face off cirlce at 5:55. Then Devin Setoguchi redirected a point shot by Marleau from the slot for his 17th of the year at 7:09.
There would be no more scoring in the opening period, one that saw the Sharks out-shoot their opponents 13-4. It didn't take long though for San Jose to build on their lead in the middle frame. Just 24 seconds in, Joe Thorton wound up beating Schneider with a forehand-to-backhand move at the top of the crease for his 9th of the campaign. Then 19 seconds later, Ryan Kesler turned over the puck inside his own blue line to Thomas Plihal who whistled home his 4th of the season.
That would be the end of the night for Schneider, who left after allowing five goals on 15 shots. He wound up being replaced by Curtis Sanford, who was very strong in keeping the door shut the rest of the way.
At the other end of the rink, Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov had little work to do to collect his second shut-out of the season. The Canucks wound up out-shooting the Sharks 33-31. Vancouver went 0-for-2 on the power play while the Sharks finished the night going 2-for-6.
Next up for the Canucks (19-13-2) will be a Boxing Day match-up at GM Place against the Edmonton Oilers. Game time is 7:00pm PST.
Have a wonderful Christmas wherever you may be reading this!
One night after the Canucks skated away with a 4-3 win at home against the Anaheim Ducks, they wound up being bombarded by the hottest team in the NHL. Cory Schneider wound up getting blitzed early on as Rob Blake deposited a rebound that had rattled off the end boards. For Blake, who hadn't scored in nine games, it was his 6th of the season at 4:22.
Vancouver's first shot on goal didn't come until the 5:30 mark of the period. Shortly after that, the Canucks got into serious penalty trouble. Patrick Marleau snapped home his 18th of the season from the right face off cirlce at 5:55. Then Devin Setoguchi redirected a point shot by Marleau from the slot for his 17th of the year at 7:09.
There would be no more scoring in the opening period, one that saw the Sharks out-shoot their opponents 13-4. It didn't take long though for San Jose to build on their lead in the middle frame. Just 24 seconds in, Joe Thorton wound up beating Schneider with a forehand-to-backhand move at the top of the crease for his 9th of the campaign. Then 19 seconds later, Ryan Kesler turned over the puck inside his own blue line to Thomas Plihal who whistled home his 4th of the season.
That would be the end of the night for Schneider, who left after allowing five goals on 15 shots. He wound up being replaced by Curtis Sanford, who was very strong in keeping the door shut the rest of the way.
At the other end of the rink, Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov had little work to do to collect his second shut-out of the season. The Canucks wound up out-shooting the Sharks 33-31. Vancouver went 0-for-2 on the power play while the Sharks finished the night going 2-for-6.
Next up for the Canucks (19-13-2) will be a Boxing Day match-up at GM Place against the Edmonton Oilers. Game time is 7:00pm PST.
Have a wonderful Christmas wherever you may be reading this!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Canucks & Sharks Game Day
After checking into their hotel just after 3:00am this morning, the Vancouver Canucks get set to play their last game before the Christmas break tonight in San Jose against the Sharks.
The Canucks (19-12-3) are coming off a 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks last night. Daniel Sedin (5g,2a) and Henrik Sedin (4a) both extended their consecutive point scoring streaks to four games last night. Ryan Kesler's goal last night was his 100th career NHL point.
The Sharks (26-4-3) sport the best home ice record in the NHL (17-0-2). Their last game was a 3-2 win at home against the New York Rangers on Saturday. Prior to that, they were shut-out 6-0 on the road against the Detroit Red Wings two nights earlier.
The Canucks did not skate today at the HP Pavillion. Only Jason Jaffray and Lawrence Nycholat came out to take shots on Cory Schneider, who is expected to get the start tonight in net. Otherwise it looks like the Canucks will go with the same roster as last night against the Ducks.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Hansen
Pyatt - Demitra - Raymond
Burrows - Kesler - Bernier
Hordichuk - Wellwood - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Davison
O'Brien - Edler
Schneider
Sanford
Sharks:
Patrick Marleau - Joe Thorton - Devin Setoguchi
Ryane Clowe - Joe Pavalski - Jonathan Cheechoo
Tomas Plihal - Marcel Goc - Mike Grier
Jody Shelly - Tom Cavanagh - Jamie McGinn
Rob Blake - Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Brad Lukowich - Dan Boyle
Doug Murray - Christan Erhoff
Evgeni Nabokov
Brian Boucher
The Canucks (19-12-3) are coming off a 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks last night. Daniel Sedin (5g,2a) and Henrik Sedin (4a) both extended their consecutive point scoring streaks to four games last night. Ryan Kesler's goal last night was his 100th career NHL point.
The Sharks (26-4-3) sport the best home ice record in the NHL (17-0-2). Their last game was a 3-2 win at home against the New York Rangers on Saturday. Prior to that, they were shut-out 6-0 on the road against the Detroit Red Wings two nights earlier.
The Canucks did not skate today at the HP Pavillion. Only Jason Jaffray and Lawrence Nycholat came out to take shots on Cory Schneider, who is expected to get the start tonight in net. Otherwise it looks like the Canucks will go with the same roster as last night against the Ducks.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Hansen
Pyatt - Demitra - Raymond
Burrows - Kesler - Bernier
Hordichuk - Wellwood - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Davison
O'Brien - Edler
Schneider
Sanford
Sharks:
Patrick Marleau - Joe Thorton - Devin Setoguchi
Ryane Clowe - Joe Pavalski - Jonathan Cheechoo
Tomas Plihal - Marcel Goc - Mike Grier
Jody Shelly - Tom Cavanagh - Jamie McGinn
Rob Blake - Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Brad Lukowich - Dan Boyle
Doug Murray - Christan Erhoff
Evgeni Nabokov
Brian Boucher
In their last game on home ice before the Christmas break, the Vancouver Canucks made the most of their match-up against the Anaheim Ducks by skating away with a 4-3 win at GM Place Monday night. It was Vancouver’s fourth straight victory against a Pacific Division opponent.
The Ducks wound up opening the scoring on a first period power play. Ryan Getzlaf found a wide open Bobby Ryan at the side of the net and he had little trouble snapping a one-timer past goalie Curtis Sanford. Scott Neidermeyer collects the other assist on Ryan’s 5th of the season at 8:32.
The remainder of the period was dominated by the Canucks who wound up getting the equalizer with a power play goal of their own. Mason Raymond was able to scoop in a rebound on a back-handed opportunity from the top of the crease. Mattias Ohlund and Steve Bernier collect the helpers on Raymond’s first goal in eight games. It turned out to be his 8th of the season at 12:51.
Before the period was out, Vancouver took the lead on another power play. Bernier’s shot wound up being denied by goalie Jonas Hiller, but the rebound chance by Ryan Kesler made its way through the pads of the netminder. Kesler’s 100th NHL point proved to be his 8th of the season at 17:53.
The Ducks kept getting into penalty trouble in the second period and that turned the tide in favour of the Canucks. After having a couple of close range chances denied, Daniel Sedin was able to give Vancouver a two-goal lead. Rob Davison’s shot from the point would be deflected out of mid-air by the Canucks leading scorer. Henrik Sedin notches the other assist on Daniel’s 16th of the year at 4:35.
Vancouver looked to put the game out of reach in the early going of the final frame. Former Vancouver Giants captain Brett Festerling turned the puck over in the neutral zone to Daniel, who broke in free on a breakaway. His move to the backhand gave Hiller no chance. It was his second of the game and team-leading 17th of the year. What proved to be the game-winner came at 6:31.
Samuel Pahlsson looked to have gotten the Ducks back on the scoreboard in the third period, but his goal was waved off as he was said to have kicked it into the Vancouver net. Shortly afterwards, while on a two-man advantage, Anaheim did get back into the game on a pretty passing play. Ryan found Perry in the left face off circle, who wound up finding a wide open Scott Neidermeyer beside the crease. He had little trouble burying his 4th of the year at 11:33.
The Ducks made things interesting with under seven minutes to go in the game. Ryan’s dump in to the Canucks zone was deflected off the stick of Kevin Bieksa. In mid-air, Perry batted it down to Pahlsson, who snapped it underneath Sanford. For Pahlsson, it was just his 3rd goal of the season and it had Anaheim within a goal of the Canucks at 13:02.
Anaheim pressed for the remainder of the final period, but were unable to get the equalizer as the Canucks hung on for the one-goal win. Final shots on net did favour the Ducks 27-26. In a penalty-filled game, the Canucks finished the game going 2-for-8 on the power play while the Ducks went 2-for-5.
Having improved their record to 19-2-3, the Canucks get set to play their final game before the brief holiday break Tuesday night in San Jose against the Pacific Division leading Sharks. Game time from the HP Pavillion is 7:00pm PST.
The Ducks wound up opening the scoring on a first period power play. Ryan Getzlaf found a wide open Bobby Ryan at the side of the net and he had little trouble snapping a one-timer past goalie Curtis Sanford. Scott Neidermeyer collects the other assist on Ryan’s 5th of the season at 8:32.
The remainder of the period was dominated by the Canucks who wound up getting the equalizer with a power play goal of their own. Mason Raymond was able to scoop in a rebound on a back-handed opportunity from the top of the crease. Mattias Ohlund and Steve Bernier collect the helpers on Raymond’s first goal in eight games. It turned out to be his 8th of the season at 12:51.
Before the period was out, Vancouver took the lead on another power play. Bernier’s shot wound up being denied by goalie Jonas Hiller, but the rebound chance by Ryan Kesler made its way through the pads of the netminder. Kesler’s 100th NHL point proved to be his 8th of the season at 17:53.
The Ducks kept getting into penalty trouble in the second period and that turned the tide in favour of the Canucks. After having a couple of close range chances denied, Daniel Sedin was able to give Vancouver a two-goal lead. Rob Davison’s shot from the point would be deflected out of mid-air by the Canucks leading scorer. Henrik Sedin notches the other assist on Daniel’s 16th of the year at 4:35.
Vancouver looked to put the game out of reach in the early going of the final frame. Former Vancouver Giants captain Brett Festerling turned the puck over in the neutral zone to Daniel, who broke in free on a breakaway. His move to the backhand gave Hiller no chance. It was his second of the game and team-leading 17th of the year. What proved to be the game-winner came at 6:31.
Samuel Pahlsson looked to have gotten the Ducks back on the scoreboard in the third period, but his goal was waved off as he was said to have kicked it into the Vancouver net. Shortly afterwards, while on a two-man advantage, Anaheim did get back into the game on a pretty passing play. Ryan found Perry in the left face off circle, who wound up finding a wide open Scott Neidermeyer beside the crease. He had little trouble burying his 4th of the year at 11:33.
The Ducks made things interesting with under seven minutes to go in the game. Ryan’s dump in to the Canucks zone was deflected off the stick of Kevin Bieksa. In mid-air, Perry batted it down to Pahlsson, who snapped it underneath Sanford. For Pahlsson, it was just his 3rd goal of the season and it had Anaheim within a goal of the Canucks at 13:02.
Anaheim pressed for the remainder of the final period, but were unable to get the equalizer as the Canucks hung on for the one-goal win. Final shots on net did favour the Ducks 27-26. In a penalty-filled game, the Canucks finished the game going 2-for-8 on the power play while the Ducks went 2-for-5.
Having improved their record to 19-2-3, the Canucks get set to play their final game before the brief holiday break Tuesday night in San Jose against the Pacific Division leading Sharks. Game time from the HP Pavillion is 7:00pm PST.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Canucks & Ducks Game Day
The Canucks and Ducks, both with identical 18-12-3 records meet for the second time this season. Their previous meeting was the nightmare on Halloween in Anaheim, where the Canucks blew a 5-2 lead, but wound up winning 7-6 in what proved to be a 26-player shoot-out.
The Canucks will have Mike Brown and Rob Davison come into the line-up tonight as Jason Jaffray and Lawrence Nycholat will be healthy scratches.
Daniel and Henrik Sedin have combined for eight points in their last three straight games. Daniel (3g,2a) and Henrik (3a) will continue to skate with Jannik Hansen, who has points in back-to-back outtings (1g,2a).
The Ducks do not have the services of their leading power play weapon Teemu Selanne, who's out up to a month after slicing open his quad muscle last Friday in Edmonton. Although they didn't skate in their line combos today, it sounds like Bobby Ryan will take the spot of Selanne on the power play and he'll likely skate 5-on-5 on a line with Brendan Morrison and Todd Marchant. Marchant is playing in his 1000th NHL game tonight.
Here are the expected line-ups for both clubs:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Hansen
Pyatt - Demitra - Raymond
Burrows - Kesler - Bernier
Hordichuk - Wellwood - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
O'Brien - Edler
Ohlund - Davison
Sanford
Schneider
Ducks:
Chris Kunitz - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry
Brendan Morrison - Todd Marchant - Bobby Ryan
Travis Moen - Samuel Pahlsson - Rob Neidermeyer
Brad May - Ryan Carter - George Parros
Scott Neidermeyer - Brett Festerling
Chris Pronger - Nathan McIver
Steve Montador - Bret Hedican
Jonas Hiller
Jean-Sebastien Giguere
The Canucks will have Mike Brown and Rob Davison come into the line-up tonight as Jason Jaffray and Lawrence Nycholat will be healthy scratches.
