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
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