The Canucks (39-24-9) open up a stretch of three games in four nights tonight as they take on the St. Louis Blues (34-30-9). Vancouver is 2-1-0 against the Blues this season, having outscored their opponents 13-10. Willie Mitchell (2g,2a), Daniel Sedin (1g,3a), and Henrik Sedin (1g,3a) lead the Canucks in head-to-head scoring while Patrik Berglund (1g,4a), T.J. Oshie (1g,2a), and Keith Tkachuk (1g,2a) lead the Blues.
The Canucks are likely going with the same line-up tonight as the one they iced in a 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. All 13 forwards will take the pre-game skate, which means Jannik Hansen could draw in.
Rick Rypien has joined the team here in St. Louis. No word on when he'll factor back into the line-up after being away from the club the past few months for personal reasons. He will not be speaking with the media at this point.
The last time the Canucks played at the ScottTrade Center on Feb. 10, the Sedins were joined by Alex Burrows in the third period. Since then (20 games), those three have combined for 24 goals and 35 assists.
The Blues are four games above the .500 mark for the first time all season and are just two points out of a playoff spot. 7-2-1 in their last ten games, St. Louis is currently ranked 9th in the NHL on the power play and 8th on the penalty kill.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams:
Canucks:
D.Sedin-H.Sedin-Burrows
Demitra-Sundin-Kesler
Raymond-Wellwood-Bernier
Hordichuk-Johnson-Pyatt
Mitchell-Salo
Ohlund-Edler
Bieksa-Vaananen
Luongo
LaBarbera
Blues:
Andy McDonald-David Backes-Brad Boyes
David Perron-Patrik Berglund-T.J. Oshie
Alex Steen-Jay McClement-B.J. Crombeen
Brad Winchester-Keith Tkachuk-Dan Hinote
Barret Jackman-Roman Polak
Carlo Colaiacovo-Mike Weaver
Jay McKee-Jeff Woywitka
Chris Mason
Ben Bishop
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Canucks Bounce Back With Win In Big D
A combination of strong goaltending and execution on the power play helped the Canucks snap out of a four-game road losing streak. Tuesday night, the Canucks walked into Dallas and skated away with a well-deserved 5-2 win over the Stars at American Airlines Center.
The Stars came out flying and were determined to jump into the lead with a great start. Brendan Morrison had the first best chance of the game with the home team on the power play, but his snap shot from close quarters wound up being denied on a great stick save by Roberto Luongo. Eventually Morrison did open the scoring as he jumped on a loose puck that had rebounded off the end boards and capitalized on a back handed chance. Mark Fistric and Steven Begin collect the assists on Morrison’s 13th of the year. It was also his 500th NHL point and it came 4:44 into the action.
The Canucks were able to respond while working on a power play as Ryan Kesler’s spin-o-rama shot from between the hash marks beat Marty Turco. Mats Sundin and Pavol Demitra chip in to help Kesler net his 22nd of the year. It was also his 8th power play tally of the season and at 11:06, it established a career-high for goals in a season.
With just over three minutes to go in the period, Fistric caught Daniel Sedin with a high stick in the mouth, cutting open the Canucks leading scorer. The Canucks made the Stars d-man pay and it would be Daniel getting revenge. Sami Salo’s point shot took a deflection of Daniel’s skate and past Turco. Henrik Sedin collects the other assist on Daniel’s team-leading 27th of the campaign at 18:27.
Henrik made it a 3-1 Vancouver lead early on in the middle frame and it came on another Vancouver power play. Daniel found Kevin Bieksa at the right point and his slap pass found the stick of Henrik in the slot. The easy re-direct gave Turco no chance as Henrik scored his 16th of the season. It was also his 4th power play goal of the year and 6th game winner at 1:38.
There would be no more scoring in the 2nd period, but there would be plenty of rough stuff. Steve Ott commited a low hit at the knees of Taylor Pyatt in front of the penalty box just after he had served his second penalty of the night. Then a short time later, Darcy Hordichuk ran over Turco who had come well out of his net to play the puck on the side boards. Nobody was injured in either incident and both teams went to the locker room seeing the visitors up by a pair.
Vancouver came out buzzing in the final period and were well-deserving to get the next goal. Ossi Vaananen, making his Canucks debut on the blue line, was able to move the puck up the right wing for Demitra. His quick touch pass found Kesler on the fly. After busting around a Stars d-man, Kesler slid the puck underneath Turco. Kesler’s 23rd deflated the home crowd at 2:27.
James Neal made things a bit interesting nine minutes into the period as his nice individual effort resulted in a shot that beat Luongo through the pads. Nicklas Grossman and Matt Niskanen help Neal score his 24th goal of this rookie season.
Turco was able to get to the bench for the extra attacker in the late stages of the game. However the Canucks put the final nail in the coffin with Henrik finding the empty net from centre ice. Salo and Alex Burrows hit the score sheet as Henrik’s 2nd of the game proved to be his 17th of the year at 19:43.
Final shots on net favoured the Stars 37-22. The Canucks wrapped up the game going 3-for-7 on the power play and a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
Now having improved their overall record to 39-24-9, the Canucks sit with 87 points. Vancouver will have the day off Wednesday to prepare for their next game on their current six-game road trip. Thursday night, the Canucks will take on the St. Louis Blues. Game time at the Scott Trade Center will be 5:00pm PST.
The Stars came out flying and were determined to jump into the lead with a great start. Brendan Morrison had the first best chance of the game with the home team on the power play, but his snap shot from close quarters wound up being denied on a great stick save by Roberto Luongo. Eventually Morrison did open the scoring as he jumped on a loose puck that had rebounded off the end boards and capitalized on a back handed chance. Mark Fistric and Steven Begin collect the assists on Morrison’s 13th of the year. It was also his 500th NHL point and it came 4:44 into the action.
The Canucks were able to respond while working on a power play as Ryan Kesler’s spin-o-rama shot from between the hash marks beat Marty Turco. Mats Sundin and Pavol Demitra chip in to help Kesler net his 22nd of the year. It was also his 8th power play tally of the season and at 11:06, it established a career-high for goals in a season.
With just over three minutes to go in the period, Fistric caught Daniel Sedin with a high stick in the mouth, cutting open the Canucks leading scorer. The Canucks made the Stars d-man pay and it would be Daniel getting revenge. Sami Salo’s point shot took a deflection of Daniel’s skate and past Turco. Henrik Sedin collects the other assist on Daniel’s team-leading 27th of the campaign at 18:27.
Henrik made it a 3-1 Vancouver lead early on in the middle frame and it came on another Vancouver power play. Daniel found Kevin Bieksa at the right point and his slap pass found the stick of Henrik in the slot. The easy re-direct gave Turco no chance as Henrik scored his 16th of the season. It was also his 4th power play goal of the year and 6th game winner at 1:38.
There would be no more scoring in the 2nd period, but there would be plenty of rough stuff. Steve Ott commited a low hit at the knees of Taylor Pyatt in front of the penalty box just after he had served his second penalty of the night. Then a short time later, Darcy Hordichuk ran over Turco who had come well out of his net to play the puck on the side boards. Nobody was injured in either incident and both teams went to the locker room seeing the visitors up by a pair.
Vancouver came out buzzing in the final period and were well-deserving to get the next goal. Ossi Vaananen, making his Canucks debut on the blue line, was able to move the puck up the right wing for Demitra. His quick touch pass found Kesler on the fly. After busting around a Stars d-man, Kesler slid the puck underneath Turco. Kesler’s 23rd deflated the home crowd at 2:27.
James Neal made things a bit interesting nine minutes into the period as his nice individual effort resulted in a shot that beat Luongo through the pads. Nicklas Grossman and Matt Niskanen help Neal score his 24th goal of this rookie season.
Turco was able to get to the bench for the extra attacker in the late stages of the game. However the Canucks put the final nail in the coffin with Henrik finding the empty net from centre ice. Salo and Alex Burrows hit the score sheet as Henrik’s 2nd of the game proved to be his 17th of the year at 19:43.
Final shots on net favoured the Stars 37-22. The Canucks wrapped up the game going 3-for-7 on the power play and a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
Now having improved their overall record to 39-24-9, the Canucks sit with 87 points. Vancouver will have the day off Wednesday to prepare for their next game on their current six-game road trip. Thursday night, the Canucks will take on the St. Louis Blues. Game time at the Scott Trade Center will be 5:00pm PST.
Canucks/Stars Game Day
The Canucks (38-24-9) will attempt to snap a four-game road losing streak tonight against the Dallas Stars (33-31-8) who are looking to break out of a three-game losing skid.
Vancouver won the previous meeting with Dallas by posting a 4-2 win on St.Patrick's Day at GM Place. The Stars were victorious in their other two match-ups (3-2 SO @ VAN Jan. 4/2-1 @ DAL Feb. 13). Steve Bernier (1g,2a), Mats Sundin (1g,1a), Ryan Kesler (1g,1a), and Kyle Wellwood (1g,1a) lead the Canucks in head-to-head scoring against the Dallas. Mike Modano (1g,3a), Loui Eriksson (1g,2a), James Neal (1g,1a), and Mike Ribeiro (1g,1a) lead the Stars.
Ossi Vaananen will indeed make his Canucks debut tonight in Dallas. He joined the club in late February but has been a healthy scratch for the last eleven games. In 46 games with Philadelphia this season, Vaananen had one goal, nine assists, 22 penalty minutes, and was a +7. He'll be paired up with Kevin Bieksa tonight as Shane O'Brien will sit this one out.
The Stars enter the night having gone 4-10-1 in their last 15 games. They have had their struggles on special teams lately, sitting 25th in the NHL on the power play and 23rd on the penalty kill. Brendan Morrison, who is one point shy of 500 for his NHL career, will play at centre tonight after Brad Richards broke his hand in last Saturday's 5-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams tonight at the America Airlines Center:
Canucks:
D.Sedin-H.Sedin-Burrows
Demitra-Sundin-Kesler
Raymond-Wellwood-Bernier
Hordichuk-Johnson-Pyatt
Mitchell-Salo
Ohlund-Edler
Bieksa-Vaananen
Luongo
LaBarbera
Stars:
Steve Ott-Mike Ribeiro-Loui Eriksson
James Neal-Mike Modano-Jere Lehtinen
Steve Begin-Brendan Morrison-Chris Conner
Krystofer Barch-Tom Wandell-Fabian Brunnstrom
Matt Niskanen-Darryl Sydor
Nicklas Grossman-Stephane Robidas
Trevor Daley-Mark Fistric
Marty Turco
Tobias Stephan
Vancouver won the previous meeting with Dallas by posting a 4-2 win on St.Patrick's Day at GM Place. The Stars were victorious in their other two match-ups (3-2 SO @ VAN Jan. 4/2-1 @ DAL Feb. 13). Steve Bernier (1g,2a), Mats Sundin (1g,1a), Ryan Kesler (1g,1a), and Kyle Wellwood (1g,1a) lead the Canucks in head-to-head scoring against the Dallas. Mike Modano (1g,3a), Loui Eriksson (1g,2a), James Neal (1g,1a), and Mike Ribeiro (1g,1a) lead the Stars.
