How about them Canucks!

[talloola]

LIVE ON CBC Radio: 1040 Blue Jackets Sat 17/03/2012 7:00 PM Canucks - Blue Jackets


Preview Canucks try to get back on track vs. JacketsDeborah Francisco - NHL.com Staff Writer

Date Vis/Home Final
13 Dec 2011 VAN@CBJ CBJ, 2 - 1
29 Nov 2011 CBJ@VAN VAN, 4 - 1
10 Oct 2011 VAN@CBJ VAN, 3 - 2
JACKETS ( 22-41-7) at CANUCKS (42-20-8)

TV: CBC, FS-Ohio (HD)

Last 10: Columbus 4-6-0; Vancouver 4-4-2

Season Series: The Blue Jackets are looking to even up the four-game season series with Vancouver. The Canucks prevailed in the first two contests this season but the Blue Jackets won 2-1 in a shootout on Dec. 13.

Big Story: The Canucks are itching to clinch their fourth-straight Northwest Division title as they play host to the struggling Blue Jackets.

Team Scope:

Blue Jackets: Columbus started March with four wins in a row but has dropped its last three games, including a 3-0 loss at Edmonton on Wednesday night in which they didn't play well.
The Blue Jackets are frustrated with their recent funk.

"We had a lot of passengers (Wednesday)," defenseman James Wisniewski said. "Nobody was really going. We had our chances to score. All year we have had a hard time scoring goals. Things really haven't changed in that department. We had opportunities and just didn't capitalize on them."

Canucks: The Canucks are hoping to get back on track after dropping two straight games, including a 5-4 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday.

The Canucks got goals from Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler, David Booth and Dan Hamhuis in that loss but they also gave up a two-goal lead and allowed Phoenix to tally two power play goals - a result of several odd-man rushes.

"There's a lot of things that we have to clean up, because if you look at their chances, that's where their chances came from," Vigneault said. "It wasn't from spending a lot of time in our end, because they didn't spend a lot of time in our end tonight."

The Canucks have had a few days to regroup and are hoping to avoid their first three-game winless streak of the season.


Who's Hot: Ryan Kesler has goals in his last three games.

Injury Report: The Jackets are without Derek Dorsett (upper-body injury), goalie Steve Mason (lacerated left hand), Derek MacKenzie (concussion) and Fedor Tyutin (broken right hand) …Vancouver defenseman Keith Ballard (concussion) and forward Andrew Ebbett (collarbone) are on injured reserve.

Stat Pack: The Blue Jackets have not beaten the Canucks in regulation since Oct. 5, 2009.

Puck Drop: The Canucks haven't dropped three in a row since an 0-1-3 skid Jan. 16-22, 2011, and they last lost three straight in regulation Nov. 17-21, 2010.

Canucks: Puck Drop: The Canucks haven't dropped three in a row since an 0-1-3 skid Jan. 16-22, 2011, and they last lost three straight in regulation Nov. 17-21, 2010.

Cory Schneider will be in the net tonight.

It seems the lines will be similar to last game, maybe a bit of a change on defense.

Malhotra was out of the lineup for 'personal' reasons, so not sure if he is back in or not tonight.

Canucks had one very good period last game, perhaps they can make it 2 or even 3 tonight, we'll see.

 

[JLM]

LIVE ON CBC Radio: 1040 Blue Jackets Sat 17/03/2012 7:00 PM Canucks - Blue Jackets


Preview Canucks try to get back on track vs. JacketsDeborah Francisco - NHL.com Staff Writer

Date Vis/Home Final
13 Dec 2011 VAN@CBJ CBJ, 2 - 1
29 Nov 2011 CBJ@VAN VAN, 4 - 1
10 Oct 2011 VAN@CBJ VAN, 3 - 2
JACKETS ( 22-41-7) at CANUCKS (42-20-8)

So it's not in the bag! :smile:

 

[JLM]

I think IF the Canucks win tonight they have pretty well clinched a playoff spot. :smile:

 

[talloola]

I think IF the Canucks win tonight they have pretty well clinched a playoff spot. :smile:

yeah maybe, st. louis should be clinching too, but I don't see a check or whatever beside their team
on the stat sheet.

canucks should be clinching sooner, as they are so much further ahead of their
divisional apponants, but they also have been losing, so its dragging on.

 

[JLM]

yeah maybe, st. louis should be clinching too, but I don't see a check or whatever beside their team
on the stat sheet.

canucks should be clinching sooner, as they are so much further ahead of their
divisional apponants, but they also have been losing, so its dragging on.

It will be awhile before it's officially clinched but 94 points is generally pretty safe. It's within the realm of possibility that Edmonton could win every remaining game and Nashville could lose every one. :lol::lol::lol::lol:

Good to see the Rangers lost, I can smell that President's Trophy. :lol:

 

[Kreskin]

If you didn't see Edler's goal here's a reply

Classic Larry Robinson '78 Finals Game 5 - YouTube

 

[JLM]

That's the boys, but a few scary moments for sure. I think D. Sedin should have been one of the three stars, but anyway he and Hank have the monkey off their backs.