Daniel and Henrik Sedin have combined for eight points in their last three straight games. Daniel (3g,2a) and Henrik (3a) will continue to skate with Jannik Hansen, who has points in back-to-back outtings (1g,2a).
The Ducks do not have the services of their leading power play weapon Teemu Selanne, who's out up to a month after slicing open his quad muscle last Friday in Edmonton. Although they didn't skate in their line combos today, it sounds like Bobby Ryan will take the spot of Selanne on the power play and he'll likely skate 5-on-5 on a line with Brendan Morrison and Todd Marchant. Marchant is playing in his 1000th NHL game tonight.
Here are the expected line-ups for both clubs:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Hansen
Pyatt - Demitra - Raymond
Burrows - Kesler - Bernier
Hordichuk - Wellwood - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
O'Brien - Edler
Ohlund - Davison
Sanford
Schneider
Ducks:
Chris Kunitz - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry
Brendan Morrison - Todd Marchant - Bobby Ryan
Travis Moen - Samuel Pahlsson - Rob Neidermeyer
Brad May - Ryan Carter - George Parros
Scott Neidermeyer - Brett Festerling
Chris Pronger - Nathan McIver
Steve Montador - Bret Hedican
Jonas Hiller
Jean-Sebastien Giguere
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Canucks Fall Short To Hawks Saturday
They certainly had their chances. However the Vancouver Canucks couldn't figure out enough ways to beat Chicago goalie Christobal Huet as they fell 3-1 to the red hot Blackhawks.
The Canucks were definitely happy with their start to the game and were rewarded for their efforts with a goal from Daniel Sedin. After finding a loose puck beside the Hawks goal, he made no mistake scooping it home. Henrik Sedin and Jannik Hansen collect the assist on Daniel's 15th of the year at 3:45.
Daniel nearly gave the home team a two-goal lead early in second period with a breakaway opportunity. However he was unable to capitalize and right away the Hawks went to the other end of the rink and looked to their leading scorer to tie things up. Patrick Kane broke down the right side of the Canucks zone and was able to score on a beautiful back-handed shot that beat Curtis Sanford on the short side. Andrew Ladd and Kris Versteeg help Kane score his 16th of the year at 2:51.
Pavol Demitra had a great chance to get Vancouver back into the lead as he had a re-directed chance from the top of the crease beat Huet. However the puck trickled just wide of the right post. Shortly after that the Hawks got their own lead as Partick Sharp used Shane O'Brien as a screen in front to eventually snap home a shot into the top corner. Sharp's 18th of the year also turned out to be his third game winner of the season at 6:17.
The Canucks certainly had some great opportunities to draw level before the intermission break. Henrik Sedin had two good chances in close on a power play, Mattias Ohlund missed with a snap shot from between the circles while on the man advantage, Mason Raymond snapped a great chance off the cross bar, and Willie Mitchell wound up being stoned by Huet in the final minute of the frame.
The Hawks did a decent job in the final period not allowing the Canucks many great chances. When the puck was in the Chicago end, the best opporunities came from Ohlund and Steve Bernier. However Huet was there to shut the door and keep his team in the lead.
Captain Jonathan Toews capped off the scoring by hitting the empty net with 39 seconds remaining in the game. Craig Adams picked up the lone assist on the 9th of the year for Toews.
Final shots on net favoured the Hawks 34-31. Vancouver wound up going 0-for-6 on the power play while their opponents went 0-for-4.
The win was the seventh straight for the Blackhawks, who are now 18-6-7. As for the Canucks, their record now stands at 18-12-3. Vancouver will be back on home ice Monday night where they will take on the Anaheim Ducks. Game time is 7:00pm.
The Canucks were definitely happy with their start to the game and were rewarded for their efforts with a goal from Daniel Sedin. After finding a loose puck beside the Hawks goal, he made no mistake scooping it home. Henrik Sedin and Jannik Hansen collect the assist on Daniel's 15th of the year at 3:45.
Daniel nearly gave the home team a two-goal lead early in second period with a breakaway opportunity. However he was unable to capitalize and right away the Hawks went to the other end of the rink and looked to their leading scorer to tie things up. Patrick Kane broke down the right side of the Canucks zone and was able to score on a beautiful back-handed shot that beat Curtis Sanford on the short side. Andrew Ladd and Kris Versteeg help Kane score his 16th of the year at 2:51.
Pavol Demitra had a great chance to get Vancouver back into the lead as he had a re-directed chance from the top of the crease beat Huet. However the puck trickled just wide of the right post. Shortly after that the Hawks got their own lead as Partick Sharp used Shane O'Brien as a screen in front to eventually snap home a shot into the top corner. Sharp's 18th of the year also turned out to be his third game winner of the season at 6:17.
The Canucks certainly had some great opportunities to draw level before the intermission break. Henrik Sedin had two good chances in close on a power play, Mattias Ohlund missed with a snap shot from between the circles while on the man advantage, Mason Raymond snapped a great chance off the cross bar, and Willie Mitchell wound up being stoned by Huet in the final minute of the frame.
The Hawks did a decent job in the final period not allowing the Canucks many great chances. When the puck was in the Chicago end, the best opporunities came from Ohlund and Steve Bernier. However Huet was there to shut the door and keep his team in the lead.
Captain Jonathan Toews capped off the scoring by hitting the empty net with 39 seconds remaining in the game. Craig Adams picked up the lone assist on the 9th of the year for Toews.
Final shots on net favoured the Hawks 34-31. Vancouver wound up going 0-for-6 on the power play while their opponents went 0-for-4.
The win was the seventh straight for the Blackhawks, who are now 18-6-7. As for the Canucks, their record now stands at 18-12-3. Vancouver will be back on home ice Monday night where they will take on the Anaheim Ducks. Game time is 7:00pm.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Sundin Comes To Canucks
From the Canucks media relations department.....
CANUCKS SIGN FREE AGENT CENTRE MATS SUNDIN
Vancouver, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis today announced that the team has signed free agent centre Mats Sundin. In keeping with club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“We are very excited to have Mats join the Vancouver Canucks,” said Mike Gillis, Vancouver Canucks General Manager. “Playing previously in two Canadian markets and consistently being among team and League leaders in scoring, Mats has proven that he can excel under pressure. He adds a wealth of experience, leadership and skill to the Canucks.”
"I am truly excited to be joining the Canucks,” said Sundin. “Once I made the decision to return to play a few weeks ago, the Vancouver opportunity was simply the best overall fit. I want to thank Mike Gillis and the entire Canucks organization for their professionalism throughout this entire process."
Sundin, 37, joins the Canucks organization after playing over 1300 career NHL regular season games with Toronto and Quebec. In an additional 83 Stanley Cup Playoff games, he has recorded 74 points (35-39-74) and 72 penalty minutes. In 1305 regular season games, Sundin has recorded 555 goals, 766 assists, 1321 points and 1065 penalty minutes. At the conclusion of the 2007-08 season, he held the Maple Leafs franchise record for most goals (420) and points (987) in a Toronto sweater.
At the conclusion of the 2007-08 season, the 6-foot-5, 230 pounds centre ranked 22nd all-time in career goals (555), 34th all-time in career assists (766) and 30th all-time in career points (1321).
The Bromma, Sweden native has also represented his home nation in a number of international tournaments. During his international career, Sundin has won the World Championships on three occasions (1991, 1992 and 1998) and was captain of Team Sweden at the 2006 Winter Olympics, winning gold, alongside Canucks teammates, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Mattias Ohlund.
For his accomplishments on the ice, Sundin has been selected to play in the NHL All-Star game on nine occasions (missed 2003 due to an injury). In 2002 and 2004, Sundin was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team and was named to the Olympic Tournament All-Star Team in 2002.
Sundin was selected first overall in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques, becoming the first European hockey player to ever be drafted first overall.
CANUCKS SIGN FREE AGENT CENTRE MATS SUNDIN
Vancouver, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis today announced that the team has signed free agent centre Mats Sundin. In keeping with club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“We are very excited to have Mats join the Vancouver Canucks,” said Mike Gillis, Vancouver Canucks General Manager. “Playing previously in two Canadian markets and consistently being among team and League leaders in scoring, Mats has proven that he can excel under pressure. He adds a wealth of experience, leadership and skill to the Canucks.”
"I am truly excited to be joining the Canucks,” said Sundin. “Once I made the decision to return to play a few weeks ago, the Vancouver opportunity was simply the best overall fit. I want to thank Mike Gillis and the entire Canucks organization for their professionalism throughout this entire process."
Sundin, 37, joins the Canucks organization after playing over 1300 career NHL regular season games with Toronto and Quebec. In an additional 83 Stanley Cup Playoff games, he has recorded 74 points (35-39-74) and 72 penalty minutes. In 1305 regular season games, Sundin has recorded 555 goals, 766 assists, 1321 points and 1065 penalty minutes. At the conclusion of the 2007-08 season, he held the Maple Leafs franchise record for most goals (420) and points (987) in a Toronto sweater.
At the conclusion of the 2007-08 season, the 6-foot-5, 230 pounds centre ranked 22nd all-time in career goals (555), 34th all-time in career assists (766) and 30th all-time in career points (1321).
The Bromma, Sweden native has also represented his home nation in a number of international tournaments. During his international career, Sundin has won the World Championships on three occasions (1991, 1992 and 1998) and was captain of Team Sweden at the 2006 Winter Olympics, winning gold, alongside Canucks teammates, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Mattias Ohlund.
For his accomplishments on the ice, Sundin has been selected to play in the NHL All-Star game on nine occasions (missed 2003 due to an injury). In 2002 and 2004, Sundin was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team and was named to the Olympic Tournament All-Star Team in 2002.
Sundin was selected first overall in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques, becoming the first European hockey player to ever be drafted first overall.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Canucks Double Oilers On Linden Night
Wednesday night could not have been scripted any better for Trevor Linden and the Vancouver Canucks. On an evening where Linden's #16 was raised to the rafters, the Canucks were able to post a 4-2 win over the struggling Edmonton Oilers.
The pre-game ceremony for Linden's retirement was nothing short of spectacular. Former teammates were on hand, including the likes of Stan Smyl, Kirk McLean, Gino Odjick, Greg Adams, and Cliff Ronning. Also on hand were NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, Linden's former player representative Don Meehan, former Canucks owner Arthur Griffiths, and of course his wife, brothers, mother, and father. The ceremony, co-hosted by Jim Robson and John Shorthouse lasted nearly an hour before the two clubs met each other for the third time this season. The job done by TC Carling and Debbie Butt from the Canucks staff, who headed up a massive organizing committee for the event, was absolutely tremendous. It was certainly a night Canucks fans who saw it won't soon forget.
Both teams seemed to have trouble finding their legs early on once the action got going and the two clubs remained scoreless through the first 20 minutes. One of the hi-lites of the opening frame saw Shane O'Brien get stood up behind the net of Curtis Sanford by Oilers enforcer Zach Stortini. Stortini wound up fighting Mike Brown as O'Brien wound up leaving the game with an apparent charly horse injury.
It didn't take long into the middle period for the Canucks to open the scoring. While on a power play, Daniel Sedin was able to jab in a loose puck at the top of the crease and beat goalie Dwayne Roloson. Alexander Edler and Kyle Wellwood get the assists on the 13th of the year for Daniel at 1:14.
Shortly afterwards Vancouver was able to build the lead on a heads up play by Ryan Kesler. After scooping up a loose puck behind the Oilers net, he banked it off the pad of Roloson and across the goal line. Kesler, who has scored in back-to-back games, now has seven goals on the year. Willie Mitchell and Steve Bernier collect the helpers at 3:51.
Before the period was over, the Canucks made it a 3-0 contest as Daniel snapped in a bad angle shot on the short side of Roloson. Jannik Hansen and Kevin Bieksa helped Sedin score his team-leading 14th of the campaign at 16:10.
A scary moment for the Canucks came with two minutes remaining in the second period. Sami Salo was run into the end boards by Edmonton captain Ethan Moreau. Salo wound up leaving the game with what appeared to be a shoulder injury. As a result the Canucks would have to play the final twenty minutes with just four defencemen.
The Oilers broke the shut-out bid of Sanford early on. Henrik Sedin turned the puck over in his own face off circle and Dustin Penner made him pay by capitalizing on a wrist shot. Penner's 9th of the year came at 2:32.
The physical element really picked up near the midway point of the period as Hansen through a huge open ice hit on Tom Gilbert while Bieksa rocked Sam Gagner behind the Vancouver goal. The visitors made things interesting though with under two minutes remaining as Sam Gagner scooped in a loose puck in the crease. Ales Hemsky and Robert Nilsson help Gagner score just his second goal of the year at 18:31.
Roloson was able to get to the bench for the extra attacker, but the Canucks wouldn't see the lead slip away as Hansen sealed the win with an empty netter. Hansen, who has now scored in back-to-back games, tallies his 5th of the year. Both of the Sedins collect assists on the play with 46 seconds left in the contest.
The Canucks wound up out-shooting the Oilers 28-24 in a game which saw both clubs go 1-for-6 on the power play. With the win, the Canucks improve their record against Northwest Division opponents to 7-3-2.