Ossi Vaananen will indeed make his Canucks debut tonight in Dallas. He joined the club in late February but has been a healthy scratch for the last eleven games. In 46 games with Philadelphia this season, Vaananen had one goal, nine assists, 22 penalty minutes, and was a +7. He'll be paired up with Kevin Bieksa tonight as Shane O'Brien will sit this one out.
The Stars enter the night having gone 4-10-1 in their last 15 games. They have had their struggles on special teams lately, sitting 25th in the NHL on the power play and 23rd on the penalty kill. Brendan Morrison, who is one point shy of 500 for his NHL career, will play at centre tonight after Brad Richards broke his hand in last Saturday's 5-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams tonight at the America Airlines Center:
Canucks:
D.Sedin-H.Sedin-Burrows
Demitra-Sundin-Kesler
Raymond-Wellwood-Bernier
Hordichuk-Johnson-Pyatt
Mitchell-Salo
Ohlund-Edler
Bieksa-Vaananen
Luongo
LaBarbera
Stars:
Steve Ott-Mike Ribeiro-Loui Eriksson
James Neal-Mike Modano-Jere Lehtinen
Steve Begin-Brendan Morrison-Chris Conner
Krystofer Barch-Tom Wandell-Fabian Brunnstrom
Matt Niskanen-Darryl Sydor
Nicklas Grossman-Stephane Robidas
Trevor Daley-Mark Fistric
Marty Turco
Tobias Stephan
Monday, March 23, 2009
Canucks Open Road Trip With Loss In Desert
The Canucks couldn’t by a bounce or a break in either end of the rink Saturday night. An own goal into an empty net and the pulling of Roberto Luongo for the just the second time this season hi-lighted Vancouver’s 5-1 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes at the Jobing.Com Arena.
Despite firing 15 shots in the opening period of play, the Canucks were unable to beat Coyotes netminder Ilya Bryzgalov. Alex Burrows had the best chance for the visitors, but he failed to get a decent shot away on a 2-on-1 short-handed rush alongside Mason Raymond.
Phoenix took the lead with just under six minutes to go in the period as Daniel Winnek’s attempted pass from behind the net wound up deflecting off the leg of Mattias Ohlund and past Luongo. Winnik’s 3rd of the season helped Phoenix improve their overall record when scoring first to 17-12-1.
Early on in the 2nd period, Coyotes captain Shane Doan made it a 2-0 contest as his snap shot from the right face off circle found its way under the arm and above the right pad of Luongo. Doan’s team-leading 27th of the season came 1:21 into the frame.
A short time later, the home team padded their lead while on a power play. A great cross-zone pass by Steven Reinprecht found Ed Jovanovski pinching in from the left point. His shot found its way to the back of the net, giving the former Canuck his first goal in ten games. It was his 7th of the season and it came at 3:25.
Just when it looked the Canucks might be given some life, they wound up being completely deflated by a bizarre goal. A delayed penalty was about to be called against Viktor Tikhonov and Luongo got to the bench for the extra attacker. While in his own zone, Henrik Sedin saw a weak clearing attempt knock off the stick of Tikhonov at the Canucks blue line. Attempting to get control of the puck, Shane O’Brien wound up hitting it towards his own goal. Despite a desperation diving play to swat it to the corner, O’Brien saw the puck make its way into the unguarded Canucks goal. Tikhonov wound up getting credit for his 8th goal of his rookie season at 10:30 and had to celebrate it by spending the next two minutes in the penalty box.
Jason LaBarbera came out to play in the third period as Luongo wound up being replaced after allowing three goals on 24 shots. The only other time the Canucks captain had been pulled this season came back October 13 in a 5-1 loss on the road against the Washington Capitals.
The first shot that came LaBarbera’s way made it a 5-0 Phoenix lead. The goaltender couldn’t be faulted on this one though as Matthew Lombardi made a great move to out-wait the netminder on a deek before tucking the puck inside the post. Lombardi’s 12th of the season came at 3:13.
The shut-out bid of Bryzgalov came late in the final frame as Burrows wound up stuffing in a rebound chance from the slot. Alexander Edler and Ryan Johnson chip in the assists on the 24th of the season for Burrows at 18:35. It was a small amount of consolation for Burrows, who has ten goals in his last 13 games.
Final shots on net favoured Vancouver by a margin of 36-33. The Canucks wound up going 0-for-4 on the power play while Phoenix went 1-for-7.
Having lost four straight road games, the Canucks overall record now stands at 38-24-9. Next up will be their fourth and final meeting of the season against the Dallas Stars. Game time Tuesday night at the Americans Airlines Arena is 5:30pm PST.
Despite firing 15 shots in the opening period of play, the Canucks were unable to beat Coyotes netminder Ilya Bryzgalov. Alex Burrows had the best chance for the visitors, but he failed to get a decent shot away on a 2-on-1 short-handed rush alongside Mason Raymond.
Phoenix took the lead with just under six minutes to go in the period as Daniel Winnek’s attempted pass from behind the net wound up deflecting off the leg of Mattias Ohlund and past Luongo. Winnik’s 3rd of the season helped Phoenix improve their overall record when scoring first to 17-12-1.
Early on in the 2nd period, Coyotes captain Shane Doan made it a 2-0 contest as his snap shot from the right face off circle found its way under the arm and above the right pad of Luongo. Doan’s team-leading 27th of the season came 1:21 into the frame.
A short time later, the home team padded their lead while on a power play. A great cross-zone pass by Steven Reinprecht found Ed Jovanovski pinching in from the left point. His shot found its way to the back of the net, giving the former Canuck his first goal in ten games. It was his 7th of the season and it came at 3:25.
Just when it looked the Canucks might be given some life, they wound up being completely deflated by a bizarre goal. A delayed penalty was about to be called against Viktor Tikhonov and Luongo got to the bench for the extra attacker. While in his own zone, Henrik Sedin saw a weak clearing attempt knock off the stick of Tikhonov at the Canucks blue line. Attempting to get control of the puck, Shane O’Brien wound up hitting it towards his own goal. Despite a desperation diving play to swat it to the corner, O’Brien saw the puck make its way into the unguarded Canucks goal. Tikhonov wound up getting credit for his 8th goal of his rookie season at 10:30 and had to celebrate it by spending the next two minutes in the penalty box.
Jason LaBarbera came out to play in the third period as Luongo wound up being replaced after allowing three goals on 24 shots. The only other time the Canucks captain had been pulled this season came back October 13 in a 5-1 loss on the road against the Washington Capitals.
The first shot that came LaBarbera’s way made it a 5-0 Phoenix lead. The goaltender couldn’t be faulted on this one though as Matthew Lombardi made a great move to out-wait the netminder on a deek before tucking the puck inside the post. Lombardi’s 12th of the season came at 3:13.
The shut-out bid of Bryzgalov came late in the final frame as Burrows wound up stuffing in a rebound chance from the slot. Alexander Edler and Ryan Johnson chip in the assists on the 24th of the season for Burrows at 18:35. It was a small amount of consolation for Burrows, who has ten goals in his last 13 games.
Final shots on net favoured Vancouver by a margin of 36-33. The Canucks wound up going 0-for-4 on the power play while Phoenix went 1-for-7.
Having lost four straight road games, the Canucks overall record now stands at 38-24-9. Next up will be their fourth and final meeting of the season against the Dallas Stars. Game time Tuesday night at the Americans Airlines Arena is 5:30pm PST.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Canucks/Coyotes Game Day
The Canucks (38-23-9) open up a six game road trip tonight in the Arizona desert against the Phoenix Coyotes (29-35-7). This will be the fourth and final meeting of the season between the two clubs. Vancouver posted a 1-0 win at home Nov. 6 and a 4-3 win at the Jobing.Com Arena Feb. 12. The Coyotes lone win came at GM Place Jan. 15 when they skated away with a 4-1 decision. Kevin Bieksa (2g,1a), Daniel Sedin (1g,2a), and Sami Salo (2a) lead the Canucks in head-to-head scoring while Joakim Lindstrom (2g), Keith Yandle (1g,1a), and Steven Reinprecht (1g,1a) lead the Coyotes. Roberto Luongo has allowed seven goals on 88 shots, good enough for a 0.920 save percentage while Ilya Bryzgalov has allowed six against on 96 shots (0.938%).
Having won 11 straight on home ice, the Canucks are currently riding a three-game road losing streak. They are currently the hottest team in the NHL in their last 20 games (16-3-1). They have also been solid on the penalty kill, allowing just four goals against in 35 short-handed situations in their last six games.No line-up changes are expected following their 3-0 win over the St.Louis Blues on Thursday.
The Coyotes are a much different looking hockey club compared to the last time they played Vancouver. Phoenix collected just six points in February and have already reached that mark in March. They currently are in 14th spot in the West (65pts) and are just one point ahead of Colorado.
They currently rank 27th overall in the NHL in both the power play and the penalty kill. They've also been very poor against teams in the Northwest Division (6-10-1). Bryzgalov has been their best performer of late, stopping 129 of 138 shots in his last four games.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams for tonight's game:
Canucks:
D.Sedin - H.Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Raymond - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Pyatt
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Coyotes:
Shane Doan - Kyle Turris - Peter Mueller
Scottie Upshall - Matthew Lombardi - Petr Prucha
Daniel Winnik - Martin Hanzal - Viktor Tikhonov
Nigel Dawes - Steven Reinprecht - Mikkel Boedker
Ed Jovanovski - Ken Klee
Kurt Sauer - Zbynek Michalek
Dmitri Kalinin - Keith Yandle
Illya Bryzgalov
Josh Tordjman
Having won 11 straight on home ice, the Canucks are currently riding a three-game road losing streak. They are currently the hottest team in the NHL in their last 20 games (16-3-1). They have also been solid on the penalty kill, allowing just four goals against in 35 short-handed situations in their last six games.No line-up changes are expected following their 3-0 win over the St.Louis Blues on Thursday.
The Coyotes are a much different looking hockey club compared to the last time they played Vancouver. Phoenix collected just six points in February and have already reached that mark in March. They currently are in 14th spot in the West (65pts) and are just one point ahead of Colorado.
They currently rank 27th overall in the NHL in both the power play and the penalty kill. They've also been very poor against teams in the Northwest Division (6-10-1). Bryzgalov has been their best performer of late, stopping 129 of 138 shots in his last four games.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams for tonight's game:
Canucks:
D.Sedin - H.Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Raymond - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Pyatt
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Coyotes:
Shane Doan - Kyle Turris - Peter Mueller
Scottie Upshall - Matthew Lombardi - Petr Prucha
Daniel Winnik - Martin Hanzal - Viktor Tikhonov
Nigel Dawes - Steven Reinprecht - Mikkel Boedker
Ed Jovanovski - Ken Klee
Kurt Sauer - Zbynek Michalek
Dmitri Kalinin - Keith Yandle
Illya Bryzgalov
Josh Tordjman
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Luongo Shuts Out Blues Thursday Night
For the first time since November 7, Canucks captain Roberto Luongo held his opponents off the score sheet. Thursday night, Luongo stopped ten shots in each period to lead Vancouver to a 3-0 shut out performance against the St. Louis Blues.
Luongo was at his best in the first half of the hockey game, which saw the Canucks muster up just four shots on net. He made a great save on the first power play the Blues had in the first period as he kicked away a nifty re-direct in the slot from Keith Tkachuk. His best stop in the middle frame came on a 2-on-1 rush as he denied Blues rookie forward Patrik Berglund with a huge right pad save.
The hottest scoring forward for the home team was able to get the sell-out crowd at GM Place on their feet with a little more than five minutes remaining in the 2nd period. Daniel Sedin was able to get the puck in the Blues zone to Henrik Sedin who wasted no time getting it between the face off circles for Alex Burrows. His snap shot was nearly stopped by St. Louis starter Chris Mason. However he didn't get enough of his body behind it and the puck was able to cross the line. Burrows, who now has goals in five of his last six games, collected his 23rd of the year at 14:54.
The Blues had close call in the opening minutes of the final frame to draw level. Luongo was beat on a long wrist shot by Barret Jackman, but his chance rattled off the cross bar.
Vancouver wound up building on their lead when the teams skated 4-on-4. Sami Salo moved the puck up the right wing for Ryan Kesler. After avoiding a hip check at the Blues blue-line by defenceman Roman Polak, Kesler snapped a pass to the crease for Mason Raymond, who put it past Mason. Raymond, who hadn't scored a goal in his previous 26 games, netted his 10th of the year at 8:33.
The Canucks put the game on ice a few shifts later. David Backes fell behind his own goal while in possession of the puck and wound up turning it over to Daniel Sedin. He threw it in front to Henrik Sedin who drove it home. Henrik's 15th of the season occured at 10:29 capping off the Canucks 11th consecutive home ice victory.
Final shots on net favoured the Blues 30-21. The Canucks finished the night going 0-for-2 on the power play and a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill. Vancouver has now killed off 28 of their last 30 short-handed situations.
Luongo now has an overall record of 27-9-6, which includes six shut-outs. He now has 17 clean sheets for his career and is three away from tying former Canucks goalie Kirk McLean for most shut-outs by a Vancouver netminder.
Now with an overall record of 38-23-9, the Canucks get set to embark on a six-game road trip. It will start on Saturday night with a match-up against the Phoenix Coyotes. Game time at the Jobing.com Arena will be at 7:00pm PST.
Luongo was at his best in the first half of the hockey game, which saw the Canucks muster up just four shots on net. He made a great save on the first power play the Blues had in the first period as he kicked away a nifty re-direct in the slot from Keith Tkachuk. His best stop in the middle frame came on a 2-on-1 rush as he denied Blues rookie forward Patrik Berglund with a huge right pad save.
The hottest scoring forward for the home team was able to get the sell-out crowd at GM Place on their feet with a little more than five minutes remaining in the 2nd period. Daniel Sedin was able to get the puck in the Blues zone to Henrik Sedin who wasted no time getting it between the face off circles for Alex Burrows. His snap shot was nearly stopped by St. Louis starter Chris Mason. However he didn't get enough of his body behind it and the puck was able to cross the line. Burrows, who now has goals in five of his last six games, collected his 23rd of the year at 14:54.
The Blues had close call in the opening minutes of the final frame to draw level. Luongo was beat on a long wrist shot by Barret Jackman, but his chance rattled off the cross bar.
Vancouver wound up building on their lead when the teams skated 4-on-4. Sami Salo moved the puck up the right wing for Ryan Kesler. After avoiding a hip check at the Blues blue-line by defenceman Roman Polak, Kesler snapped a pass to the crease for Mason Raymond, who put it past Mason. Raymond, who hadn't scored a goal in his previous 26 games, netted his 10th of the year at 8:33.
The Canucks put the game on ice a few shifts later. David Backes fell behind his own goal while in possession of the puck and wound up turning it over to Daniel Sedin. He threw it in front to Henrik Sedin who drove it home. Henrik's 15th of the season occured at 10:29 capping off the Canucks 11th consecutive home ice victory.
Final shots on net favoured the Blues 30-21. The Canucks finished the night going 0-for-2 on the power play and a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill. Vancouver has now killed off 28 of their last 30 short-handed situations.
Luongo now has an overall record of 27-9-6, which includes six shut-outs. He now has 17 clean sheets for his career and is three away from tying former Canucks goalie Kirk McLean for most shut-outs by a Vancouver netminder.
Now with an overall record of 38-23-9, the Canucks get set to embark on a six-game road trip. It will start on Saturday night with a match-up against the Phoenix Coyotes. Game time at the Jobing.com Arena will be at 7:00pm PST.
Canucks/Blues Game Day
The Canucks (37-23-9) wrap up a lengthy home-stand tonight against the St. Louis Blues (32-29-9). The two teams have split their season series with identical 6-4 wins. The Blues won their first meeting of the year at GM Place Jan. 9 while the Canucks returned the favour at the ScottTrade Center Feb. 10. Willie Mitchell (2g,2a), Pavol Demitra (1g,2a), and Kevin Bieksa (3a) lead the Canucks in head-to-head scoring while Patrik Berglund (1g,4a), T.J. Oshie (1g,2a), and Keith Tkachuk (1g,2a) lead the Blues.
Vancouver puts their franchise-best 10-game home ice winning streak on the line tonight. Ryan Kesler has points in four straight games (2g,5a) while Demitra has five assists in the same period. Demitra is doubtful for tonight as he was the only Canucks forward to not take the pre-game skate after being on the receiving end of a hard hit from Steve Ott in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars. If he doesn't play, Jannik Hansen will return to the line-up after missing ten games with a broken finger. Alain Vigneault will be coaching his 500th career regular season game in the NHL tonight.
St. Louis has quietly been one of the best teams in the entire league in the second half of the season. The 2nd half record is 16-7-6, a winning percentage of .655%. Only the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings have had better winning percentages in the 2nd half. The Blues have not lost back-to-back games since Jan. 13.
Brad Boyes leads the Blues in scoring 29g,31a and has two goals against the Canucks this year. Mt.Vernon, Washington native T.J. Oshie rides a three game point scoring streak into tonight's action (1g,4a), while David Backes has points in five of his last six (6g,4a). Netminder Chris Mason has started 21 straight games, which includes a 33-save effort in a 2-1 shoot-out loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams for tonight's game:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Pyatt - Sundin - Kesler
Raymond - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Hansen
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Blues:
David Backes - Andy McDonald - Brad Boyes
T.J. Oshie - Patrik Berglund - David Perron
Keith Tkachuk - Jay McClement - Alex Steen
Brad Winchester - Dan Hinote - B.J. Crombeen
Barret Jackman - Mike Weaver
Jeff Woywitka - Carlo Colaiacovo
Jay McKee - Roman Polak
Chris Mason
Ben Bishop
Vancouver puts their franchise-best 10-game home ice winning streak on the line tonight. Ryan Kesler has points in four straight games (2g,5a) while Demitra has five assists in the same period. Demitra is doubtful for tonight as he was the only Canucks forward to not take the pre-game skate after being on the receiving end of a hard hit from Steve Ott in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars. If he doesn't play, Jannik Hansen will return to the line-up after missing ten games with a broken finger. Alain Vigneault will be coaching his 500th career regular season game in the NHL tonight.
St. Louis has quietly been one of the best teams in the entire league in the second half of the season. The 2nd half record is 16-7-6, a winning percentage of .655%. Only the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings have had better winning percentages in the 2nd half. The Blues have not lost back-to-back games since Jan. 13.
Brad Boyes leads the Blues in scoring 29g,31a and has two goals against the Canucks this year. Mt.Vernon, Washington native T.J. Oshie rides a three game point scoring streak into tonight's action (1g,4a), while David Backes has points in five of his last six (6g,4a). Netminder Chris Mason has started 21 straight games, which includes a 33-save effort in a 2-1 shoot-out loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams for tonight's game:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Pyatt - Sundin - Kesler
Raymond - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Hansen
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Blues:
David Backes - Andy McDonald - Brad Boyes
T.J. Oshie - Patrik Berglund - David Perron
Keith Tkachuk - Jay McClement - Alex Steen
Brad Winchester - Dan Hinote - B.J. Crombeen
Barret Jackman - Mike Weaver
Jeff Woywitka - Carlo Colaiacovo
Jay McKee - Roman Polak
Chris Mason
Ben Bishop
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Canucks Set Record With Win Over Stars
For the first time in club history, the Vancouver Canucks have rattled off ten wins in a row on home ice. Tuesday night, the Canucks moved into a tie for 4th place in the Western Conference standings as they doubled up the visiting Dallas Stars 4-2 at GM Place.
Stars goalie Marty Turco looked early on that he'd be tough to beat as he came up with some good stops in the opening five minutes, the best being a hi-lite reel stick save off of Steve Bernier while the Canucks worked a power play. Eventually Turco wound up being beat on a lucky bounce for the home team. While on the man advantage, Daniel Sedin was able to slid the puck towards the slot for a team mate. However it wound up deflecting off the skate of Stephane Robidas and underneath Turco. Henrik Sedin and Kevin Bieksa get the assists on Daniel's first goal in 11 games. His team-leading 26th of the campaign came at 6:33.
Dallas pulled level before the intermission break with a power play goal of their own. Robidas let a point shot go that wound up being deflected out of the air by James Neal and past Roberto Luongo. Neal continues his strong rookie season with his 23rd of the year at 16:48.
Ryan Kesler got Vancouver back into the lead with a beautiful individual effort in the middle period. Mats Sundin fed a pass through the neutral zone for Pavol Demitra. His quick drop pass found Kesler breaking through the Dallas defence. His move to the back hand gave Turco no chance as his shot snuk its way under the cross bar. Kesler nets his 21st of the year at 6:55 and it extends his point scoring streak to four straight games.
Just past the midway point, Kesler had a hand in setting up what proved to be the game-winning goal. On the power play, Kesler poked the puck free from behind the net for Kyle Wellwood in the right corner. His pass to the top of the crease found a wide open Sundin. He made no mistake beating Turco through the pads for his 9th of the season. It was also his 2nd game winning goal of the season and it came at 10:21.
The Stars had a golden opportunity early on in the third period to get back into the game while working on a 5-on-3 power play for just under a minute. However Luongo and the Canucks penalty killers did a strong job to keep the home team in a two-goal lead.
Steve Ott was able to get the visitors to within one on a re-direct in front of the Vancouver captain. Mike Ribeiro and Chris Conner get the helpers on Ott's 16th of the season at 8:12. However that would be the last goal scored by the Stars as the Canucks put the game out of reach with a fantastic passing play on the rush. Just as Dallas d-man Nicklas Grossman had broke his stick at centre, the Canucks broke up ice on an odd-man rush. Bieksa dished the puck to the right face off circle for Mason Raymond who immediately fed the puck across the zone for a wide open Bernier. This time he beat the Stars netminder with his first goal in six games. Bernier now has 15 on the season and this one came at 15:05.
Final shots on net favoured the Stars 26-25. The Canucks were a perfect 2-for-2 on the power play while Dallas went 1-for-7.
Now with an overall record of 37-23-9, Vancouver prepares to put the finishing touches on a lengthy homestand on Thursday evening when they host the St. Louis Blues. This will be the third meeting of the season between two teams that have combined for 20 goals in their previous two meetings. Game time will be 7:00pm PST.