Now with an overall record of 18-11-3, the Canucks stayed tied with the Calgary Flames for top spot in the Northwest Division (39 pts.). Next up for Vancouver will be a red hot Chicago Blackhawks team, who wound up hammering the Oilers 9-2 in Edmonton on Tuesday night. Game time between the Canucks and Hawks on Saturday will be 7:00pm
The pre-game ceremony for Linden's retirement was nothing short of spectacular. Former teammates were on hand, including the likes of Stan Smyl, Kirk McLean, Gino Odjick, Greg Adams, and Cliff Ronning. Also on hand were NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, Linden's former player representative Don Meehan, former Canucks owner Arthur Griffiths, and of course his wife, brothers, mother, and father. The ceremony, co-hosted by Jim Robson and John Shorthouse lasted nearly an hour before the two clubs met each other for the third time this season. The job done by TC Carling and Debbie Butt from the Canucks staff, who headed up a massive organizing committee for the event, was absolutely tremendous. It was certainly a night Canucks fans who saw it won't soon forget.
Both teams seemed to have trouble finding their legs early on once the action got going and the two clubs remained scoreless through the first 20 minutes. One of the hi-lites of the opening frame saw Shane O'Brien get stood up behind the net of Curtis Sanford by Oilers enforcer Zach Stortini. Stortini wound up fighting Mike Brown as O'Brien wound up leaving the game with an apparent charly horse injury.
It didn't take long into the middle period for the Canucks to open the scoring. While on a power play, Daniel Sedin was able to jab in a loose puck at the top of the crease and beat goalie Dwayne Roloson. Alexander Edler and Kyle Wellwood get the assists on the 13th of the year for Daniel at 1:14.
Shortly afterwards Vancouver was able to build the lead on a heads up play by Ryan Kesler. After scooping up a loose puck behind the Oilers net, he banked it off the pad of Roloson and across the goal line. Kesler, who has scored in back-to-back games, now has seven goals on the year. Willie Mitchell and Steve Bernier collect the helpers at 3:51.
Before the period was over, the Canucks made it a 3-0 contest as Daniel snapped in a bad angle shot on the short side of Roloson. Jannik Hansen and Kevin Bieksa helped Sedin score his team-leading 14th of the campaign at 16:10.
A scary moment for the Canucks came with two minutes remaining in the second period. Sami Salo was run into the end boards by Edmonton captain Ethan Moreau. Salo wound up leaving the game with what appeared to be a shoulder injury. As a result the Canucks would have to play the final twenty minutes with just four defencemen.
The Oilers broke the shut-out bid of Sanford early on. Henrik Sedin turned the puck over in his own face off circle and Dustin Penner made him pay by capitalizing on a wrist shot. Penner's 9th of the year came at 2:32.
The physical element really picked up near the midway point of the period as Hansen through a huge open ice hit on Tom Gilbert while Bieksa rocked Sam Gagner behind the Vancouver goal. The visitors made things interesting though with under two minutes remaining as Sam Gagner scooped in a loose puck in the crease. Ales Hemsky and Robert Nilsson help Gagner score just his second goal of the year at 18:31.
Roloson was able to get to the bench for the extra attacker, but the Canucks wouldn't see the lead slip away as Hansen sealed the win with an empty netter. Hansen, who has now scored in back-to-back games, tallies his 5th of the year. Both of the Sedins collect assists on the play with 46 seconds left in the contest.
The Canucks wound up out-shooting the Oilers 28-24 in a game which saw both clubs go 1-for-6 on the power play. With the win, the Canucks improve their record against Northwest Division opponents to 7-3-2.
Now with an overall record of 18-11-3, the Canucks stayed tied with the Calgary Flames for top spot in the Northwest Division (39 pts.). Next up for Vancouver will be a red hot Chicago Blackhawks team, who wound up hammering the Oilers 9-2 in Edmonton on Tuesday night. Game time between the Canucks and Hawks on Saturday will be 7:00pm
Canucks Oilers on Linden Game Day
It's a big day for the Canucks and their former captain Trevor Linden who will have his #16 jersey retired to the rafters of GM Place before tonight's game against the Edmonton Oilers. Linden met with the media today after a suprise unveiling of "Gate 16", the newly named entrance to GM Place where the Canucks offices are located. Also meeting with the media was NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who will be a part of tonight's festivities.
As far as the game is concerned, it looks like the Canucks may make a minor change to their line-up than the one they iced in a 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers on Sunday. Sami Salo is a game time decision but likely will return after missing the last three games with a groin injury. If he's not good to go, Rob Davison will be back on defence. Curtis Sanford will indeed start in net.
As for the Oilers, they likely will make a change or two after a 9-2 loss to the visiting Chicago Blackhawks last night. Expect Jason Strudwick to play on a line with Marc Pouliot and Zack Stortini. Still waiting official word on who Craig MacTavish will start in goal, although the Oilers media expect it will be Dwayne Roloson.
This will be the third meeting of the season between the two clubs. Vancouver (17-11-3) posted a 6-3 win at home on Oct. 25 where Jannik Hansen and Mason Raymond each scored twice. Edmonton (14-13-2) shut out the Canucks Dec. 13 at Rexall Place where Roloson made 23 saves for the win.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Hansen
Pyatt - Demitra - Raymond
Burrows - Kesler - Bernier
Hordichuk - Wellwood - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
O'Brien - Edler
Ohlund - Salo/Davison
Sanford
Schneider
Oilers
Dustin Penner - Shawn Horcoff - Ales Hemsky
Robert Nilsson - Andrew Cogliano - Sam Gagner
Ethan Moreau - Kyle Brodziak - Erik Cole
Jason Strudwick - Marc Pouliot - Zack Stortini
Sheldon Souray - Tom Gilbert
Denis Grebeshkov - Lubomir Visnovsky
Steve Staios - Ladislav Smid
Dwayne Roloson
Mathieu Garon
As far as the game is concerned, it looks like the Canucks may make a minor change to their line-up than the one they iced in a 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers on Sunday. Sami Salo is a game time decision but likely will return after missing the last three games with a groin injury. If he's not good to go, Rob Davison will be back on defence. Curtis Sanford will indeed start in net.
As for the Oilers, they likely will make a change or two after a 9-2 loss to the visiting Chicago Blackhawks last night. Expect Jason Strudwick to play on a line with Marc Pouliot and Zack Stortini. Still waiting official word on who Craig MacTavish will start in goal, although the Oilers media expect it will be Dwayne Roloson.
This will be the third meeting of the season between the two clubs. Vancouver (17-11-3) posted a 6-3 win at home on Oct. 25 where Jannik Hansen and Mason Raymond each scored twice. Edmonton (14-13-2) shut out the Canucks Dec. 13 at Rexall Place where Roloson made 23 saves for the win.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Hansen
Pyatt - Demitra - Raymond
Burrows - Kesler - Bernier
Hordichuk - Wellwood - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
O'Brien - Edler
Ohlund - Salo/Davison
Sanford
Schneider
Oilers
Dustin Penner - Shawn Horcoff - Ales Hemsky
Robert Nilsson - Andrew Cogliano - Sam Gagner
Ethan Moreau - Kyle Brodziak - Erik Cole
Jason Strudwick - Marc Pouliot - Zack Stortini
Sheldon Souray - Tom Gilbert
Denis Grebeshkov - Lubomir Visnovsky
Steve Staios - Ladislav Smid
Dwayne Roloson
Mathieu Garon
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Eve of Linden Day @ GM Place
Couple of notes and tidbits before Wednesday's special day for Vancouver Canucks fans who will help celebrate the career of one of the greatest players to ever play in the city....
* The Canucks will likely go with the same line-up as the one they iced against the Florida Panthers on Sunday. The one noteable change will see Curtis Sanford get the start in net over Cory Schneider
* The Edmonton Oilers will likely not have the same line-up as the one they had Tuesday night in a 9-2 loss at home against the Chicago Blackhawks. It was the most lop-sided loss the Oilers have suffered in the last 13 years.
* The ceremonies to celebrate the retirement of the #16 jersey belonging to Trevor Linden will begin at 6:00pm. I can honestly tell you I have no idea what the plans are for the hour-long ceremony, as far as who will be on hand or who might be speaking. I do know that the opening face off for the game will be taking place at 7:30pm.
* Linden will be meeting with the media at 10:00am on Wednesday. It's sure to be the start of a memorable day for one of the best players the Canucks have ever had, both on and off the ice.
* The Canucks will likely go with the same line-up as the one they iced against the Florida Panthers on Sunday. The one noteable change will see Curtis Sanford get the start in net over Cory Schneider
* The Edmonton Oilers will likely not have the same line-up as the one they had Tuesday night in a 9-2 loss at home against the Chicago Blackhawks. It was the most lop-sided loss the Oilers have suffered in the last 13 years.
* The ceremonies to celebrate the retirement of the #16 jersey belonging to Trevor Linden will begin at 6:00pm. I can honestly tell you I have no idea what the plans are for the hour-long ceremony, as far as who will be on hand or who might be speaking. I do know that the opening face off for the game will be taking place at 7:30pm.
* Linden will be meeting with the media at 10:00am on Wednesday. It's sure to be the start of a memorable day for one of the best players the Canucks have ever had, both on and off the ice.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Canucks Recharge Against Florida
On the heels of a disappointing seven game road trip, the Canucks returned home to post a 5-3 victory over the Florida Panthers. It was a big night for Vancouver's special teams, as they scored twice on the power play and once short-handed as part of a four-goal second period.
The Panthers, who had gone 7-1-2 in their last ten games, were able to build up a 2-0 lead less than seven minutes into the action. Nick Boyton's point shot made its way through traffic and got underneath Cory Schneider at 4:02. Then Panthers leading scorer Jay Bouwmeester scooped in a loose puck in a goal mouth scramble for his 6th of the season.
Before the period was over the Canucks were able to pull within a goal. Ryan Kesler forced a turnover inside the Panthers zone and found Darcy Hordichuk alone in the right face off circle. His snap shot made its way over the shoulder of netminder Craig Anderson. Hordichuk's 3rd of the season came at 12:42.
Vancouver dominated the middle frame, one that saw them out-shoot the opposition 18-5. Pavol Demitra got things going as he pounced on a Karlis Skrastins turnover beside the goal and tucked it inside the post. His 9th of the year came unassisted at 5:25. Demitra then gave the Canucks the lead as his intended pass to the goal mouth deflected off Bouwmeester's skate and behind Anderson. Mason Raymond and Alexander Edler collect the helpers on the power play at 11:17.
The goal that turned out to the game winner was a beautiful finish on the man advantage. After receiving a pass in the slot from Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin through a high feed to Kyle Wellwood in front. He made no mistake batting it home for his 12th of the year. It was also his third game-winner marker of the campaign at 12:47.
Less than a minute later, the Canucks capped off their scoring while Florida had a power play. Kevin Bieksa was able to find Kesler behind the Panthers defence and he wound up cashing in on a nice finish to the backhand. Kesler, who had gone 14 games without scoring, chipped in his 6th of the year. It was also Vancouver's fourth short-handed goal of the season and it came at 13:25.
The Panthers managed to score the only goal of the third period as Michael Frolik slid home a chance at the top of the crease. His third goal at 6:14 would be the final goal scored by the Panthers, who have not won a game in Vancouver since March of 1994!
The Canucks wound up out-shooting the Panthers 30-21 on a night which saw Vancouver go 2-for-6 on the power play and a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.
Now with an overall record of 17-11-3, the Canucks will get set to play the Edmonton Oilers at GM Place on Wednesday. It's sure to be a night to remember as Canucks fans will see the #16 jersery belonging to Trevor Linden retired to the rafters. Game time is 7:30pm PST.
The Panthers, who had gone 7-1-2 in their last ten games, were able to build up a 2-0 lead less than seven minutes into the action. Nick Boyton's point shot made its way through traffic and got underneath Cory Schneider at 4:02. Then Panthers leading scorer Jay Bouwmeester scooped in a loose puck in a goal mouth scramble for his 6th of the season.
Before the period was over the Canucks were able to pull within a goal. Ryan Kesler forced a turnover inside the Panthers zone and found Darcy Hordichuk alone in the right face off circle. His snap shot made its way over the shoulder of netminder Craig Anderson. Hordichuk's 3rd of the season came at 12:42.
Vancouver dominated the middle frame, one that saw them out-shoot the opposition 18-5. Pavol Demitra got things going as he pounced on a Karlis Skrastins turnover beside the goal and tucked it inside the post. His 9th of the year came unassisted at 5:25. Demitra then gave the Canucks the lead as his intended pass to the goal mouth deflected off Bouwmeester's skate and behind Anderson. Mason Raymond and Alexander Edler collect the helpers on the power play at 11:17.
The goal that turned out to the game winner was a beautiful finish on the man advantage. After receiving a pass in the slot from Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin through a high feed to Kyle Wellwood in front. He made no mistake batting it home for his 12th of the year. It was also his third game-winner marker of the campaign at 12:47.
Less than a minute later, the Canucks capped off their scoring while Florida had a power play. Kevin Bieksa was able to find Kesler behind the Panthers defence and he wound up cashing in on a nice finish to the backhand. Kesler, who had gone 14 games without scoring, chipped in his 6th of the year. It was also Vancouver's fourth short-handed goal of the season and it came at 13:25.