Stars goalie Marty Turco looked early on that he'd be tough to beat as he came up with some good stops in the opening five minutes, the best being a hi-lite reel stick save off of Steve Bernier while the Canucks worked a power play. Eventually Turco wound up being beat on a lucky bounce for the home team. While on the man advantage, Daniel Sedin was able to slid the puck towards the slot for a team mate. However it wound up deflecting off the skate of Stephane Robidas and underneath Turco. Henrik Sedin and Kevin Bieksa get the assists on Daniel's first goal in 11 games. His team-leading 26th of the campaign came at 6:33.
Dallas pulled level before the intermission break with a power play goal of their own. Robidas let a point shot go that wound up being deflected out of the air by James Neal and past Roberto Luongo. Neal continues his strong rookie season with his 23rd of the year at 16:48.
Ryan Kesler got Vancouver back into the lead with a beautiful individual effort in the middle period. Mats Sundin fed a pass through the neutral zone for Pavol Demitra. His quick drop pass found Kesler breaking through the Dallas defence. His move to the back hand gave Turco no chance as his shot snuk its way under the cross bar. Kesler nets his 21st of the year at 6:55 and it extends his point scoring streak to four straight games.
Just past the midway point, Kesler had a hand in setting up what proved to be the game-winning goal. On the power play, Kesler poked the puck free from behind the net for Kyle Wellwood in the right corner. His pass to the top of the crease found a wide open Sundin. He made no mistake beating Turco through the pads for his 9th of the season. It was also his 2nd game winning goal of the season and it came at 10:21.
The Stars had a golden opportunity early on in the third period to get back into the game while working on a 5-on-3 power play for just under a minute. However Luongo and the Canucks penalty killers did a strong job to keep the home team in a two-goal lead.
Steve Ott was able to get the visitors to within one on a re-direct in front of the Vancouver captain. Mike Ribeiro and Chris Conner get the helpers on Ott's 16th of the season at 8:12. However that would be the last goal scored by the Stars as the Canucks put the game out of reach with a fantastic passing play on the rush. Just as Dallas d-man Nicklas Grossman had broke his stick at centre, the Canucks broke up ice on an odd-man rush. Bieksa dished the puck to the right face off circle for Mason Raymond who immediately fed the puck across the zone for a wide open Bernier. This time he beat the Stars netminder with his first goal in six games. Bernier now has 15 on the season and this one came at 15:05.
Final shots on net favoured the Stars 26-25. The Canucks were a perfect 2-for-2 on the power play while Dallas went 1-for-7.
Now with an overall record of 37-23-9, Vancouver prepares to put the finishing touches on a lengthy homestand on Thursday evening when they host the St. Louis Blues. This will be the third meeting of the season between two teams that have combined for 20 goals in their previous two meetings. Game time will be 7:00pm PST.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Canucks/Stars Game Day
The Canucks (36-23-9) go looking for a franchise-best 10-game home ice winning streak tonight as they entertain the Dallas Stars (33-28-8). The Stars have won the previous two meetings between the two clubs, both by a single goal. Steve Bernier (2a), Taylor Pyatt (1g), Darcy Hordichuk (1g), and Kyle Wellwood (1g) lead the Canucks in head-to-head scoring while Mike Modano (1g,2a), Loui Eriksson (1g,2a), and Mike Ribeiro (1g) lead the Stars. Marty Turco has allowed just three goals against on 68 shots, good enough for a 1.44 goals against average and a 95.6 save percentage.
In their last 20 games, the Canucks are an impressive 14-4-2. Alex Burrows puts his four-game goal-scoring streak on the line tonight. He has registered just four shots in two games against Dallas. Daniel Sedin has assists in six straight games, but finds himself a -2 against the Stars this season. Pavol Demitra has averaged a point-per-game in his career against the Stars (20g,26a).
The Stars enter the night alone in 8th spot in the Western Conference, one point behind Nashville and one point ahead of Edmonton. Having won their last two straight games, Dallas had only won two of their previous ten. The Stars has struggled on the power play this season, currently 25th overall in the NHL standings. They have also scored just 18 power play goals on the road, the 2nd lowest total in the entire league.
Mike Ribeiro has been the real deal for the Stars this season in the absence of some key injured forwards like Brendan Morrow and Brad Richards. Ribeiro leading the team in points (66) has a seven-game point scoring streak on the line (4g,6a). Jere Lehtinen returns to the line-up tonight after missing the last six games with an upper body injury.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams heading into tonight's game:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Raymond
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Stars:
Steve Ott - Mike Ribiero - Loui Eriksson
Brendan Morrison - Mike Modano - Jere Lehtinen
Chris Conner - Brian Sutherby - James Neal
Krystofer Barch - Steve Begin - Landon Wilson
Matt Niskanen - Darryl Sydor
Stephane Robidas - Trevor Daley
Mark Fistric - Niklas Grossman
Marty Turco
Tobias Stephan
In their last 20 games, the Canucks are an impressive 14-4-2. Alex Burrows puts his four-game goal-scoring streak on the line tonight. He has registered just four shots in two games against Dallas. Daniel Sedin has assists in six straight games, but finds himself a -2 against the Stars this season. Pavol Demitra has averaged a point-per-game in his career against the Stars (20g,26a).
The Stars enter the night alone in 8th spot in the Western Conference, one point behind Nashville and one point ahead of Edmonton. Having won their last two straight games, Dallas had only won two of their previous ten. The Stars has struggled on the power play this season, currently 25th overall in the NHL standings. They have also scored just 18 power play goals on the road, the 2nd lowest total in the entire league.
Mike Ribeiro has been the real deal for the Stars this season in the absence of some key injured forwards like Brendan Morrow and Brad Richards. Ribeiro leading the team in points (66) has a seven-game point scoring streak on the line (4g,6a). Jere Lehtinen returns to the line-up tonight after missing the last six games with an upper body injury.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams heading into tonight's game:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Raymond
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Stars:
Steve Ott - Mike Ribiero - Loui Eriksson
Brendan Morrison - Mike Modano - Jere Lehtinen
Chris Conner - Brian Sutherby - James Neal
Krystofer Barch - Steve Begin - Landon Wilson
Matt Niskanen - Darryl Sydor
Stephane Robidas - Trevor Daley
Mark Fistric - Niklas Grossman
Marty Turco
Tobias Stephan
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Canucks Double Up Avs For 9th Straight Win
Not too long ago, the Canucks found themselves trying to snap a nine game home-ice winless skid. Now Vancouver hockey fans have seen their team post nine wins in a row at GM Place. On a night which saw the Canucks play in front of their 250th straight sell-out crowd, the home team skated away with a 4-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
The Canucks were up 3-0 after the 1st period, a score line that flattered the Avs. Kyle Wellwood opened the scoring for Vancouver on the power play as he deflected in a point shot by Ryan Kesler. Pavol Demitra collected his fouth assist in his last three straight games as Wellwood converted his 16th goal of the season at 2:50.
Alex Burrows nearly made 2-0 for the Canucks while the home team was short-handed but his breakaway chance rattled off the post behind netminder Andrew Raycroft. However Burrows was able to get back into a good position to take a pass from Kesler and scoop in a second chance. Burrows, who has scored four short-handed goals this year, now has goals in four straight games. His 22nd of the year came at 7:25.
Taylor Pyatt capped off the scoring for the Canucks in the opening frame as he finished off a nice passing play on the rush from Burrows and Ryan Johnson. Pyatt's 9th of the year came at 15:18. Both Burrows and Kesler each had great chances before the period was out, but Raycroft did his part to keep the scoreboard respectable.
The shut-out bid of Roberto Luongo wound up being broken early on in the 2nd period as the Avs went to work on a power play. John-Michael Liles got the puck to the right point for Ruslan Selei who wound up firing one toward the net. His shot took a deflection off Ryan Smyth and found the back of the Canucks net. Smyth nets his 25th of the year at 4:36.
The remainder of the middle period was pretty sloppy as neither team really generated any high quality opportunities. Early on in the 3rd period, Colorado got to within a goal on a lucky bounce. Luongo attempting to play the puck behind his net wound up giving it away to Darcy Tucker. Attempting to find a team mate in front, Tucker's pass wound up deflecting off Luongo and in. Liles and Scott Hannan chip in on Tucker's 8th of the year just 14 seconds into the period.
Vancouver did buckle down defensively for the remainder of the game and didn't give their opponets that much. Eventually the Canucks did get their two-goal lead back late in the contest and it came on another man advantage. Alexander Edler's point shot wound up re-directing off Hannan in front of the Avs net. Edler's 9th of year at 18:47 was assisted by Kesler and Mattias Ohlund. With that assist, Ohlund now becomes the Canucks all-time leader in points for a Canucks defenceman with 322.
Final shots on net did favour Vancouver by a margin of 23-20. The Canucks capped off the night going 2-for-6 on the power play while the Avalanche went 1-for-7.
Now with an overall record of 36-23-9, the Canucks have 81 points. They are just two behind the Chicago Blackhawks for fourth spot in the Western Conference. Next up for Vancouver will be a meeting at GM Place against the Dallas Stars. Game time Tuesday night will be 7:00pm PST.
The Canucks were up 3-0 after the 1st period, a score line that flattered the Avs. Kyle Wellwood opened the scoring for Vancouver on the power play as he deflected in a point shot by Ryan Kesler. Pavol Demitra collected his fouth assist in his last three straight games as Wellwood converted his 16th goal of the season at 2:50.
Alex Burrows nearly made 2-0 for the Canucks while the home team was short-handed but his breakaway chance rattled off the post behind netminder Andrew Raycroft. However Burrows was able to get back into a good position to take a pass from Kesler and scoop in a second chance. Burrows, who has scored four short-handed goals this year, now has goals in four straight games. His 22nd of the year came at 7:25.
Taylor Pyatt capped off the scoring for the Canucks in the opening frame as he finished off a nice passing play on the rush from Burrows and Ryan Johnson. Pyatt's 9th of the year came at 15:18. Both Burrows and Kesler each had great chances before the period was out, but Raycroft did his part to keep the scoreboard respectable.
The shut-out bid of Roberto Luongo wound up being broken early on in the 2nd period as the Avs went to work on a power play. John-Michael Liles got the puck to the right point for Ruslan Selei who wound up firing one toward the net. His shot took a deflection off Ryan Smyth and found the back of the Canucks net. Smyth nets his 25th of the year at 4:36.
The remainder of the middle period was pretty sloppy as neither team really generated any high quality opportunities. Early on in the 3rd period, Colorado got to within a goal on a lucky bounce. Luongo attempting to play the puck behind his net wound up giving it away to Darcy Tucker. Attempting to find a team mate in front, Tucker's pass wound up deflecting off Luongo and in. Liles and Scott Hannan chip in on Tucker's 8th of the year just 14 seconds into the period.
Vancouver did buckle down defensively for the remainder of the game and didn't give their opponets that much. Eventually the Canucks did get their two-goal lead back late in the contest and it came on another man advantage. Alexander Edler's point shot wound up re-directing off Hannan in front of the Avs net. Edler's 9th of year at 18:47 was assisted by Kesler and Mattias Ohlund. With that assist, Ohlund now becomes the Canucks all-time leader in points for a Canucks defenceman with 322.
Final shots on net did favour Vancouver by a margin of 23-20. The Canucks capped off the night going 2-for-6 on the power play while the Avalanche went 1-for-7.
Now with an overall record of 36-23-9, the Canucks have 81 points. They are just two behind the Chicago Blackhawks for fourth spot in the Western Conference. Next up for Vancouver will be a meeting at GM Place against the Dallas Stars. Game time Tuesday night will be 7:00pm PST.
Canucks/Avalanche Game Day
The Canucks (35-23-9) get set to play their third of six regular season meetings tonight against the Colorado Avalanche (31-37-1). The Avs have won the previous two match-ups in shoot-outs (2-1 Nov. 12 @ GM Place and 5-4 Dec. 7 @ Pepsi Center). Steve Bernier (2g), Darcy Hordichuk (1g), Taylor Pyatt (1g), and Daniel Sedin (1g) lead the Canucks in head-to-head scoring while Paul Stastny (4a), Milan Hejduk (1g,3a), Ryan Smyth (1g), and Marek Svatos (1g) lead the Avalanche.
The Canucks pulled off their season-high eighth straight home ice win Friday night with a 4-2 win against the L.A. Kings. Henrik Sedin's two-goal performance in the third period gave him 101 goals for his NHL career. Daniel Sedin extended his point scoring streak to six games (6a) but he's gone nine in a row without scoring. Alex Burrows is currently riding a career-high three-game goal scoring streak. The team is not expected to make any changes to tonight's line-up.
The Avalanche, despite being a non-playoff contender, have won their last two and three of their last four. Coming off a 3-2 overtime win last night against the Edmonton Oilers, the Avs have been in 37 one-goal games this season, the most of any team in the NHL.
Milan Hejduk has 34 career goals against the Canucks in 57 games. Since Hejduk started in the NHL in 1998, no other player in the league has scored more goals against the Canucks. Wojtek Wolski leads the NHL in shoot-out goals this season (8-for-9) and he is also the league's all-time leader in shoot-out percentage (15-for-23=65.2%). Darcy Tucker, who had one of the three Avs goals last night in Edmonton, is celebrating his 34th birthday today.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams tonight:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Raymond
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Avalanche:
Milan Hejduk - Paul Stastny - Marek Svatos
Ryan Smyth - Wojtek Wolski - Brian Willsie
Darcy Tucker - Ben Guite - Ian Laperriere
Cody McLeod - T.J. Hensick - Chris Stewart
Brett Clark - Scott Hannan
John-Michael Liles - Lawrence Nycholat
Ruslan Selai - Daniel Tjarnqvist
Peter Budaj
Andrew Raycroft
The Canucks pulled off their season-high eighth straight home ice win Friday night with a 4-2 win against the L.A. Kings. Henrik Sedin's two-goal performance in the third period gave him 101 goals for his NHL career. Daniel Sedin extended his point scoring streak to six games (6a) but he's gone nine in a row without scoring. Alex Burrows is currently riding a career-high three-game goal scoring streak. The team is not expected to make any changes to tonight's line-up.
The Avalanche, despite being a non-playoff contender, have won their last two and three of their last four. Coming off a 3-2 overtime win last night against the Edmonton Oilers, the Avs have been in 37 one-goal games this season, the most of any team in the NHL.
Milan Hejduk has 34 career goals against the Canucks in 57 games. Since Hejduk started in the NHL in 1998, no other player in the league has scored more goals against the Canucks. Wojtek Wolski leads the NHL in shoot-out goals this season (8-for-9) and he is also the league's all-time leader in shoot-out percentage (15-for-23=65.2%). Darcy Tucker, who had one of the three Avs goals last night in Edmonton, is celebrating his 34th birthday today.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams tonight:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Raymond
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Avalanche:
Milan Hejduk - Paul Stastny - Marek Svatos
Ryan Smyth - Wojtek Wolski - Brian Willsie
Darcy Tucker - Ben Guite - Ian Laperriere
Cody McLeod - T.J. Hensick - Chris Stewart
Brett Clark - Scott Hannan
John-Michael Liles - Lawrence Nycholat
Ruslan Selai - Daniel Tjarnqvist
Peter Budaj
Andrew Raycroft
Friday, March 13, 2009
Canucks/Kings Game Day
The Canucks (34-23-9) get set to entertain the Los Angeles Kings (29-28-9) for the first time at GM Place this season. The two clubs have split their previous two meetings of the season at the Staples Center. Vancouver posted a 4-0 win on October 30 while the Kings evened the season series with a 3-2 win last Monday night. Daniel Sedin (1g,2a), Taylor Pyatt (2g), Sami Salo (2a), and Henrik Sedin (2a) lead the Canucks in head-to-head scoring while Jarret Stoll (2g), Teddy Purcell (2a), and Denis Gauthier (1g) lead the Kings.
The Canucks will put their seven-game home ice winning streak on the line tonight after back-to-back one-goal losses on the road this past week in L.A. and Anaheim. Only the New Jersey Devils have a longer current home winning streak, with eight dating back to February 9.
Daniel Sedin has now gone a season-high eight straight games without scoring, but he does an assist in each of his last five straight games. His brother Henrik has also gone eight straight without scoring and remains one shy of 100 for his career. Pavol Demitra, who had a pair of assists in the 4-3 overtime loss to the Ducks on Wednesday, is now two goals shy of 300 for his career.
The Kings have not played since their 3-2 win over the Canucks last Monday. Two of the three Kings goals were on the power play for a team that's had more man advantages this season than any other team in the Western Conference. Leading scorer Anze Kopitar has points in five straight games (4g,4a) as does his line-mate Purcell (2g,4a). Rookie netminder Jonathan Quick is 3rd in the NHL amongst rookie goalies in wins (16) goals against average (2.60), save percentage (90.9), and shut-outs (3).
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams tonight at GM Place:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Raymond
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Kings:
Dustin Brown - Anze Kopitar - Teddy Purcell
Alexander Frolov - Jarret Stoll - Peter Harrold
Michal Handzus - Oscar Moller - Wayne Simmonds
Raitis Ivanans - Derek Armstrong - Kevin Westgarth
Sean O'Donnell - Drew Doughty
Kyle Quincey - Matt Greene
Jack Johnson - Denis Gauthier
Jonathan Quick
Erik Ersberg
The Canucks will put their seven-game home ice winning streak on the line tonight after back-to-back one-goal losses on the road this past week in L.A. and Anaheim. Only the New Jersey Devils have a longer current home winning streak, with eight dating back to February 9.
Daniel Sedin has now gone a season-high eight straight games without scoring, but he does an assist in each of his last five straight games. His brother Henrik has also gone eight straight without scoring and remains one shy of 100 for his career. Pavol Demitra, who had a pair of assists in the 4-3 overtime loss to the Ducks on Wednesday, is now two goals shy of 300 for his career.
The Kings have not played since their 3-2 win over the Canucks last Monday. Two of the three Kings goals were on the power play for a team that's had more man advantages this season than any other team in the Western Conference. Leading scorer Anze Kopitar has points in five straight games (4g,4a) as does his line-mate Purcell (2g,4a). Rookie netminder Jonathan Quick is 3rd in the NHL amongst rookie goalies in wins (16) goals against average (2.60), save percentage (90.9), and shut-outs (3).
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams tonight at GM Place:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Raymond
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Kings:
Dustin Brown - Anze Kopitar - Teddy Purcell
Alexander Frolov - Jarret Stoll - Peter Harrold
Michal Handzus - Oscar Moller - Wayne Simmonds
Raitis Ivanans - Derek Armstrong - Kevin Westgarth
Sean O'Donnell - Drew Doughty
Kyle Quincey - Matt Greene
Jack Johnson - Denis Gauthier
Jonathan Quick
Erik Ersberg
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Canucks/Ducks Game Day
The Canucks (34-23-8) prepare for their third meeting of the season against the Anaheim Ducks (31-30-6). The Canucks were 7-6 shoot-out winners in Anaheim on Oct.31 before posting a 4-3 win at GM Place Dec. 22. Steve Bernier (2g,2a), Kevin Bieksa (1g,2a), and Mason Raymond (1g,2a) lead the Canucks in head-to-head scoring while Corey Perry (1g,6a), Teemu Selanne (2g,2a), and Scott Niedermeyer (2g,2a) lead Anaheim. Vancouver has gone a combined 4-for-13 on the power play while Anaheim has gone 5-for-14. The Canucks have won five of their last six meetings against the Ducks.
The Canucks are looking to bounce back from a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings Monday night. The Canucks are now 14-17 in one-goal games this season and are currently riding a two-game road losing streak. Daniel Sedin has points in four straight games (4a) but has not scored a goal in seven straight. Ryan Kesler had a four-game point scoring streak snapped against the Kings (1g,4a).
The Ducks are struggling to keep their playoff hopes alive. Having lost three straight games by a single goal, Anaheim has also lost four in a row on home ice. Their leading scorer is Ryan Getzlaf (20g,51a). However he has gone seven games without a goal and has just two assists in his last six.
This game also marks the first time former Canucks forward Mike Brown will play his former teammates. Traded to Anaheim earlier this season, Brown is getting plenty of opportunity to play here under Head Coach Randy Carlye. In the Ducks 3-2 loss to Minnesota on Sunday night, Brown had a career high 17:59 in ice time.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams for tonight's match-up at the Honda Center:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Raymond
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Ducks:
Eric Christensen - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry
Bobby Ryan - Andrew Ebbett - Teemu Selanne
Rob Neidermeyer - Todd Marchant - Mike Brown
George Parros - Ryan Carter - Petteri Nokelaine
Scott Neidermeyer - James Wisniewski
Ryan Whitney - Chris Pronger
Brett Festerling - Sheldon Brookbank
Jonas Hiller
Jean-Sebastien Giguere
The Canucks are looking to bounce back from a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings Monday night. The Canucks are now 14-17 in one-goal games this season and are currently riding a two-game road losing streak. Daniel Sedin has points in four straight games (4a) but has not scored a goal in seven straight. Ryan Kesler had a four-game point scoring streak snapped against the Kings (1g,4a).
The Ducks are struggling to keep their playoff hopes alive. Having lost three straight games by a single goal, Anaheim has also lost four in a row on home ice. Their leading scorer is Ryan Getzlaf (20g,51a). However he has gone seven games without a goal and has just two assists in his last six.
This game also marks the first time former Canucks forward Mike Brown will play his former teammates. Traded to Anaheim earlier this season, Brown is getting plenty of opportunity to play here under Head Coach Randy Carlye. In the Ducks 3-2 loss to Minnesota on Sunday night, Brown had a career high 17:59 in ice time.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams for tonight's match-up at the Honda Center:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Raymond
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Ducks:
Eric Christensen - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry
Bobby Ryan - Andrew Ebbett - Teemu Selanne
Rob Neidermeyer - Todd Marchant - Mike Brown
George Parros - Ryan Carter - Petteri Nokelaine
Scott Neidermeyer - James Wisniewski
Ryan Whitney - Chris Pronger
Brett Festerling - Sheldon Brookbank
Jonas Hiller
Jean-Sebastien Giguere
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Canucks Streak Snapped In L.A.