The Panthers managed to score the only goal of the third period as Michael Frolik slid home a chance at the top of the crease. His third goal at 6:14 would be the final goal scored by the Panthers, who have not won a game in Vancouver since March of 1994!
The Canucks wound up out-shooting the Panthers 30-21 on a night which saw Vancouver go 2-for-6 on the power play and a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.
Now with an overall record of 17-11-3, the Canucks will get set to play the Edmonton Oilers at GM Place on Wednesday. It's sure to be a night to remember as Canucks fans will see the #16 jersery belonging to Trevor Linden retired to the rafters. Game time is 7:30pm PST.
Canucks Panthers Game Day
The Canucks will look to rebound after a disappointing loss on the road last night in Edmonton as this evening they host the Florida Panthers for the one and only meeting between the two clubs this season.
Cory Schneider will get the start tonight in goal after Curtis Sanford allowed three goals on 29 shots in last night's 3-0 loss to the Oilers. In Schneider's last outting, he gave up four goals on 35 shots as the Canucks blew three leads to fall 5-4 in a shoot-out to the Colorado Avalanche Dec. 7.
Sami Salo is still not healthy enough to play as he nurses a groin injury. Rob Davison will again draw into the Canucks line-up on defence. Mike Brown will factor into the Canucks line-up as well taking the spot of Jason Jaffray.
The Canucks (16-11-3) are not likely to make any line-up changes but they are expected to make some changes to their forward combos. Although the club did not skate this morning at GM Place, don't be surprised to see Daniel and Henrik Sedin reunited with Pavol Demitra while Jannik Hansen could be back working with Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler.
The Panthers (14-12-3) are one of the hottest teams in the entire NHL right now. Coming off a 3-2 win in a shoot-out against the Calgary Flames on Friday, they have also posted road wins in the past week over the Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators. They are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games and are currently led in scoring by defenceman Jay Bouwmeester (5g,12a).
Here are the possible line-ups for both teams going into tonight's action:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Hordichuk - Raymond - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Davison
O'Brien - Edler
Schneider
Sanford
Panthers:
Michal Frolik - Stephen Weiss - Kamil Kreps
Michal Repik - Shawn Matthias - Cory Stillman
Ville Peltonen - Gregory Campbell - Radek Dvorak
Nick Tarnasky - Brett McLean - Anthony Stewart
Karlis Skrastins - Jay Bouwmeester
Keith Ballard - Nick Boyton
Jasesn Cullimore - Bryan McCabe
Craig Anderson
Tomas Vokoun
Cory Schneider will get the start tonight in goal after Curtis Sanford allowed three goals on 29 shots in last night's 3-0 loss to the Oilers. In Schneider's last outting, he gave up four goals on 35 shots as the Canucks blew three leads to fall 5-4 in a shoot-out to the Colorado Avalanche Dec. 7.
Sami Salo is still not healthy enough to play as he nurses a groin injury. Rob Davison will again draw into the Canucks line-up on defence. Mike Brown will factor into the Canucks line-up as well taking the spot of Jason Jaffray.
The Canucks (16-11-3) are not likely to make any line-up changes but they are expected to make some changes to their forward combos. Although the club did not skate this morning at GM Place, don't be surprised to see Daniel and Henrik Sedin reunited with Pavol Demitra while Jannik Hansen could be back working with Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler.
The Panthers (14-12-3) are one of the hottest teams in the entire NHL right now. Coming off a 3-2 win in a shoot-out against the Calgary Flames on Friday, they have also posted road wins in the past week over the Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators. They are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games and are currently led in scoring by defenceman Jay Bouwmeester (5g,12a).
Here are the possible line-ups for both teams going into tonight's action:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Hordichuk - Raymond - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Davison
O'Brien - Edler
Schneider
Sanford
Panthers:
Michal Frolik - Stephen Weiss - Kamil Kreps
Michal Repik - Shawn Matthias - Cory Stillman
Ville Peltonen - Gregory Campbell - Radek Dvorak
Nick Tarnasky - Brett McLean - Anthony Stewart
Karlis Skrastins - Jay Bouwmeester
Keith Ballard - Nick Boyton
Jasesn Cullimore - Bryan McCabe
Craig Anderson
Tomas Vokoun
Canucks Fall Flat To Oilers Saturday
In what was probably their most disappointing effort start-to-finish of the season, the Canucks were very flat in a 3-0 loss to the Oilers in Edmonton Saturday night. It was just the second time this season the Canucks were held off the score board as they were out-played in almost every department at Rexall Place.
The game could not have started off worse for the visitors as just 49 seconds into the game, the Oilers scored on their first shot the way of Curtis Sanford. Dustin Penner broke down skated down the right wing into the Vancouver zone and was able to convert on his back-handed chance to beat Sanford on the short side. Lubomir Visnovsky and Denis Grebeshkov get the assists on Penner’s 8th of the year..
After going down a goal, the Canucks tried to light a bit of a spark with a couple of scraps. Darcy Hordichuk and Zach Stortini had a spirited tilt just under six minutes into the game with both players landing numerous shots. Then Rob Davison went at it with Jason Strudwick a few minutes later with neither player worse off for their efforts.
The Canucks found themselves in penalty trouble as Taylor Pyatt and Mattias Ohlund took minor penalties 46 seconds apart. However the Vancouver penalty killers did a great job to weather the storm and stay within one heading into the intermission.
Penalties haunted Vancouver in the second period after an opening-minute fight between Shane O’Brien and Kyle Brodziak. The Canucks were short-handed six times in the middle frame, but it would be a goal 4-on-4 that put the Oilers up by a pair. A turnover in the Vancouver end allowed Sheldon Souray to snap a pass up the right wing for Ales Hemsky. As he led an odd-man rush into the Canucks end, Hemsky was able to beat Sanford with a snap shot on the short side. For Hemsky, it was his team-leading 10th of the year and it came at 18:27.
Despite all the time short-handed, the Canucks did not surrender a power play goal against on any of the eight man advantages the Oilers had in the game. Early on in the final period, the Oilers scored on a controversial goal. Ryan Kesler’s pass from low in the Edmonton end went out to centre ice where Robert Nilsson was all alone after coming off the bench on a close line change. He made no mistake burying his breakaway chance for his 4th of the season at 2:21.
Edmonton netminder Dwayne Roloson finished off the game stopping 23 shots that came his way. However there were no more than three of four high quality scoring chances the Canucks had on the night. At the other end of the rink, Sanford suffered his fourth loss of the season stopping 29 Oilers shots.
The Canucks went 0-for-3 on the man advantage on a night that saw their record against Northwest Division opponents slip to 6-3-2. The Oilers, playing just their 10th home game of the season, improve to 4-2-1 against division rivals.
Now with an overall record of 16-11-3, the Canucks prepare to play seven of their next eight games at home. They won’t have a long time to mull over this loss as they are right back on the ice Sunday to play the visiting Florida Panthers. The Panthers are playing well right now and will head into GM Place after posting back-to-back wins over the Oilers (2-0) and Calgary Flames (3-2 SO). Game time is 7:00pm PST.
The game could not have started off worse for the visitors as just 49 seconds into the game, the Oilers scored on their first shot the way of Curtis Sanford. Dustin Penner broke down skated down the right wing into the Vancouver zone and was able to convert on his back-handed chance to beat Sanford on the short side. Lubomir Visnovsky and Denis Grebeshkov get the assists on Penner’s 8th of the year..
After going down a goal, the Canucks tried to light a bit of a spark with a couple of scraps. Darcy Hordichuk and Zach Stortini had a spirited tilt just under six minutes into the game with both players landing numerous shots. Then Rob Davison went at it with Jason Strudwick a few minutes later with neither player worse off for their efforts.
The Canucks found themselves in penalty trouble as Taylor Pyatt and Mattias Ohlund took minor penalties 46 seconds apart. However the Vancouver penalty killers did a great job to weather the storm and stay within one heading into the intermission.
Penalties haunted Vancouver in the second period after an opening-minute fight between Shane O’Brien and Kyle Brodziak. The Canucks were short-handed six times in the middle frame, but it would be a goal 4-on-4 that put the Oilers up by a pair. A turnover in the Vancouver end allowed Sheldon Souray to snap a pass up the right wing for Ales Hemsky. As he led an odd-man rush into the Canucks end, Hemsky was able to beat Sanford with a snap shot on the short side. For Hemsky, it was his team-leading 10th of the year and it came at 18:27.
Despite all the time short-handed, the Canucks did not surrender a power play goal against on any of the eight man advantages the Oilers had in the game. Early on in the final period, the Oilers scored on a controversial goal. Ryan Kesler’s pass from low in the Edmonton end went out to centre ice where Robert Nilsson was all alone after coming off the bench on a close line change. He made no mistake burying his breakaway chance for his 4th of the season at 2:21.
Edmonton netminder Dwayne Roloson finished off the game stopping 23 shots that came his way. However there were no more than three of four high quality scoring chances the Canucks had on the night. At the other end of the rink, Sanford suffered his fourth loss of the season stopping 29 Oilers shots.
The Canucks went 0-for-3 on the man advantage on a night that saw their record against Northwest Division opponents slip to 6-3-2. The Oilers, playing just their 10th home game of the season, improve to 4-2-1 against division rivals.
Now with an overall record of 16-11-3, the Canucks prepare to play seven of their next eight games at home. They won’t have a long time to mull over this loss as they are right back on the ice Sunday to play the visiting Florida Panthers. The Panthers are playing well right now and will head into GM Place after posting back-to-back wins over the Oilers (2-0) and Calgary Flames (3-2 SO). Game time is 7:00pm PST.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Canucks & Oilers Game Day
The Canucks get set to cap off their season-high seven game road trip with a Northwest Division battle against the Oilers in Edmonton.
Vancouver (16-10-3) will go with the same line-up as the one they iced last Tuesday in a 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Sami Salo is not 100% healthy yet as he continues to recover from a nagging groin injury. Rob Davison will be slotted back on to the blue line.
The Oilers (13-12-2) are playing just their 10th home game of the season tonight. They're coming off a 2-0 loss at home two nights ago against the Florida Panthers.
In their previous meeting this season, the Canucks posted a 6-3 win at GM Place. Jannik Hansen and Mason Raymond each scored a pair of goals in the win while Robert Nillson had a goal and an assist in the loss.
Here are the expected line-ups for tonight's game at 7:00pm PST:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Pyatt
Demitra - Raymond - Wellwood
Burrows - Kesler - Bernier
Hordichuk - Jaffray - Hansen
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Davison
O'Brien - Edler
Sanford
Schneider
Oilers:
Robert Nilsson - Andrew Cogliano - Sam Gagner
Dustin Penner - Shawn Horcoff - Ales Hemsky
Ethan Moreau - Kyle Brodziak - Erik Cole
Jason Strudwick - Marc Pouliot - Zack Stortini
Sheldon Souray - Tom Gilbert
Ladislav Smid - Steve Staios
Denis Grebeshkov - Lubomir Visnovsky
Dwayne Roloson
Mathieu Garon
Vancouver (16-10-3) will go with the same line-up as the one they iced last Tuesday in a 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Sami Salo is not 100% healthy yet as he continues to recover from a nagging groin injury. Rob Davison will be slotted back on to the blue line.
The Oilers (13-12-2) are playing just their 10th home game of the season tonight. They're coming off a 2-0 loss at home two nights ago against the Florida Panthers.
In their previous meeting this season, the Canucks posted a 6-3 win at GM Place. Jannik Hansen and Mason Raymond each scored a pair of goals in the win while Robert Nillson had a goal and an assist in the loss.
Here are the expected line-ups for tonight's game at 7:00pm PST:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Pyatt
Demitra - Raymond - Wellwood
Burrows - Kesler - Bernier
Hordichuk - Jaffray - Hansen
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Davison
O'Brien - Edler
Sanford
Schneider
Oilers:
Robert Nilsson - Andrew Cogliano - Sam Gagner
Dustin Penner - Shawn Horcoff - Ales Hemsky
Ethan Moreau - Kyle Brodziak - Erik Cole
Jason Strudwick - Marc Pouliot - Zack Stortini
Sheldon Souray - Tom Gilbert
Ladislav Smid - Steve Staios
Denis Grebeshkov - Lubomir Visnovsky
Dwayne Roloson
Mathieu Garon
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Canucks Edge Preds Tuesday
In a game which featured four major penalties, a rare seven-minute power play, and a combined 13 man advantages, the Canucks were able to head back to Vancouver with a hard-earned two points by pulling out a 3-1 win over the Predators in Nashville. This was a game that Predators spark plug Jordin Tootoo would have loved to be a part of, but he didn't dress due to a lower body injury.
Pavol Demitra opened the scoring for the Canucks in the first period to break out of a long scoring slump. After receiving a great pass from Kyle Wellwood across the slot, Demitra whistled home a shot past netminder Dan Ellis. It was his first goal in eight games and it was also his 8th of the season at 8:35.