Penalty trouble cost the Canucks from reaching their first five-game winning streak of the season Monday night as they dropped a 3-2 decision to the Los Angeles Kings. Vancouver was shorthanded six times through the first two periods and despite a strong final frame, were unable to take any points away from the Staples Center.
The Kings opened up the scoring with their first shot on net. Anze Kopitar won a face off in the Canucks zone back to the right point for Dennis Gauthier who wound up stepping into a slap shot. It wound up grazing off the glove hand of Roberto Luongo and into the net. Gauthier's 2nd of the season put the home team in the lead 3:35 into the game.
L.A. would head into the intermission break in a two-goal lead after converting on a power play chance. Alexander Frolov moved the puck to the bottom of the left face off circle for Teddy Purcell. He fed a nice pass through the slot for Jarret Stoll who was able to come in untouched behind the Vancouver penalty killers. Stoll made no mistake snapping home his 17th of the season at 12:17.
The shut-out bid of Kings rookie netminder Jonathan Quick game in the early part of the 2nd period. Daniel Sedin was able to clear the puck out of the Canucks end to centre ice for Alex Burrows. As soon as he skated to the Kings blue line, Burrows stepped into a bullet of a drive that wound up beating Quick under the glove hand. Burrows now has 19 on the year and it came 4:40 into the middle stanza.
The Canucks were not able to find a way to get an equalizer, thanks in large part to having to kill off four minor penalties in the period. With Mats Sundin in the box on an interference call, Stoll made the visitors pay and he scooped in a loose rebound opportunity beside the crease. Purcell and Kyle Quincey collect the helpers on what proved to be the game-winning marker at 12:51.
Vancouver was able to get back to within one in the third period as Taylor Pyatt's quick snap shot from the right face off circle beat Quick through the pads. Sami Salo and Ryan Johnson help Pyatt score his first goal in ten games. It was also his 8th of the season and it came at 5:26.
The Canucks continued to pour on the pressure for the remainder of the period, but were unable to beat Quick to force the game to overtime. Daniel Sedin had a great chance on a power play, but his wrist shot glanced off the post. Sundin and Burrows also had late chances with the extra attacker on the ice, but couldn't equalize. The Kings hung on for their third win in a row putting them three points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Both teams finished the game tied in shots with 22 apiece. The Canucks went 0-for-4 on the power play while the Kings, who have had more power plays than any team in the NHL, wrapped up the night going 2-for-6.
Now with an overall record of 34-23-8, the Canucks will have the day off for practice on Tuesday in California. They'll be back on the ice Wednesday evening for a match-up against the Anaheim Ducks. Game time at the Honda Center will be 7:00pm PST.
The Kings opened up the scoring with their first shot on net. Anze Kopitar won a face off in the Canucks zone back to the right point for Dennis Gauthier who wound up stepping into a slap shot. It wound up grazing off the glove hand of Roberto Luongo and into the net. Gauthier's 2nd of the season put the home team in the lead 3:35 into the game.
L.A. would head into the intermission break in a two-goal lead after converting on a power play chance. Alexander Frolov moved the puck to the bottom of the left face off circle for Teddy Purcell. He fed a nice pass through the slot for Jarret Stoll who was able to come in untouched behind the Vancouver penalty killers. Stoll made no mistake snapping home his 17th of the season at 12:17.
The shut-out bid of Kings rookie netminder Jonathan Quick game in the early part of the 2nd period. Daniel Sedin was able to clear the puck out of the Canucks end to centre ice for Alex Burrows. As soon as he skated to the Kings blue line, Burrows stepped into a bullet of a drive that wound up beating Quick under the glove hand. Burrows now has 19 on the year and it came 4:40 into the middle stanza.
The Canucks were not able to find a way to get an equalizer, thanks in large part to having to kill off four minor penalties in the period. With Mats Sundin in the box on an interference call, Stoll made the visitors pay and he scooped in a loose rebound opportunity beside the crease. Purcell and Kyle Quincey collect the helpers on what proved to be the game-winning marker at 12:51.
Vancouver was able to get back to within one in the third period as Taylor Pyatt's quick snap shot from the right face off circle beat Quick through the pads. Sami Salo and Ryan Johnson help Pyatt score his first goal in ten games. It was also his 8th of the season and it came at 5:26.
The Canucks continued to pour on the pressure for the remainder of the period, but were unable to beat Quick to force the game to overtime. Daniel Sedin had a great chance on a power play, but his wrist shot glanced off the post. Sundin and Burrows also had late chances with the extra attacker on the ice, but couldn't equalize. The Kings hung on for their third win in a row putting them three points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Both teams finished the game tied in shots with 22 apiece. The Canucks went 0-for-4 on the power play while the Kings, who have had more power plays than any team in the NHL, wrapped up the night going 2-for-6.
Now with an overall record of 34-23-8, the Canucks will have the day off for practice on Tuesday in California. They'll be back on the ice Wednesday evening for a match-up against the Anaheim Ducks. Game time at the Honda Center will be 7:00pm PST.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Canucks/Kings Game Day
The Canucks (34-22-8) open up a two-game California road trip tonight against the Los Angeles Kings (28-28-9). These two teams met October 30 at the Staples Center with the Canucks winning 4-0. Roberto Luongo made 28 saves in a 1st star performance while Daniel Sedin, Mason Raymond, Kyle Wellwood, and Taylor Pyatt had Vancouver's goals against Kings netminder Jason LaBarbera.
The Canucks are on their fourth four-game winning streak of the season. The last time Vancouver won five in a row came March 1-9, 2007. Luongo has allowed five goals against in the last four Canucks wins. Since the beginning of February, Luongo is 12-2-1.
Ryan Kesler enters tonight's game with points in four straight (1g,4a). He had two assists in a 1st star effort in Vancouver's 3-1 win against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Mats Sundin snapped a 10-game goal-less drought against the Sharks and now has points in three straight (1g,3a). In the last nine games, 30 points has been produced by the line of Daniel Sedin (2g,7a), Henrik Sedin (2g,9a), and Alex Burrows (5g,5a).
The Kings are coming off back-to-back home ice wins against the Minnesota Wild (4-3) and Dallas Stars (5-4 OT). Just five points out of a playoff spot, they have allowed the most goals against on home ice in the Western Conference (105). They have also been on the power play 296 times this season, the second-highest total in the NHL.
Los Angeles is being led in scoring by Anze Kopitar (24g,34a). He is currently riding a career-high four-game goal streak (4g,3a) and when he scores a goal this season, the Kings are 15-3-2.
19 year-old defenceman Drew Doughty leads all Kings players in average ice time (23:52). He was the 2nd overall pick in last summer's draft and leads all NHL rookie defencemen in points (4g,17a). Fellow rookie Jonathan Quick is expected to get the start in goal tonight. He's started 18 of the last 21 games and has 15 wins in his first NHL season.
Here are the expected line-ups for both clubs tonight:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Raymond
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Kings:
Dustin Brown - Anze Kopitar - Ted Purcell
Alexander Frolov - Jarrett Stoll - Peter Harrold
Michal Handzus - Oscar Moller - Wayne Simmonds
Kyle Calder - Derek Armstrong - Kevin Westgarth
Sean O'Donnell - Drew Doughty
Kyle Quincey - Matt Greene
Jack Johnson - Denis Gauthier
Jonathan Quick
Erik Ersberg
The Canucks are on their fourth four-game winning streak of the season. The last time Vancouver won five in a row came March 1-9, 2007. Luongo has allowed five goals against in the last four Canucks wins. Since the beginning of February, Luongo is 12-2-1.
Ryan Kesler enters tonight's game with points in four straight (1g,4a). He had two assists in a 1st star effort in Vancouver's 3-1 win against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Mats Sundin snapped a 10-game goal-less drought against the Sharks and now has points in three straight (1g,3a). In the last nine games, 30 points has been produced by the line of Daniel Sedin (2g,7a), Henrik Sedin (2g,9a), and Alex Burrows (5g,5a).
The Kings are coming off back-to-back home ice wins against the Minnesota Wild (4-3) and Dallas Stars (5-4 OT). Just five points out of a playoff spot, they have allowed the most goals against on home ice in the Western Conference (105). They have also been on the power play 296 times this season, the second-highest total in the NHL.
Los Angeles is being led in scoring by Anze Kopitar (24g,34a). He is currently riding a career-high four-game goal streak (4g,3a) and when he scores a goal this season, the Kings are 15-3-2.
19 year-old defenceman Drew Doughty leads all Kings players in average ice time (23:52). He was the 2nd overall pick in last summer's draft and leads all NHL rookie defencemen in points (4g,17a). Fellow rookie Jonathan Quick is expected to get the start in goal tonight. He's started 18 of the last 21 games and has 15 wins in his first NHL season.
Here are the expected line-ups for both clubs tonight:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Raymond
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Kings:
Dustin Brown - Anze Kopitar - Ted Purcell
Alexander Frolov - Jarrett Stoll - Peter Harrold
Michal Handzus - Oscar Moller - Wayne Simmonds
Kyle Calder - Derek Armstrong - Kevin Westgarth
Sean O'Donnell - Drew Doughty
Kyle Quincey - Matt Greene
Jack Johnson - Denis Gauthier
Jonathan Quick
Erik Ersberg
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Canucks 7th Heaven After Dumping Sharks
Make it seven straight wins on home ice for the Canucks and it comes with their first win in a long time against the San Jose Sharks. Saturday night, the Canucks had a fantastic start and were able use it to their advantage on their way to a 3-1 win at GM Place.
Alexander Edler was able to open the scoring for the home team with the two sides skating 4-on-4. Ryan Kesler was able to move the puck to the point for Mattias Ohlund who dished it off to his defence partner. His shot whistled past Alex Burrows who had set up a screen in front of netminder Brian Boucher. Edler gets credit for 8th of the season at 3:15. The assist by Ohlund also moved him into a tie with Dennis Kearns and Jyrki Lumme for the Canucks record for points by a defenceman (321).
A few shifts later, the Canucks built their lead on a great passing play down low behind the Sharks net. Kesler was able to cycle the puck to the end boards for Pavol Demitra. His quick feed in front found a wide open Mats Sundin, who made no mistake beating Boucher to the back hand. Sundin entered the game having gone ten straight without scoring. That streak snapped with his 7th of the season at 6:02.
Roberto Luongo did his part to keep the Canucks in the lead for the remainder of the period. His best save out of the ten shots he faced came with a big blocker-hand stop off of Milan Michalek at the side of the net.
The Canucks had some great opportunities to put the game out of reach in the second period during three straight power plays. However they weren't able to beat Boucher who was able to give his team a chance.
Eventually the Sharks were able to get on the scoreboard and it came on a power play. Rob Blake wound up having a shot from long range go off the back of his foot into the slot for Jonathan Cheechoo. He dished a quick pass to a wide open Joe Thorton who had no trouble snapping home his 18th of the season. What proved to be the lone goal for San Jose occured with just three seconds to go before the 2nd intermission.