Shortly after the Canucks got into the lead, they found themselves in penalty trouble and allowed the Preds to go to work on a 5-on-3 power play. J.P. Dumont and Martin Erat were able to work the puck down low in the zone before finding Radek Bonk alone in front. He made no mistake sliding a shot underneath Curtis Sanford. Bonk, who hadn't scored in 22 games, scored just his 2nd of the year at 11:03.
With five minutes to go in the period, Rob Davison threw a huge hit on Nashville forward Scott Nichol in front of the Vancouver bench. That drew a crowd with plenty of rough stuff, including a fight between Jason Jaffray and Rich Peverley. Nichol did not return to the game with what was determined to be an upper-body injury.
Early in the 2nd period, the Predators nearly took the lead as Jason Arnott was able to get a shot off from the slot. His attempt had Sanford beat, but it rang off the post and the game stayed tied 1-1.
A few shifts later, Alex Burrows nailed Dumont in the neutral zone flattening the Nashville leading scorer. With no penalty being called on the play, Arnott raced over to the Canucks forward and mauled him to the ice and started firing punches. After a minor dust-up between the two teams, Arnott was assessed an instigator minor, a fighting major, and a ten minute misconduct. That put the Canucks on a rare uninterupted seven-minute man advantage. However the team was unable to beat Ellis with any of their chances and the game remained tied.
Before the period was out, Ryan Kesler was assessed a major penalty for boarding as he ran Shea Weber from behind into the corner boards. Luckily for Weber, he wasn't injured and in fact was okay enough to fire a couple of punches on his opponent. He picked up a double minor for his actions and the two teams finished off the frame skating 4-on-4.
At the final buzzer of the middle frame, Antti Pihlstrom was assessed a tripping penalty which allowed the Canucks to start the 3rd period on a 4-on-3 man advantage. It didn't take long for the visitors to convert on the power play. Kevin Bieksa's point shot would be stopped in front but Daniel Sedin was able to shovel the rebound over to Alexander Edler who converted on a wrist shot. Edler had gone 23 games without a goal, but his 2nd of the year proved to be the game winner just 24 seconds into the period. That goal also extended Sedin's and Bieksa's consectutive point scoring streaks to five straight games.
With the Predators pressing down the stretch to tie the game up, Sanford was called upon to make some key saves. His best stops came when he robbed Ryan Suter with a huge left pad save beside the post and a big glove-handed grab off a shot by Erat from the right face off circle.
Eventually Nashville got Ellis to the bench for the extra attacker, but the Canucks were able to seal the deal as Burrows found the empty net. Kesler picked up the lone helper on the 8th of the year for Burrows at 19:17.
Vancouver out-shot Nashville 28-21 on a night which saw the Canucks go 1-for-6 on the power play while the Predators went 1-for-7.
The Canucks, who dating back to last season, have won five straight meetings with the Predators. With the win, they improve their overall record to 16-10-3 and for the moment regain top spot in the Northwest Division.
The club will practice Wednesday in Vancouver before having a well-deserved day off on Thursday. They'll be back in action on Saturday night in Edmonton when they take on the Oilers.
Pavol Demitra opened the scoring for the Canucks in the first period to break out of a long scoring slump. After receiving a great pass from Kyle Wellwood across the slot, Demitra whistled home a shot past netminder Dan Ellis. It was his first goal in eight games and it was also his 8th of the season at 8:35.
Shortly after the Canucks got into the lead, they found themselves in penalty trouble and allowed the Preds to go to work on a 5-on-3 power play. J.P. Dumont and Martin Erat were able to work the puck down low in the zone before finding Radek Bonk alone in front. He made no mistake sliding a shot underneath Curtis Sanford. Bonk, who hadn't scored in 22 games, scored just his 2nd of the year at 11:03.
With five minutes to go in the period, Rob Davison threw a huge hit on Nashville forward Scott Nichol in front of the Vancouver bench. That drew a crowd with plenty of rough stuff, including a fight between Jason Jaffray and Rich Peverley. Nichol did not return to the game with what was determined to be an upper-body injury.
Early in the 2nd period, the Predators nearly took the lead as Jason Arnott was able to get a shot off from the slot. His attempt had Sanford beat, but it rang off the post and the game stayed tied 1-1.
A few shifts later, Alex Burrows nailed Dumont in the neutral zone flattening the Nashville leading scorer. With no penalty being called on the play, Arnott raced over to the Canucks forward and mauled him to the ice and started firing punches. After a minor dust-up between the two teams, Arnott was assessed an instigator minor, a fighting major, and a ten minute misconduct. That put the Canucks on a rare uninterupted seven-minute man advantage. However the team was unable to beat Ellis with any of their chances and the game remained tied.
Before the period was out, Ryan Kesler was assessed a major penalty for boarding as he ran Shea Weber from behind into the corner boards. Luckily for Weber, he wasn't injured and in fact was okay enough to fire a couple of punches on his opponent. He picked up a double minor for his actions and the two teams finished off the frame skating 4-on-4.
At the final buzzer of the middle frame, Antti Pihlstrom was assessed a tripping penalty which allowed the Canucks to start the 3rd period on a 4-on-3 man advantage. It didn't take long for the visitors to convert on the power play. Kevin Bieksa's point shot would be stopped in front but Daniel Sedin was able to shovel the rebound over to Alexander Edler who converted on a wrist shot. Edler had gone 23 games without a goal, but his 2nd of the year proved to be the game winner just 24 seconds into the period. That goal also extended Sedin's and Bieksa's consectutive point scoring streaks to five straight games.
With the Predators pressing down the stretch to tie the game up, Sanford was called upon to make some key saves. His best stops came when he robbed Ryan Suter with a huge left pad save beside the post and a big glove-handed grab off a shot by Erat from the right face off circle.
Eventually Nashville got Ellis to the bench for the extra attacker, but the Canucks were able to seal the deal as Burrows found the empty net. Kesler picked up the lone helper on the 8th of the year for Burrows at 19:17.
Vancouver out-shot Nashville 28-21 on a night which saw the Canucks go 1-for-6 on the power play while the Predators went 1-for-7.
The Canucks, who dating back to last season, have won five straight meetings with the Predators. With the win, they improve their overall record to 16-10-3 and for the moment regain top spot in the Northwest Division.
The club will practice Wednesday in Vancouver before having a well-deserved day off on Thursday. They'll be back in action on Saturday night in Edmonton when they take on the Oilers.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Canucks & Predators Game Day
The Vancouver Canucks are in Music City, USA for their second meeting of the season with the Nashville Predators. In their previous meeting in Vancouver on Nov. 4, the Canucks shut-out the Predators 4-0. Kyle Wellwood had two goals while Daniel Sedin had a goal and an assist as Roberto Luongo turned aside 24 shots. Dan Ellis was in net for Nashville as he faced 39 shots in the loss.
The Canucks (15-10-3) will start Curtis Sanford in goal tonight. His last performance was a 6-5 loss to the Detroit Red Wings last Thursday, allowing all six against on 33 shots.
Sami Salo will not dress tonight in Nashville, nursing a groin injury. Rob Davison is likely going to take his spot on defence paired up beside Mattias Ohlund.
Darcy Hordichuk makes his return to Nashville for the first time since signing with the Canucks in the off-season. The line of Hordichuk (1g,1a), Jason Jaffray (1g,1a), and Jannik Hansen (2a) has combined for six points in back-to-back games.
Kevin Bieksa (2g,2a) and Daniel Sedin (1g,4a) are riding four-game point scoring streaks into tonight's action. Pavol Demitra has gone seven straight without a goal.
The Predators (14-11-2) are coming off a 6-3 loss on the road last night against the St. Louis Blues. J.P. Dumont leads Nashville in scoring with 27 points and has a five-game point scoring streak on the line (3g,3a). Shea Weber leads all NHL d-men in goals (11) and points (25). He has recorded at least a point in each of the Predators victories this year.
Nashville is likely to start Pekka Rinne in net. Despite letting in six last night against the Blues, he allowed only two goals in three starts last week. That was good enough to earn him NHL First Star honours.
Here are the likely match-ups for both teams tonight at the Sommet Center:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Pyatt
Demitra - Raymond - Wellwood
Burrows - Kesler - Bernier
Hordichuk - Jaffray - Hansen
Mitchell - Bieksa
O'Brien - Edler
Ohlund - Davison
Sanford
Schneider
Predators:
J.P. Dumont - Jason Arnott - Joel Ward
Antti Pihlstrom - David Legwand - Martin Erat
Jerred Smithson - Radek Bonk - Jordin Tootoo
Vern Fiddler - Scott Nichol - Wade Belak
Ryan Suter - Shea Weber
Dan Hamhuis - Greg Zanon
Greg DeVries - Kevin Klein
Pekka Rinne
Dan Ellis
The Canucks (15-10-3) will start Curtis Sanford in goal tonight. His last performance was a 6-5 loss to the Detroit Red Wings last Thursday, allowing all six against on 33 shots.
Sami Salo will not dress tonight in Nashville, nursing a groin injury. Rob Davison is likely going to take his spot on defence paired up beside Mattias Ohlund.
Darcy Hordichuk makes his return to Nashville for the first time since signing with the Canucks in the off-season. The line of Hordichuk (1g,1a), Jason Jaffray (1g,1a), and Jannik Hansen (2a) has combined for six points in back-to-back games.
Kevin Bieksa (2g,2a) and Daniel Sedin (1g,4a) are riding four-game point scoring streaks into tonight's action. Pavol Demitra has gone seven straight without a goal.
The Predators (14-11-2) are coming off a 6-3 loss on the road last night against the St. Louis Blues. J.P. Dumont leads Nashville in scoring with 27 points and has a five-game point scoring streak on the line (3g,3a). Shea Weber leads all NHL d-men in goals (11) and points (25). He has recorded at least a point in each of the Predators victories this year.
Nashville is likely to start Pekka Rinne in net. Despite letting in six last night against the Blues, he allowed only two goals in three starts last week. That was good enough to earn him NHL First Star honours.
Here are the likely match-ups for both teams tonight at the Sommet Center:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Pyatt
Demitra - Raymond - Wellwood
Burrows - Kesler - Bernier
Hordichuk - Jaffray - Hansen
Mitchell - Bieksa
O'Brien - Edler
Ohlund - Davison
Sanford
Schneider
Predators:
J.P. Dumont - Jason Arnott - Joel Ward
Antti Pihlstrom - David Legwand - Martin Erat
Jerred Smithson - Radek Bonk - Jordin Tootoo
Vern Fiddler - Scott Nichol - Wade Belak
Ryan Suter - Shea Weber
Dan Hamhuis - Greg Zanon
Greg DeVries - Kevin Klein
Pekka Rinne
Dan Ellis
Monday, December 8, 2008
Canucks Fall in Shoot Out to Avs
The Canucks were unable to break out of a seven-game losing streak against the Colorado Avalanche Sunday night. It was also a night goaltender Cory Schnieder would much rather forget as Vancouver last 5-4 in a shoot-out at the Pepsi Center.
Vancouver had a solid first period and they were able to have a 1-0 lead after twenty minutes. Good work by Jannik Hansen and Jason Jaffray low in the Avs zone allowed the puck to get to the left face off circle for Darcy Hordichuk. His knuckle-ball shot fooled goalie Peter Budaj and floated under the cross bar. For Hordichuk, it was his 2nd of the year at 2:17.
The Canucks nearly built on their lead early in the second period while working on a power play. Alexander Edler had the best chance to score, but his wrist shot from between the circles was denied on a great glove save by Budaj. Just after the Avs killed off the penalty, David Jones was able to race down into the Canucks end and get around Shane O’Brien. His back-handed chance wound up deflecting off the stick of Willie Mitchell and behind Schneider. Jones picked up his 4th of the season unassisted at 5:14.
The Avs got into the lead for the first time just past the midway point of the 2nd. Milan Hejduk’s drop pass just inside the blue line would be wired home by Ryan Smyth. Paul Stastny gets the other assist on Smyth’s 9th at 11:25.
Before the period was over though, the Canucks found themselves back in the lead. Daniel Sedin tied things up by jabbing in his own rebound for his team-leading 12th of the year. Mitchell and Ryan Kesler helped the Canucks tie things up at 15:49. Then with a little more than two minutes remaining, Vancouver cashed in on a power play. Mason Raymond’s shot from high in the slot would be denied by Budaj, but Steve Bernier was on the scene to scoop in the rebound. Pavol Demitra collects the other assist on Bernier’s 6th of the campaign at 17:45.
It didn’t take long into the final frame of regulation for Colorado to make it 3-3. Hejduk’s shot from the top of the right face off circle deflected off O’Brien’s stick and behind Schnieder. Stastny and Jordan Leopold notch the helpers on the 11th of the year for Hejduk at 2:50.
Bernier got the Canucks their third lead of the night by converting on a one-timer from the slot. Alex Burrows and Kevin Bieksa help Bernier tally his second two-goal effort of the year at 9:57.
Hansen had a golden opportunity to put the game on ice as he was sent in home free on a breakaway chance. His shot however went high and wide past the stick side of Budaj.
All the Avs were hoping for was a chance to force the game to overtime and they got a lucky break to have that happen. A long shot by Daniel Tjarnqvist got a piece of Schneider and found its way to the back of the net. Hejduk and Stastny each collect their third points of the night on the 2nd of the season for Tjarnqvist with a little under three minutes remaining.
Neither team was able to convert in the overtime session. Bernier nearly had his hat-trick when he was left alone at the left side of the crease, but his opportunity rang off the post.
In the shoot-out, Kyle Wellwood was able to beat Budaj with a snap shot to the top corner, but Demitra’s wrist shot attempt was stopped by the netminder’s right pad. At the other end of the rink, Wojtek Wolski, Marek Svatos, and Hejduk were all able to beat Schneider and helped the Avs take the extra point on home ice.
The Canucks did out-shoot Colorado 38-35. Vancouver went 1-for-3 on the power play, extending their power play scoring streak to four straight games. The Avs wound up going 0-for-2.
This was the second time this season the Canucks lost a game when scoring four-or-more goals (9-1-1) and it was also the second time this year they failed to win a game when leading after two periods (9-0-2).
Now with an overall record of 15-10-3, the Canucks fall a point behind the Calgary Flames for top spot in the Northwest Division. They now move back into the Central time zone for their sixth straight road game against the Nashville Predators. Game time Tuesday will be 5:00pm PST.
Vancouver had a solid first period and they were able to have a 1-0 lead after twenty minutes. Good work by Jannik Hansen and Jason Jaffray low in the Avs zone allowed the puck to get to the left face off circle for Darcy Hordichuk. His knuckle-ball shot fooled goalie Peter Budaj and floated under the cross bar. For Hordichuk, it was his 2nd of the year at 2:17.
The Canucks nearly built on their lead early in the second period while working on a power play. Alexander Edler had the best chance to score, but his wrist shot from between the circles was denied on a great glove save by Budaj. Just after the Avs killed off the penalty, David Jones was able to race down into the Canucks end and get around Shane O’Brien. His back-handed chance wound up deflecting off the stick of Willie Mitchell and behind Schneider. Jones picked up his 4th of the season unassisted at 5:14.
The Avs got into the lead for the first time just past the midway point of the 2nd. Milan Hejduk’s drop pass just inside the blue line would be wired home by Ryan Smyth. Paul Stastny gets the other assist on Smyth’s 9th at 11:25.
Before the period was over though, the Canucks found themselves back in the lead. Daniel Sedin tied things up by jabbing in his own rebound for his team-leading 12th of the year. Mitchell and Ryan Kesler helped the Canucks tie things up at 15:49. Then with a little more than two minutes remaining, Vancouver cashed in on a power play. Mason Raymond’s shot from high in the slot would be denied by Budaj, but Steve Bernier was on the scene to scoop in the rebound. Pavol Demitra collects the other assist on Bernier’s 6th of the campaign at 17:45.
It didn’t take long into the final frame of regulation for Colorado to make it 3-3. Hejduk’s shot from the top of the right face off circle deflected off O’Brien’s stick and behind Schnieder. Stastny and Jordan Leopold notch the helpers on the 11th of the year for Hejduk at 2:50.
Bernier got the Canucks their third lead of the night by converting on a one-timer from the slot. Alex Burrows and Kevin Bieksa help Bernier tally his second two-goal effort of the year at 9:57.
Hansen had a golden opportunity to put the game on ice as he was sent in home free on a breakaway chance. His shot however went high and wide past the stick side of Budaj.
All the Avs were hoping for was a chance to force the game to overtime and they got a lucky break to have that happen. A long shot by Daniel Tjarnqvist got a piece of Schneider and found its way to the back of the net. Hejduk and Stastny each collect their third points of the night on the 2nd of the season for Tjarnqvist with a little under three minutes remaining.
Neither team was able to convert in the overtime session. Bernier nearly had his hat-trick when he was left alone at the left side of the crease, but his opportunity rang off the post.
In the shoot-out, Kyle Wellwood was able to beat Budaj with a snap shot to the top corner, but Demitra’s wrist shot attempt was stopped by the netminder’s right pad. At the other end of the rink, Wojtek Wolski, Marek Svatos, and Hejduk were all able to beat Schneider and helped the Avs take the extra point on home ice.
The Canucks did out-shoot Colorado 38-35. Vancouver went 1-for-3 on the power play, extending their power play scoring streak to four straight games. The Avs wound up going 0-for-2.
This was the second time this season the Canucks lost a game when scoring four-or-more goals (9-1-1) and it was also the second time this year they failed to win a game when leading after two periods (9-0-2).
Now with an overall record of 15-10-3, the Canucks fall a point behind the Calgary Flames for top spot in the Northwest Division. They now move back into the Central time zone for their sixth straight road game against the Nashville Predators. Game time Tuesday will be 5:00pm PST.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Canucks Game Day In Denver
The Canucks are going to go with their same line-up tonight against the Colorado Avalanche as they did in their 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild last Friday.
Cory Schneider will make his second straight start after making 16 saves for his first NHL win. He has appeared in every game of this road trip, allowing seven goals against in 171 minutes of work.
The line combos for Vancouver will remain in tact from their victory two nights ago. The defensive pairings will also remain the same as they have for much of the last few weeks. Defenceman Kevin Bieksa is riding a three-game point scoring streak entering tonight's action, with two goals and an assist in that stretch.
The Canucks (15-10-2) take on the Avs (12-13-1) for the second time this season. Colorado won the first meeting of the year, posting a 2-1 shoot-out victory at GM Place November 12. Peter Budaj made 31 saves for the visitors that night, and he's been busy this season, going 9-12-1 through 23 appearances.
The Avs are coming off a 2-1 shoot-out loss on the road against the Dallas Stars on Friday. Ryan Smyth had their lone goal in regulation time, extending his scoring streak to three games (1g,2a). Colorado did not take a pre-game skate this morning so I can't tell you what their line combos look like. They do have some significant players on the injured list though as Joe Sakic (back), Darcy Tucker (knee), and Adam Foote (back & foot) will not dress tonight.
Here is the Canucks expected line-up for tonight's game at the Pepsi Center:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Pyatt - Raymond - Wellwood
Burrows - Kesler - Bernier
Hordichuk - Jaffray - Hansen
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Salo
O'Brien - Edler
Schneider
Sanford
Cory Schneider will make his second straight start after making 16 saves for his first NHL win. He has appeared in every game of this road trip, allowing seven goals against in 171 minutes of work.
The line combos for Vancouver will remain in tact from their victory two nights ago. The defensive pairings will also remain the same as they have for much of the last few weeks. Defenceman Kevin Bieksa is riding a three-game point scoring streak entering tonight's action, with two goals and an assist in that stretch.
The Canucks (15-10-2) take on the Avs (12-13-1) for the second time this season. Colorado won the first meeting of the year, posting a 2-1 shoot-out victory at GM Place November 12. Peter Budaj made 31 saves for the visitors that night, and he's been busy this season, going 9-12-1 through 23 appearances.
The Avs are coming off a 2-1 shoot-out loss on the road against the Dallas Stars on Friday. Ryan Smyth had their lone goal in regulation time, extending his scoring streak to three games (1g,2a). Colorado did not take a pre-game skate this morning so I can't tell you what their line combos look like. They do have some significant players on the injured list though as Joe Sakic (back), Darcy Tucker (knee), and Adam Foote (back & foot) will not dress tonight.
Here is the Canucks expected line-up for tonight's game at the Pepsi Center:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Pyatt - Raymond - Wellwood
Burrows - Kesler - Bernier
Hordichuk - Jaffray - Hansen
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Salo
O'Brien - Edler
Schneider
Sanford
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Losing Skid Stops With Schneider's 1st Win
In a goaltenders duel Friday night in St. Paul, it was Canucks netminder Cory Schneider who came out on top at the Excel Engery Center as Vancouver skated away with a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild. The win stopped the club's four-game losing streak and it put the Canucks back in top spot in the Northwest Division.
Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom did his part in the first period to keep things level as he wasted tested often by the Canucks forwards. The likes of Taylor Pyatt and Daniel Sedin had some great chances early on from the slot, but Backstrom stood tall in his crease.
Vancouver continued to blitz the Wild and kept the home team pinned in their own zone. Eventually the Canucks were rewarded for their efforts with a goal on the power play. Daniel moved the puck to the right face off cirlce for Henrik Sedin. Instead of shooting, he fed Kevin Bieksa at the left point. With Daniel parked in front setting a screen, Bieksa wired a shot behind Backstrom. For Bieksa, it was his 5th of the year and it came at 13:55.
The Wild didn't have many good chances before the period was over. Brent Burns did have their best opportunity from close quarters, but Schneider came up with a big stop with close to two minutes before the intermission break. That would be Minnesota's best scoring chance of the period, one that saw Vancouver out-shoot the home team 14-3.
It did not take long into the middle period for the Canucks to see their lead slip away. With the two teams skating 4-on-4 to start the frame, the Wild forced the Vancouver defence to turn the puck over behind their net. Nick Schultz wound up getting a great chance from between the hash marks, but his blast was stopped by Schneider. However the rebound would be snapped home by Mikko Koivu. For Koivu, it was his 10th of the season and it extended his point scoring streak to seven straight games (5g,6a). Antti Miettinen picked up the other assist just 27 seconds into the period.
A few shifts later, the Canucks restored their lead for good. Darcy Hordichuk moved the puck up the left wing for Jannik Hansen, who quickly dropped a pass for Jason Jaffray. His shot took a deflection off Kim Johnsson's stick in the face off circle, deflected off Backstrom's glove, and found its way into the net. Jaffray's first of the season came in his third game since being called up from the Manitoba Moose. It also proved to be the game winner and it came at 3:52.
The rest of the period belonged to Schneider. With twelve minutes gone in the period, Stephane Veilleux was stoned by Schneider who made a great right pad save. Then with roughly three minutes remaining, Burns was left all alone in front, but Schneider came up with his biggest save of the game to keep the Canucks in the lead.
The final period didn't feature a lot of hi-end scoring chances for either team as the Canucks were able to preserve their lead and hang on for the one-goal win. Vancouver finished the night off out-shooting the Wild 31-17. In a very disciplined performance by both teams, the Canucks went 1-for-2 on the power play while Minnesota went 0-for-2.
Improving now to 15-10-2, the Canucks carry on their lengthy road trip to Denver where they'll play the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. Game time is 5:00pm PST.
Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom did his part in the first period to keep things level as he wasted tested often by the Canucks forwards. The likes of Taylor Pyatt and Daniel Sedin had some great chances early on from the slot, but Backstrom stood tall in his crease.
Vancouver continued to blitz the Wild and kept the home team pinned in their own zone. Eventually the Canucks were rewarded for their efforts with a goal on the power play. Daniel moved the puck to the right face off cirlce for Henrik Sedin. Instead of shooting, he fed Kevin Bieksa at the left point. With Daniel parked in front setting a screen, Bieksa wired a shot behind Backstrom. For Bieksa, it was his 5th of the year and it came at 13:55.
The Wild didn't have many good chances before the period was over. Brent Burns did have their best opportunity from close quarters, but Schneider came up with a big stop with close to two minutes before the intermission break. That would be Minnesota's best scoring chance of the period, one that saw Vancouver out-shoot the home team 14-3.
It did not take long into the middle period for the Canucks to see their lead slip away. With the two teams skating 4-on-4 to start the frame, the Wild forced the Vancouver defence to turn the puck over behind their net. Nick Schultz wound up getting a great chance from between the hash marks, but his blast was stopped by Schneider. However the rebound would be snapped home by Mikko Koivu. For Koivu, it was his 10th of the season and it extended his point scoring streak to seven straight games (5g,6a). Antti Miettinen picked up the other assist just 27 seconds into the period.
A few shifts later, the Canucks restored their lead for good. Darcy Hordichuk moved the puck up the left wing for Jannik Hansen, who quickly dropped a pass for Jason Jaffray. His shot took a deflection off Kim Johnsson's stick in the face off circle, deflected off Backstrom's glove, and found its way into the net. Jaffray's first of the season came in his third game since being called up from the Manitoba Moose. It also proved to be the game winner and it came at 3:52.
The rest of the period belonged to Schneider. With twelve minutes gone in the period, Stephane Veilleux was stoned by Schneider who made a great right pad save. Then with roughly three minutes remaining, Burns was left all alone in front, but Schneider came up with his biggest save of the game to keep the Canucks in the lead.
The final period didn't feature a lot of hi-end scoring chances for either team as the Canucks were able to preserve their lead and hang on for the one-goal win. Vancouver finished the night off out-shooting the Wild 31-17. In a very disciplined performance by both teams, the Canucks went 1-for-2 on the power play while Minnesota went 0-for-2.
Improving now to 15-10-2, the Canucks carry on their lengthy road trip to Denver where they'll play the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. Game time is 5:00pm PST.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Canucks Wild Game Day
After arriving at around 1:00am in St. Paul this morning, the Canucks prepare to take on the Minnesota Wild for the third time this season.
Cory Schneider will get the start tonight in goal after replacing Curtis Sanford in last night's 6-5 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Optional skate today for Vancouver while the Wild had a full complete skate.
Canucks had 12 players hit the score sheet at Joe Louis Arena last night. Kyle Wellwood with a power play goal now has points in four straight games (3g,1a). That includes goals in three straight. Henrik Sedin, who scored for the first time in 14 games last night, now has points in back-to-back games (1g,2a). No major changes are expected in Vancouver's line-up tonight at the Excel Engery Center compared to last night.