The two squads got involved in a very tight-checking style of play for the first eight-to-ten minutes of the third period which didn't result in many scoring chances. Vancouver did eventually restore their two-goal lead after Devin Setoguchi took a careless holding penatly. Kevin Bieksa's shot from long range along the ice found its way underneath Boucher. Sami Salo and Daniel Sedin pick up the helpers on Bieksa's 11th of the year at 11:48.
Luongo's best save of the night came with just under five minutes to play. Cheechoo was left all alone at the top of the crease and looked to have the Canucks captain beat. However his wrist shot wound up being snagged by the glove hand of Luongo as he laid on his stomach. That would be the last great chance for either team in the game as the Canucks hung on for their 12th win in their last 14 games.
Final shots on net were even at 29-29. The Canucks wound up going 1-for-6 on the power play while the Sharks finished the night 1-for-3.
Having improved their overall record to 34-22-8, the Canucks now find themselves with 76 points and are just five points behind the Chicago Blackhawks for home ice advantage in the playoffs. Next up for Vancouver will be a pair of road games next week in California. They'll start things off Monday night against the Los Angeles Kings. Game time at the Staples Center will be 7:30pm PST.
Alexander Edler was able to open the scoring for the home team with the two sides skating 4-on-4. Ryan Kesler was able to move the puck to the point for Mattias Ohlund who dished it off to his defence partner. His shot whistled past Alex Burrows who had set up a screen in front of netminder Brian Boucher. Edler gets credit for 8th of the season at 3:15. The assist by Ohlund also moved him into a tie with Dennis Kearns and Jyrki Lumme for the Canucks record for points by a defenceman (321).
A few shifts later, the Canucks built their lead on a great passing play down low behind the Sharks net. Kesler was able to cycle the puck to the end boards for Pavol Demitra. His quick feed in front found a wide open Mats Sundin, who made no mistake beating Boucher to the back hand. Sundin entered the game having gone ten straight without scoring. That streak snapped with his 7th of the season at 6:02.
Roberto Luongo did his part to keep the Canucks in the lead for the remainder of the period. His best save out of the ten shots he faced came with a big blocker-hand stop off of Milan Michalek at the side of the net.
The Canucks had some great opportunities to put the game out of reach in the second period during three straight power plays. However they weren't able to beat Boucher who was able to give his team a chance.
Eventually the Sharks were able to get on the scoreboard and it came on a power play. Rob Blake wound up having a shot from long range go off the back of his foot into the slot for Jonathan Cheechoo. He dished a quick pass to a wide open Joe Thorton who had no trouble snapping home his 18th of the season. What proved to be the lone goal for San Jose occured with just three seconds to go before the 2nd intermission.
The two squads got involved in a very tight-checking style of play for the first eight-to-ten minutes of the third period which didn't result in many scoring chances. Vancouver did eventually restore their two-goal lead after Devin Setoguchi took a careless holding penatly. Kevin Bieksa's shot from long range along the ice found its way underneath Boucher. Sami Salo and Daniel Sedin pick up the helpers on Bieksa's 11th of the year at 11:48.
Luongo's best save of the night came with just under five minutes to play. Cheechoo was left all alone at the top of the crease and looked to have the Canucks captain beat. However his wrist shot wound up being snagged by the glove hand of Luongo as he laid on his stomach. That would be the last great chance for either team in the game as the Canucks hung on for their 12th win in their last 14 games.
Final shots on net were even at 29-29. The Canucks wound up going 1-for-6 on the power play while the Sharks finished the night 1-for-3.
Having improved their overall record to 34-22-8, the Canucks now find themselves with 76 points and are just five points behind the Chicago Blackhawks for home ice advantage in the playoffs. Next up for Vancouver will be a pair of road games next week in California. They'll start things off Monday night against the Los Angeles Kings. Game time at the Staples Center will be 7:30pm PST.
Canucks/Sharks Game Day
The Canucks (33-22-8) get set for their fourth and final meeting of the season against the NHL-leading San Jose Sharks (42-11-10).
The Sharks are 3-0-0 against Vancouver this season, having out-scored the opposition 11-3. Daniel Sedin, Taylor Pyatt and Mats Sundin have scored for the Canucks while Henrik Sedin has chipped in three assists. Patrick Marleau (4g,3a), Joe Thorton (1g,5a), and Devin Setoguchi (2g,1a) lead and San Jose players in head-to-head scoring. The Canucks have gone a combined 1-for-9 on the power play against San Jose while the Sharks have gone 5-for-16.
The Canucks are 11-3-1 in their last 15 games, a record that was clearly printed on the chalkboard inside the visitors locker room this morning. Vancouver is also riding a six-game home-ice winning streak, out-scoring their opponents 24-12 in that span. In the last two games, eight points have been generated by the line of Alex Burrows (3g), Henrik Sedin (3a), and Daniel Sedin (2a). The Canucks are also an impressive 12-3-0 when Burrows scores this season.
Despite leading the NHL with 94 points, the Sharks have lost three straight and have just one win in their last five games. They are without the services of their #1 goalie Evgeni Nabokov, who's missed the last four games (2-flu, 2-lower body injury). Brian Boucher is their go-to-guy now in net, sporting a 10-3-3 record in 17 appearances this season.
Travis Moen will make his debut in a Sharks uniform tonight. Acquired at the NHL trade deadline from the Anaheim Ducks, the former Stanley Cup game winning goal scorer will play on a line with Jonathan Cheechoo and Tomas Plihal.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Raymond
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Sharks:
Patrick Marleau - Joe Thorton - Devin Setoguchi
Milan Michalek - Joe Pavalski - Ryane Clowe
Travis Moen - Tomas Plihal - Jonathan Cheechoo
Jody Shelley - Jamie McGinn - Brad Staubitz
Rob Blake - Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Douglas Murray - Dan Boyle
Brad Lukowich - Christian Ehrhoff/Alexi Semenov
Brian Boucher
Thomas Greiss
The Sharks are 3-0-0 against Vancouver this season, having out-scored the opposition 11-3. Daniel Sedin, Taylor Pyatt and Mats Sundin have scored for the Canucks while Henrik Sedin has chipped in three assists. Patrick Marleau (4g,3a), Joe Thorton (1g,5a), and Devin Setoguchi (2g,1a) lead and San Jose players in head-to-head scoring. The Canucks have gone a combined 1-for-9 on the power play against San Jose while the Sharks have gone 5-for-16.
The Canucks are 11-3-1 in their last 15 games, a record that was clearly printed on the chalkboard inside the visitors locker room this morning. Vancouver is also riding a six-game home-ice winning streak, out-scoring their opponents 24-12 in that span. In the last two games, eight points have been generated by the line of Alex Burrows (3g), Henrik Sedin (3a), and Daniel Sedin (2a). The Canucks are also an impressive 12-3-0 when Burrows scores this season.
Despite leading the NHL with 94 points, the Sharks have lost three straight and have just one win in their last five games. They are without the services of their #1 goalie Evgeni Nabokov, who's missed the last four games (2-flu, 2-lower body injury). Brian Boucher is their go-to-guy now in net, sporting a 10-3-3 record in 17 appearances this season.
Travis Moen will make his debut in a Sharks uniform tonight. Acquired at the NHL trade deadline from the Anaheim Ducks, the former Stanley Cup game winning goal scorer will play on a line with Jonathan Cheechoo and Tomas Plihal.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Raymond
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Sharks:
Patrick Marleau - Joe Thorton - Devin Setoguchi
Milan Michalek - Joe Pavalski - Ryane Clowe
Travis Moen - Tomas Plihal - Jonathan Cheechoo
Jody Shelley - Jamie McGinn - Brad Staubitz
Rob Blake - Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Douglas Murray - Dan Boyle
Brad Lukowich - Christian Ehrhoff/Alexi Semenov
Brian Boucher
Thomas Greiss
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Gillis Stands Pat Through Deadline
No trades for the Canucks today as the NHL deadline has come and gone.
Plenty of rumours circulating throughout the morning on the Canucks interest in Jay Bouwmeester. However the d-man from the Florida Panthers was never moved.
GM Mike Gillis will speak to the media at 12:45pm PST.
Plenty of rumours circulating throughout the morning on the Canucks interest in Jay Bouwmeester. However the d-man from the Florida Panthers was never moved.
GM Mike Gillis will speak to the media at 12:45pm PST.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Burrows Inks 4-yr/$8 million Deal
From the official press release courtesy of the Canucks this evening:
Vancouver Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis announced today that forward Alex Burrows has agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension through the 2012-13 NHL season. Burrows is currently playing his fourth season as a Vancouver Canuck.
“Alex plays with intensity and determination at both ends of the rink,” said Mike Gillis. “He’s a fierce competitor and a versatile player. We look forward to further growth and development in his game.”
Burrows, 27, has set new career highs this season with 16 goals, 33 points (16-17-33) and 105 penalty minutes in 62 games played. Including the 2008-09 season, Burrows has 85 points (38-47-85) and 438 penalty minutes through 268 career NHL games with Vancouver.
The 6’1”, 197 lbs. native of Pincourt, Quebec originally signed with Vancouver as a free agent on November 8, 2005.
Vancouver Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis announced today that forward Alex Burrows has agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension through the 2012-13 NHL season. Burrows is currently playing his fourth season as a Vancouver Canuck.
“Alex plays with intensity and determination at both ends of the rink,” said Mike Gillis. “He’s a fierce competitor and a versatile player. We look forward to further growth and development in his game.”
Burrows, 27, has set new career highs this season with 16 goals, 33 points (16-17-33) and 105 penalty minutes in 62 games played. Including the 2008-09 season, Burrows has 85 points (38-47-85) and 438 penalty minutes through 268 career NHL games with Vancouver.
The 6’1”, 197 lbs. native of Pincourt, Quebec originally signed with Vancouver as a free agent on November 8, 2005.
Canucks/Wild Game Day
The Canucks (32-22-8) play their final game before the NHL trade deadline tonight as they entertain the Minnesota Wild (30-26-5). The Canucks are 3-0-1 against the Wild this season, having out-scored the opposition 10-7. Henrik Sedin (6a), Kevin Bieksa (1g,3a), and Daniel Sedin (2g,1a) lead Vancouver in head-to-head scoring while Mikko Koivu (4g), Marc-Andre Bergeron (2g,1a), and Pierre-Marc Bouchard (3a) lead all Wild skaters.
The Canucks are riding a season-high five-game home ice winning streak into tonight's game. They are also an impressive 9-4-3 against Northwest Division rivals. In the last seven games, a combined 24 points have come from the line of Daniel Sedin (2g,5a), Henrik Sedin (2g,7a), and Alex Burrows (3g,5a). Mattias Ohlund is one point shy from tying Jyrki Lumme and Dennis Kearns for the franchise record for points by a defenceman (321).
The Wild come to town hitting the midway point of a season-high six game road trip. Having lost their first two games against Calgary and Edmonton, Minnesota currently sits seven points back of the Canucks and two points out of a playoff spot.