The Canucks and the Dallas Stars are the only two teams in the NHL to have beaten the Wild twice this year. Vancouver shut-out Minnesota 2-0 at GM Place Nov. 8. In their most recent meeting Nov. 20, the Canucks came back from two one-goal deficits on the road to beat the Wild 3-2.
The Wild are coming off a 4-0 win at home Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues. Mikko Koivu is on a career-best six-game point scoring streak (4g,6a). Marek Zidlicky has points in his last four (1g,4a) while Pierre-Marc Bouchard has gone three straight with points (3g,3a).
Minnesota is 2nd overall in the NHL on both the power play (26.6%) and penalty kill (89.1%). They are 10-for-20 in their last three games, compared to Vancouver's 3-for-11 in the same period. Goalie Niklas Backstrom made 22 saves for his 3rd shut-out of the season Wednesday night. In 115 career starts, he has allowed three goals or less 100 times!
Here's how the teams match-up tonight;
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Raymond - Jaffray - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Salo
O'Brien - Edler
Schneider
Sanford
Wild:
Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Pierre-Marc Bouchard
Antti Miettinen - Benoit Poulliot - Owen Nolan
Stephane Veilleux - Eric Belanger - Brent Burns
Derek Boogaard - James Sheppard - Cal Clutterbuck
Nick Schultz - Kim Johnsson
Martin Skoula - Marek Zidlicky
Marc-Andre Bergeron - Erik Reitz
Niklas Backstrom
Josh Harding
Cory Schneider will get the start tonight in goal after replacing Curtis Sanford in last night's 6-5 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Optional skate today for Vancouver while the Wild had a full complete skate.
Canucks had 12 players hit the score sheet at Joe Louis Arena last night. Kyle Wellwood with a power play goal now has points in four straight games (3g,1a). That includes goals in three straight. Henrik Sedin, who scored for the first time in 14 games last night, now has points in back-to-back games (1g,2a). No major changes are expected in Vancouver's line-up tonight at the Excel Engery Center compared to last night.
The Canucks and the Dallas Stars are the only two teams in the NHL to have beaten the Wild twice this year. Vancouver shut-out Minnesota 2-0 at GM Place Nov. 8. In their most recent meeting Nov. 20, the Canucks came back from two one-goal deficits on the road to beat the Wild 3-2.
The Wild are coming off a 4-0 win at home Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues. Mikko Koivu is on a career-best six-game point scoring streak (4g,6a). Marek Zidlicky has points in his last four (1g,4a) while Pierre-Marc Bouchard has gone three straight with points (3g,3a).
Minnesota is 2nd overall in the NHL on both the power play (26.6%) and penalty kill (89.1%). They are 10-for-20 in their last three games, compared to Vancouver's 3-for-11 in the same period. Goalie Niklas Backstrom made 22 saves for his 3rd shut-out of the season Wednesday night. In 115 career starts, he has allowed three goals or less 100 times!
Here's how the teams match-up tonight;
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Raymond - Jaffray - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Salo
O'Brien - Edler
Schneider
Sanford
Wild:
Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Pierre-Marc Bouchard
Antti Miettinen - Benoit Poulliot - Owen Nolan
Stephane Veilleux - Eric Belanger - Brent Burns
Derek Boogaard - James Sheppard - Cal Clutterbuck
Nick Schultz - Kim Johnsson
Martin Skoula - Marek Zidlicky
Marc-Andre Bergeron - Erik Reitz
Niklas Backstrom
Josh Harding
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Canucks Fall Short to Red Wings Thursday
It’s not too often the Vancouver Canucks will score five goals on the road this season and lose a game. However, that’s what happened in the Motor City Thursday night as the Detroit Red Wings skated away with a 6-5 win at Joe Louis Arena. Twelve different Canucks skaters hit the score sheet in this game, but it wasn’t enough to avoid seeing their losing streak extend to four straight games.
The visitors could not have asked for a better start to the game as Taylor Pyatt drilled home a snap shot that beat goalie Chris Osgood over the shoulder. It was the third straight game the Wings allowed the opening goal on their first shot against. Shane O’Brien and Steve Bernier get the helpers on Pyatt’s 4th of the year. It was also Bernier’s 100th career point in the NHL and it came at 1:35.
An unlucky turnover in the Canucks end led to the Red Wings opening marker. Kyle Wellwood mishandled a pass along the wall in his own zone and the home team made him pay. Tomas Kopecky found Jiri Hudler in the slot and he wasted no time snapping a shot past Curtis Sanford. Valtteri Filppula gets the other assist on Hudler’s 10th of the year at 5:04.
Hudler got Detroit in the lead for the first time just after the midway point of the opening frame. Andreas Lilja fed a great stretch pass up the middle of the ice for Hudler who broke free behind the Canucks defence. He snapped his chance into the top corner over Sanford’s shoulder for his 11th of the campaign at 10:05.
Vancouver responded in the early part of the second period while on the power play. A great cross zone feed by Daniel Sedin allowed Wellwood to beat Osgood on the short side. Henrik Sedin gets the other assist on Wellwood’s 11th of the year. It was also his team-leading 6th power play marker of the season at 1:32.
Mason Raymond put the Canucks back into the lead a short time later. Alexander Edler’s point shot rattled off the end boards and would be shoveled home by Raymond. O’Brien’s 2nd assist of the game gave him his first multiple-point performance in the NHL as Raymond notched his 7th of the year at 4:13.
The Wings tied the game up just as one of their power plays had expired. Nicklas Lidstrom’s point shot would be deflected on the way to the net by the stick of Daniel Cleary. Brian Rafalski also helped Cleary tally his third of the year at 9:34.
Sanford did his part in the final half of the middle frame to keep the scored tied 2-2. He made a great pad save on a redirect from low in the slot off of Pavel Datsyuk and he came up with a huge stop off the left toe on a snap shot from the hash marks courtesy of Marian Hossa.
The turning point in the game came within a three minute stretch to start the final period. Derek Meech was able to capitalize on a wrap-around for his first goal in the NHL at 3:23. Less than a minute later, Lidstrom snapped home a shot from the left face off circle for his 3rd of the year at 4:13. Then while on a power play, Cleary was able to jump on a rebound and back-hand it home. Cleary’s second of the night at fourth of the year came at 6:08. That would be the last goal given up by Sanford, who faced 33 shots from the defending Stanley Cup Champions. He would be replaced by Cory Schneider, who didn’t allow any goals against on the five shots that came his way.
Henrik Sedin broke out of a long goal scoring slump to get the Canucks back on the scoreboard as he scooped in a loose puck at the top of the crease. Daniel and Pavol Demitra help Henrik score his first goal in 14 games. His fourth goal of the year at 8:20 gave Vancouver a bit of a spark.
Just as Schneider was pulled to the bench for the extra attacker late in the game, the Canucks were able to get to within a goal. Kevin Bieksa’s point shot would be deflected out of the air by Alex Burrows and past Osgood. Mattias Ohlund picks up the other assist as Burrows snapped a six-game goal-less drought with his 7th of the year at 18:35.
There would be no more scoring for the Canucks who wound up losing for the first time this season when scoring four or more goals. Detroit out-shot Vancouver 38-25 on a night which saw the Canucks go 1-for-3 on the man advantage and 5-for-6 on the penalty kill.
Now with an overall record of 14-10-2, the Canucks will hope to rebound Friday night in St. Paul, Minnesota with their third meeting of the season against the Wild. Game time is 7:00pm PST.
The visitors could not have asked for a better start to the game as Taylor Pyatt drilled home a snap shot that beat goalie Chris Osgood over the shoulder. It was the third straight game the Wings allowed the opening goal on their first shot against. Shane O’Brien and Steve Bernier get the helpers on Pyatt’s 4th of the year. It was also Bernier’s 100th career point in the NHL and it came at 1:35.
An unlucky turnover in the Canucks end led to the Red Wings opening marker. Kyle Wellwood mishandled a pass along the wall in his own zone and the home team made him pay. Tomas Kopecky found Jiri Hudler in the slot and he wasted no time snapping a shot past Curtis Sanford. Valtteri Filppula gets the other assist on Hudler’s 10th of the year at 5:04.
Hudler got Detroit in the lead for the first time just after the midway point of the opening frame. Andreas Lilja fed a great stretch pass up the middle of the ice for Hudler who broke free behind the Canucks defence. He snapped his chance into the top corner over Sanford’s shoulder for his 11th of the campaign at 10:05.
Vancouver responded in the early part of the second period while on the power play. A great cross zone feed by Daniel Sedin allowed Wellwood to beat Osgood on the short side. Henrik Sedin gets the other assist on Wellwood’s 11th of the year. It was also his team-leading 6th power play marker of the season at 1:32.
Mason Raymond put the Canucks back into the lead a short time later. Alexander Edler’s point shot rattled off the end boards and would be shoveled home by Raymond. O’Brien’s 2nd assist of the game gave him his first multiple-point performance in the NHL as Raymond notched his 7th of the year at 4:13.
The Wings tied the game up just as one of their power plays had expired. Nicklas Lidstrom’s point shot would be deflected on the way to the net by the stick of Daniel Cleary. Brian Rafalski also helped Cleary tally his third of the year at 9:34.
Sanford did his part in the final half of the middle frame to keep the scored tied 2-2. He made a great pad save on a redirect from low in the slot off of Pavel Datsyuk and he came up with a huge stop off the left toe on a snap shot from the hash marks courtesy of Marian Hossa.
The turning point in the game came within a three minute stretch to start the final period. Derek Meech was able to capitalize on a wrap-around for his first goal in the NHL at 3:23. Less than a minute later, Lidstrom snapped home a shot from the left face off circle for his 3rd of the year at 4:13. Then while on a power play, Cleary was able to jump on a rebound and back-hand it home. Cleary’s second of the night at fourth of the year came at 6:08. That would be the last goal given up by Sanford, who faced 33 shots from the defending Stanley Cup Champions. He would be replaced by Cory Schneider, who didn’t allow any goals against on the five shots that came his way.
Henrik Sedin broke out of a long goal scoring slump to get the Canucks back on the scoreboard as he scooped in a loose puck at the top of the crease. Daniel and Pavol Demitra help Henrik score his first goal in 14 games. His fourth goal of the year at 8:20 gave Vancouver a bit of a spark.
Just as Schneider was pulled to the bench for the extra attacker late in the game, the Canucks were able to get to within a goal. Kevin Bieksa’s point shot would be deflected out of the air by Alex Burrows and past Osgood. Mattias Ohlund picks up the other assist as Burrows snapped a six-game goal-less drought with his 7th of the year at 18:35.
There would be no more scoring for the Canucks who wound up losing for the first time this season when scoring four or more goals. Detroit out-shot Vancouver 38-25 on a night which saw the Canucks go 1-for-3 on the man advantage and 5-for-6 on the penalty kill.
Now with an overall record of 14-10-2, the Canucks will hope to rebound Friday night in St. Paul, Minnesota with their third meeting of the season against the Wild. Game time is 7:00pm PST.
Canucks & Red Wings Game Day
The Canucks (14-9-2) and Red Wings (16-4-4) match-up for the fourth and final time this season. Vancouver is 2-1-0 against Detroit, with both victories coming in overtime.
Curtis Sanford is likely to get the start tonight against the Wings. In his last meeting with Detroit, he stopped 32 shots in a 4-3 win at GM Place on November 24.
The team had an optional skate this morning with Sanford and Schneider in net and Hordichuk, Jaffray, Brown, Nycholat, and Davision as the five skaters.
Sami Salo leads all Canucks in scoring against the Red Wings this season (1g,3a) while Mason Raymond and Daniel Sedin each have 1g,2a.
The Red Wings are without Tomas Holmstrom (back), Darren McCarty (groin) and will not have Chris Chelios in the line-up. The future Hall of Fame d-man is on his way to the Wings AHL team in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a conditioning stint after missing the start to the season with a broken tibia.
Mikael Samuellson (2g,2a) and Pavel Datsyuk (1g,3a) lead Detroit in scoring against the Canucks. Chris Osgood, likely getting the start tonight, has allowed nine goals against in three meetings with Vancouver.
Detroit has dominated the special teams aspect of this head-to-head series so far. The Wings are 6-for-13 on the power play (46.2%) while the Canucks have gone 1-for-14 (7.1%)
Tonight is also Igor Larionov Night at Joe Louis Arena. The Wings are honouring the one-time Canuck on his recent induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Here are the expected line combos and defensive pairings for tonight's game:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Raymond - Jaffray - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Salo
O'Brien - Edler
Sanford
Schneider
Red Wings:
Dan Cleary - Pavel Datsyuk - Marian Hossa
Johan Franzen - Henrik Zetterberg - Mikael Samuellson
Jiri Hudler - Valtteri Filppula - Tomas Kopecky
Derek Meech - Kris Draper - Kirk Maltby
Nicklas Lidstrom - Brian Rafalski
Niklas Kronwall - Brad Stuart
Andreas Lilja - Brett Lebda
Chris Osgood
Ty Conklin
Curtis Sanford is likely to get the start tonight against the Wings. In his last meeting with Detroit, he stopped 32 shots in a 4-3 win at GM Place on November 24.
The team had an optional skate this morning with Sanford and Schneider in net and Hordichuk, Jaffray, Brown, Nycholat, and Davision as the five skaters.
Sami Salo leads all Canucks in scoring against the Red Wings this season (1g,3a) while Mason Raymond and Daniel Sedin each have 1g,2a.
The Red Wings are without Tomas Holmstrom (back), Darren McCarty (groin) and will not have Chris Chelios in the line-up. The future Hall of Fame d-man is on his way to the Wings AHL team in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a conditioning stint after missing the start to the season with a broken tibia.
Mikael Samuellson (2g,2a) and Pavel Datsyuk (1g,3a) lead Detroit in scoring against the Canucks. Chris Osgood, likely getting the start tonight, has allowed nine goals against in three meetings with Vancouver.
Detroit has dominated the special teams aspect of this head-to-head series so far. The Wings are 6-for-13 on the power play (46.2%) while the Canucks have gone 1-for-14 (7.1%)
Tonight is also Igor Larionov Night at Joe Louis Arena. The Wings are honouring the one-time Canuck on his recent induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Here are the expected line combos and defensive pairings for tonight's game:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Raymond - Jaffray - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Salo
O'Brien - Edler
Sanford
Schneider
Red Wings:
Dan Cleary - Pavel Datsyuk - Marian Hossa
Johan Franzen - Henrik Zetterberg - Mikael Samuellson
Jiri Hudler - Valtteri Filppula - Tomas Kopecky
Derek Meech - Kris Draper - Kirk Maltby
Nicklas Lidstrom - Brian Rafalski
Niklas Kronwall - Brad Stuart
Andreas Lilja - Brett Lebda
Chris Osgood
Ty Conklin
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Canucks Prep For Wings In Motown
After a quick morning flight from Columbus to Detroit, it was a fully attended Canucks practice today at Joe Louis Arena.
Curtis Sanford returned to the ice after suffering a back injury against the Blue Jackets on Monday. He says he feels a lot better and is ready to play. Coach Alain Vigneault says he'll check with Sanford in the morning to see how he's feeling before he makes a decision on whether Sanford or Cory Schneider will start against the Red Wings.
Darcy Hordichuk skated today after injuring his foot in Calgary last Saturday. He says it's still tender but it is getting better every day and he hopes to return before the week is out.
Here's how the players skated in 5-on-5 drills during practice:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Raymond - Jaffray - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Salo
Edler - O Brien
Nycholat - Davison
The team practiced with two different power play units today, after the club scored both goals on the man advantage in their 3-2 loss to the Jackets on Monday.
PP #1
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Wellwood
Bieksa - Edler
PP #2
Raymond - Demitra - Bernier
Ohlund - Salo
The Canucks are riding their second three-game losing streak of the season. Special teams will certainly be a major focus going into Thursday's game against the Red Wings. Detroit leads the NHL's Central Division with a 16-4-4 record. They also sport the top power play percentage in the entire league, having gone 31-for-100 to this point in the season.
Vancouver has a 2-1-0 record against the Wings this season, with both victories coming in overtime, which included their first meeting of the season. Back on October 16, Alex Burrows netted the winner 27 seconds into the extra period to lift the Canucks to a 4-3 come-from-behind win over the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
Curtis Sanford returned to the ice after suffering a back injury against the Blue Jackets on Monday. He says he feels a lot better and is ready to play. Coach Alain Vigneault says he'll check with Sanford in the morning to see how he's feeling before he makes a decision on whether Sanford or Cory Schneider will start against the Red Wings.
Darcy Hordichuk skated today after injuring his foot in Calgary last Saturday. He says it's still tender but it is getting better every day and he hopes to return before the week is out.
Here's how the players skated in 5-on-5 drills during practice:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Demitra
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Burrows - Kesler - Hansen
Raymond - Jaffray - Brown
Mitchell - Bieksa
Ohlund - Salo
Edler - O Brien
Nycholat - Davison
The team practiced with two different power play units today, after the club scored both goals on the man advantage in their 3-2 loss to the Jackets on Monday.
PP #1
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Wellwood
Bieksa - Edler
PP #2
Raymond - Demitra - Bernier
Ohlund - Salo
The Canucks are riding their second three-game losing streak of the season. Special teams will certainly be a major focus going into Thursday's game against the Red Wings. Detroit leads the NHL's Central Division with a 16-4-4 record. They also sport the top power play percentage in the entire league, having gone 31-for-100 to this point in the season.
Vancouver has a 2-1-0 record against the Wings this season, with both victories coming in overtime, which included their first meeting of the season. Back on October 16, Alex Burrows netted the winner 27 seconds into the extra period to lift the Canucks to a 4-3 come-from-behind win over the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Canucks Fall Short in Columbus Monday
The Canucks poured on the pressure down the stretch, but were unable to beat rookie goalie Steve Mason Monday night as the Columbus Blue Jackets hung on for a 3-2 win at the Nationwide Arena. The good news from this game saw Vancouver score both of their goals on the power play. The bad news came in the way of the Canucks continuing to find themselves in penalty trouble while starting netminder Curtis Sanford left the game with a back injury.
The two clubs were scoreless in the opening period, but not for lack of chances. Sanford was very strong, making some hi-lite reel saves off the likes Derrick Brassard, Rick Nash, and Fredrik Modin. At the other end of the rink, Mason was sharp on all eight shots the Canucks put his way. Sanford however went into the intermission break with back spasms and would not return to action, making way for Cory Schneider to appear in his second game in a row.
The Canucks did open the scoring on a power play in the early part of the 2nd. Alexander Edler's point shot would be deflected on target by Daniel Sedin who set up a screen. The rebound would be gobbled up by Kyle Wellwood who buried his 10th of the season. His team-leading 5th power play goal of the campaign came at 3:27.
Just prior to the midway point of the period, the Blue Jackets got an equalizer with a power play of their own. Despite having the worst power play percentage in the NHL, the Jackets looked good on this chance as Kristian Huselius found a wide open Modin in the slot. He made no mistake netting his 3rd of the year. Nash collects the other assist on the Jackets' 12th power play goal of the year at 9:30.
Vancouver got back into the lead with another power play tally in the 3rd period. With Daniel again parked in front of Mason at the top of the crease, Kevin Bieksa wired home a shot from the middle of the blue line that found the top corner. Henrik Sedin and Edler notch the helpers on Beiksa's 4th of the season at 5:28.
Daniel nearly gave the Canucks a two-goal cushion as he was sprung free on a breakaway from the Columbus blue-line. However the 20 year-old netminder stood-tall and denied the Canucks leading scorer with a pad save.
A few shifts later, the Blue Jackets 4th line was able to get the home team back on to level terms. As Mike Commodore was about to release a shot from the point, Schneider lost his footing at the top of the crease. He wound up making the save while on the ice, but the rebound would be snapped home by Andrew Murray. Manny Malhotra gets the other assist on just the third of the year for Murray at 9:03.
The eventual game-winning goal came with under five minutes to play in regulation. Nash did a good job to fight off a check in the Canucks corner and found a wide open Huselius in front. Schneider had no chance on the 9th of the season for Huselius at 15:16.
Vancouver really poured on the pressure in the final five minutes and were given a gift when Fedor Tyutin took a penalty with under two minutes remaining. The Canucks got the extra attaker on the ice and were able to work a 6-on-4 man advantage. Wellwood had the best opportunity at the left side of the crease, but Mason came up with a massive glove save to keep his team in the lead and eventually preserve the win.
For the first time in 11 games, the Canucks out-shot their opponents as they had an edge of 32-29. However, Vancouver could have been much more disciplined as the 2nd-most penalized team in the NHL wound up being short-handed eight times. The Canucks finished the night going 2-for-5 on the power play while the Blue Jackets went 1-for-8.
Now 14-9-2, the Canucks will look to snap out of a three-game losing streak on Thursday night. It won't be easy though as they travel to the Motor City to take on the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.
The two clubs were scoreless in the opening period, but not for lack of chances. Sanford was very strong, making some hi-lite reel saves off the likes Derrick Brassard, Rick Nash, and Fredrik Modin. At the other end of the rink, Mason was sharp on all eight shots the Canucks put his way. Sanford however went into the intermission break with back spasms and would not return to action, making way for Cory Schneider to appear in his second game in a row.
The Canucks did open the scoring on a power play in the early part of the 2nd. Alexander Edler's point shot would be deflected on target by Daniel Sedin who set up a screen. The rebound would be gobbled up by Kyle Wellwood who buried his 10th of the season. His team-leading 5th power play goal of the campaign came at 3:27.
Just prior to the midway point of the period, the Blue Jackets got an equalizer with a power play of their own. Despite having the worst power play percentage in the NHL, the Jackets looked good on this chance as Kristian Huselius found a wide open Modin in the slot. He made no mistake netting his 3rd of the year. Nash collects the other assist on the Jackets' 12th power play goal of the year at 9:30.
Vancouver got back into the lead with another power play tally in the 3rd period. With Daniel again parked in front of Mason at the top of the crease, Kevin Bieksa wired home a shot from the middle of the blue line that found the top corner. Henrik Sedin and Edler notch the helpers on Beiksa's 4th of the season at 5:28.
Daniel nearly gave the Canucks a two-goal cushion as he was sprung free on a breakaway from the Columbus blue-line. However the 20 year-old netminder stood-tall and denied the Canucks leading scorer with a pad save.
A few shifts later, the Blue Jackets 4th line was able to get the home team back on to level terms. As Mike Commodore was about to release a shot from the point, Schneider lost his footing at the top of the crease. He wound up making the save while on the ice, but the rebound would be snapped home by Andrew Murray. Manny Malhotra gets the other assist on just the third of the year for Murray at 9:03.
The eventual game-winning goal came with under five minutes to play in regulation. Nash did a good job to fight off a check in the Canucks corner and found a wide open Huselius in front. Schneider had no chance on the 9th of the season for Huselius at 15:16.
Vancouver really poured on the pressure in the final five minutes and were given a gift when Fedor Tyutin took a penalty with under two minutes remaining. The Canucks got the extra attaker on the ice and were able to work a 6-on-4 man advantage. Wellwood had the best opportunity at the left side of the crease, but Mason came up with a massive glove save to keep his team in the lead and eventually preserve the win.
For the first time in 11 games, the Canucks out-shot their opponents as they had an edge of 32-29. However, Vancouver could have been much more disciplined as the 2nd-most penalized team in the NHL wound up being short-handed eight times. The Canucks finished the night going 2-for-5 on the power play while the Blue Jackets went 1-for-8.
Now 14-9-2, the Canucks will look to snap out of a three-game losing streak on Thursday night. It won't be easy though as they travel to the Motor City to take on the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.
The Canucks and Blue Jackets prepare for their 2nd meeting of the season tonight in Columbus. Blue Jackets took the first game, with Rick Nash scoring twice in a 4-2 win back on October 21.
Vancouver will not have Darcy Hordichuk in action as he suffered a slight fracture in his left foot following a blocked shot Saturday in Calgary. Jason Jaffray has been called up from the Manitoba Moose. Curtis Sanford will start in net and will be sporting a new neck protector under his mask. Roberto Luongo was on the ice in full equipment for the last five minutes, stretching and going through different movements. He did not take any shots.
Don't be surprised to see new-look line combos for Vancouver after back-to-back losses against the Flames. Although they didn't skate in lines this morning, there could be changes up and down their forward units. Although Daniel and Henrik Sedin have started the last seven games alongside Pavol Demitra, they've finished the last two games playing with Taylor Pyatt.
Vancouver's power play has gone 2-for-16 in the last five games. It's not nearly as bad as Columbus though. Dead last in the NHL on the PP, the Blue Jackets have only scored twice in their last 49 power play chances.
Columbus is coming off a 3-0 win at home Saturday against Washington. Their top two lines include Nash with R.J. Umberger in the middle and Kristian Huselius on left wing while Derrick Brassard centres Jason Chimera on the left and Jakub Voracek on the right.
Game time is 4:00pm PST on Team 1040 AM.
Vancouver will not have Darcy Hordichuk in action as he suffered a slight fracture in his left foot following a blocked shot Saturday in Calgary. Jason Jaffray has been called up from the Manitoba Moose. Curtis Sanford will start in net and will be sporting a new neck protector under his mask. Roberto Luongo was on the ice in full equipment for the last five minutes, stretching and going through different movements. He did not take any shots.
Don't be surprised to see new-look line combos for Vancouver after back-to-back losses against the Flames. Although they didn't skate in lines this morning, there could be changes up and down their forward units. Although Daniel and Henrik Sedin have started the last seven games alongside Pavol Demitra, they've finished the last two games playing with Taylor Pyatt.
Vancouver's power play has gone 2-for-16 in the last five games. It's not nearly as bad as Columbus though. Dead last in the NHL on the PP, the Blue Jackets have only scored twice in their last 49 power play chances.
Columbus is coming off a 3-0 win at home Saturday against Washington. Their top two lines include Nash with R.J. Umberger in the middle and Kristian Huselius on left wing while Derrick Brassard centres Jason Chimera on the left and Jakub Voracek on the right.
Game time is 4:00pm PST on Team 1040 AM.
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