Wild #1 netminder Niklas Backstrom shouldn't have any trouble being motivated for tonight's game. Fresh off signing a 4-year contract extension this morning, Backstrom will be making roughly $6 million per season.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams heading into tonight's game:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Raymond
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Wild:
Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen
Owen Nolan - Eric Belanger - Pierre-Marc Bouchard
Stephane Veilleux - James Sheppard - Cal Clutterbuck
Dan Fritsche - Peter Olvecky - Craig Weller/Colton Gillies
Brent Burns - Nick Schultz
Kim Johnsson - Martin Skoula
Marc-Andre Bergeron - Marek Zidlicky
Niklas Backstrom
Josh Harding
The Canucks are riding a season-high five-game home ice winning streak into tonight's game. They are also an impressive 9-4-3 against Northwest Division rivals. In the last seven games, a combined 24 points have come from the line of Daniel Sedin (2g,5a), Henrik Sedin (2g,7a), and Alex Burrows (3g,5a). Mattias Ohlund is one point shy from tying Jyrki Lumme and Dennis Kearns for the franchise record for points by a defenceman (321).
The Wild come to town hitting the midway point of a season-high six game road trip. Having lost their first two games against Calgary and Edmonton, Minnesota currently sits seven points back of the Canucks and two points out of a playoff spot.
Wild #1 netminder Niklas Backstrom shouldn't have any trouble being motivated for tonight's game. Fresh off signing a 4-year contract extension this morning, Backstrom will be making roughly $6 million per season.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams heading into tonight's game:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Pyatt - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Raymond
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Wild:
Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen
Owen Nolan - Eric Belanger - Pierre-Marc Bouchard
Stephane Veilleux - James Sheppard - Cal Clutterbuck
Dan Fritsche - Peter Olvecky - Craig Weller/Colton Gillies
Brent Burns - Nick Schultz
Kim Johnsson - Martin Skoula
Marc-Andre Bergeron - Marek Zidlicky
Niklas Backstrom
Josh Harding
Sunday, March 1, 2009
5th Straight Home Win Comes vs Blue Jackets
The Vancouver Canucks collected a valuable pair of points Sunday evening in their race to solidify a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Canucks collected a goal in each period and posted a decent start-to-finish effort in a 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The victory pushes Vancouver four points clear of Columbus for 5th spot in the conference standings.
Blue Jackets netminder Steve Mason was tested plenty in the opening period of play and the Canucks came out with a lot of pressure in the Columbus territory. Just when it looked like the 20 year-old Calder Trophy candidate might be able to get to the intermission break without allowing a goal, the Canucks were able to capitalize on a 5-on-3 man advantage. Mats Sundin worked the puck to the left boards for Henrik Sedin, who dished a pass to the point for Sami Salo. With time winding down on the clock, Salo was able to step into a drive that found its way past Mason. Salo now has five goals on the season, all of which have come on the power play, and this one occured with five seconds to go in the session.
The Canucks built on their lead early in the middle frame. Just as a power play had expired for Vancouver, Sundin was able release a drive from the left face off circle. It wound up being deflected off the stick of Ryan Kesler and past the Jackets puck-stopper. Mattias Ohlund collects the other assist on the goal, moving him one point shy of former Canuck d-men Jyrki Lumme and Dennis Kearns for the Canucks all-time record in scoring amongst blue liners. Meantime, Kesler collects his 19th goal of the campaign, which also proved to be his first game-winning tally of the year and it came at 1:42.
The shut-out bid of Roberto Luongo wound up being broken in the early portion of the third period. After seeing just 12 shots through the opening 40 minutes, Luongo wound up denying Rick Nash on a wrap-around chance. However the Columbus captain was able to follow-up and snap home a second opportunity beside the net. Manny Malhotra and Marc Methot help Nash score his team-leading 27th goal of the season at 6:18.
The Canucks didn't panic after Nash scored and were able to restore their two-goal lead past the midway point of the period. Daniel Sedin led a 3-on-1 rush into the Jackets zone down the right wing. He was able to drop a pass high into the slot for Alex Burrows, who was able to whistle a bullet past Mason to the top corner. Burrows now has 16 goals of the year and this capped off the scoring for the night at 11:51.
Final shot totals favoured the Canucks 30-20. The Canucks wound up going 1-for-5 on the power play while the Blue Jackets, sporting the worst power play percentage in the NHL, wound up going 0-for-5.
With the victory, the Canucks improve their overall record to 32-22-8. 28 of Vancouver's wins this season have come when they have allowed their opponents three goals or less.
Next up for the Canucks will be their final game before Wednesday's NHL trade deadline. Tuesday evening, the Canucks will entertain the Minnesota Wild. Game time is 7:00pm PST.
Blue Jackets netminder Steve Mason was tested plenty in the opening period of play and the Canucks came out with a lot of pressure in the Columbus territory. Just when it looked like the 20 year-old Calder Trophy candidate might be able to get to the intermission break without allowing a goal, the Canucks were able to capitalize on a 5-on-3 man advantage. Mats Sundin worked the puck to the left boards for Henrik Sedin, who dished a pass to the point for Sami Salo. With time winding down on the clock, Salo was able to step into a drive that found its way past Mason. Salo now has five goals on the season, all of which have come on the power play, and this one occured with five seconds to go in the session.
The Canucks built on their lead early in the middle frame. Just as a power play had expired for Vancouver, Sundin was able release a drive from the left face off circle. It wound up being deflected off the stick of Ryan Kesler and past the Jackets puck-stopper. Mattias Ohlund collects the other assist on the goal, moving him one point shy of former Canuck d-men Jyrki Lumme and Dennis Kearns for the Canucks all-time record in scoring amongst blue liners. Meantime, Kesler collects his 19th goal of the campaign, which also proved to be his first game-winning tally of the year and it came at 1:42.
The shut-out bid of Roberto Luongo wound up being broken in the early portion of the third period. After seeing just 12 shots through the opening 40 minutes, Luongo wound up denying Rick Nash on a wrap-around chance. However the Columbus captain was able to follow-up and snap home a second opportunity beside the net. Manny Malhotra and Marc Methot help Nash score his team-leading 27th goal of the season at 6:18.
The Canucks didn't panic after Nash scored and were able to restore their two-goal lead past the midway point of the period. Daniel Sedin led a 3-on-1 rush into the Jackets zone down the right wing. He was able to drop a pass high into the slot for Alex Burrows, who was able to whistle a bullet past Mason to the top corner. Burrows now has 16 goals of the year and this capped off the scoring for the night at 11:51.
Final shot totals favoured the Canucks 30-20. The Canucks wound up going 1-for-5 on the power play while the Blue Jackets, sporting the worst power play percentage in the NHL, wound up going 0-for-5.
With the victory, the Canucks improve their overall record to 32-22-8. 28 of Vancouver's wins this season have come when they have allowed their opponents three goals or less.
Next up for the Canucks will be their final game before Wednesday's NHL trade deadline. Tuesday evening, the Canucks will entertain the Minnesota Wild. Game time is 7:00pm PST.
Canucks/Blue Jackets Game Day
The Canucks (31-22-8) meet the Columbus Blue Jackets (31-25-6) for the fourth and final time this season. The Canucks have a two-point lead on the Jackets, and have a game in hand on Columbus after tonight's game.
Columbus has won all three previous meetings this season against Vancouver. In their last match-up Jan. 18 at GM Place, the Canucks blew a 3-1 lead in the first period, came back from a 5-3 deficit in the third period, and wound up falling 6-5 in a shoot-out. Kevin Bieksa (3g,1a), Kyle Wellwood (2g,1a), and Henrik Sedin (1g,2a) lead the Canucks in head-to-head scoring while Rick Nash (2g,5a), Kristian Huselius (2g,3a), and Mike Commodore (1g,2a) lead the Blue Jackets.
The Canucks are coming off a lack-luster 2-1 win at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning last Friday. The Canucks wrap up the month going 9-2-0 in February after a disappointing 2-5-5 record in January. The Canucks are also currently riding a four-game home ice winning streak. During that streak, Vancouver has allowed just three power play goals against in ten short-handed situations. Ryan Kesler is poised to play his 300th career regular season came tonight for the Canucks.
The Jackets are 7-2-1 in their last ten games and are getting fantastic goaltending from 20 year-old rookie Steve Mason. He's coming off a 1-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. It was his NHL-leading 8th shut-out of the year, five of which have come away from Columbus. The last time a NHL rookie goalie had eight shut-outs in one season was in the 1971-72 season, when Ken Dryden did it for the Montreal Canadiens.
Blue Jackets bench boss Ken Hitchcock recenty became a member of the 500-win club. He currently sits 11th overall in all-time wins as a Head Coach in the NHL.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams for tonight's game at 5:00pm:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Raymond - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Pyatt
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Blue Jackets
Rick Nash - Jason Williams - Jakub Voracek
Kristian Huselius - Manny Malhotra - R.J. Umberger
Raffi Torres - Michael Peca - Jared Boll
Andrew Murray - Chris Gratton - Derek Dorsett
Jan Hejda - Mike Commodore
Fedor Tyutin - Marc Methot
Kris Russell - Aaron Rome
Steve Mason
Wade Dubielewicz
Columbus has won all three previous meetings this season against Vancouver. In their last match-up Jan. 18 at GM Place, the Canucks blew a 3-1 lead in the first period, came back from a 5-3 deficit in the third period, and wound up falling 6-5 in a shoot-out. Kevin Bieksa (3g,1a), Kyle Wellwood (2g,1a), and Henrik Sedin (1g,2a) lead the Canucks in head-to-head scoring while Rick Nash (2g,5a), Kristian Huselius (2g,3a), and Mike Commodore (1g,2a) lead the Blue Jackets.
The Canucks are coming off a lack-luster 2-1 win at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning last Friday. The Canucks wrap up the month going 9-2-0 in February after a disappointing 2-5-5 record in January. The Canucks are also currently riding a four-game home ice winning streak. During that streak, Vancouver has allowed just three power play goals against in ten short-handed situations. Ryan Kesler is poised to play his 300th career regular season came tonight for the Canucks.
The Jackets are 7-2-1 in their last ten games and are getting fantastic goaltending from 20 year-old rookie Steve Mason. He's coming off a 1-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. It was his NHL-leading 8th shut-out of the year, five of which have come away from Columbus. The last time a NHL rookie goalie had eight shut-outs in one season was in the 1971-72 season, when Ken Dryden did it for the Montreal Canadiens.
Blue Jackets bench boss Ken Hitchcock recenty became a member of the 500-win club. He currently sits 11th overall in all-time wins as a Head Coach in the NHL.
Here are the expected line-ups for both teams for tonight's game at 5:00pm:
Canucks:
D. Sedin - H. Sedin - Burrows
Demitra - Sundin - Kesler
Raymond - Wellwood - Bernier
Hordichuk - Johnson - Pyatt
Mitchell - Salo
Ohlund - Edler
Bieksa - O'Brien
Luongo
LaBarbera
Blue Jackets
Rick Nash - Jason Williams - Jakub Voracek
Kristian Huselius - Manny Malhotra - R.J. Umberger
Raffi Torres - Michael Peca - Jared Boll
Andrew Murray - Chris Gratton - Derek Dorsett
Jan Hejda - Mike Commodore
Fedor Tyutin - Marc Methot
Kris Russell - Aaron Rome
Steve Mason
Wade Dubielewicz
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