 

[talloola]

It will be awhile before it's officially clinched but 94 points is generally pretty safe. It's within the realm of possibility that Edmonton could win every remaining game and Nashville could lose every one. :lol::lol::lol::lol:

Good to see the Rangers lost, I can smell that President's Trophy. :lol:

what does it smell like.

If you didn't see Edler's goal here's a reply

Classic Larry Robinson '78 Finals Game 5 - YouTube

nice one, but edler's was nicer, he went straight down the middle, very fast, a couple of cuts but didn't
stray very far from the middle.

hope that picks up edler's game now, he needed something good to happen for him, he played fine tonight.

 

[JLM]

what does it smell like.

Home ice advantage all the way to the Cup.

 

[talloola]

Home ice advantage all the way to the Cup.

mmmmm, yum, I like that aroma.

Raymond sure looked good with the twins tonight. Canucks need to get those power plays, so the
twins can start scoring more consistently, looked good tonight.

canucks in minnesota- monday

wednesday and thursday - chicago then dallas

 

[Kreskin]

what does it smell like.



nice one, but edler's was nicer, he went straight down the middle, very fast, a couple of cuts but didn't
stray very far from the middle.

hope that picks up edler's game now, he needed something good to happen for him, he played fine tonight.

Nicer in that no one attempted to play defense? Larry had to use some skill in his rush. Check out how he goes around the d and positions his left leg to guard the puck. It's a beauty, as Cherry would say.

 

[Mowich]

If you didn't see Edler's goal here's a reply

Classic Larry Robinson '78 Finals Game 5 - YouTube

I jumped up off my chair and cheered him all the way, Kreskin. Elder rocked big time on that goal. Good on him. Definitely one for TSN's highlights. :smile:

mmmmm, yum, I like that aroma.

Raymond sure looked good with the twins tonight. Canucks need to get those power plays, so the
twins can start scoring more consistently, looked good tonight.

canucks in minnesota- monday

wednesday and thursday - chicago then dallas

Yep, Mason was grand last night, talloola.............but I thought Zack did a pretty good job too. Actually, I felt the team played much better all in all then they have been. Nice goal off the face-off by David too and good to see the twins get back on the board. Their PP was much better, I thought.

 

[talloola]

Nicer in that no one attempted to play defense? Larry had to use some skill in his rush. Check out how he goes around the d and positions his left leg to guard the puck. It's a beauty, as Cherry would say.

I think the columbus defense was expecting the drop back pass that canucks often do on their power play
up ice rush, didn't happen, edler just kept going, surprised everyone.

 

[talloola]

Feb 2012 VAN@MIN VAN, 5 - 2
4 Jan 2012 MIN@VAN VAN, 3 - 0
19 Dec 2011 MIN@VAN VAN, 4 - 0
3 Nov 2011 VAN@MIN MIN, 5 - 1
22 Oct 2011 MIN@VAN VAN, 3 - 2
CANUCKS (43-20-8) at WILD (29-32-10)

TV: SNET-P (HD), FS-N (HD), FS-WI (HD)

Last 10: Vancouver 4-4-2; Minnesota 2-7-1.

Season Series: This is the sixth and final matchup between these Northwest Division rivals. The Canucks have dominated the season series, winning all three games at home -- one in overtime -- and splitting the two games in Minnesota to take four of the first five meetings overall. Devin Setoguchi is tops on the Wild with four points, while Vancouver forward Daniel Sedin leads players from both squads with 3 goals, 7 assists and 10 points. Roberto Luongo, who could be in goal after Cory Schneider started Vancouver's last game on Saturday, has posted a shutout in each of his two outings against the Wild this season.

Big Story: Firmly in command of the Northwest, the Canucks still hope to overtake St. Louis for the top spot in the Western Conference. Vancouver, which plays its first road game of the month Monday in Minnesota, trails the Blues by six points, but has two games in hand. If the Canucks are to make a run at the No. 1 seed, they'll need to pick up their play. They just finished a season-high seven-game homestand with only their third win in nine games. The Canucks, who were 3-4-0 on the homestand, avoided dropping three straight games in regulation for the first time all season with a one-goal win over League-worst Columbus on Saturday night.

The Wild, who actually sat atop the NHL standings earlier this season, won't be playing this spring as they currently rank 13th in the West and 28th in the League. They have yet to earn a point on their current five-game homestand, losing three straight.

Team Scope:

Canucks: For the second consecutive game, Vancouver went 2-for-3 on the power play after struggling through a 1-for-24 stretch. Daniel Sedin scored the second of his two goals with the man-advantage late in the third period and it turned out to be the game-winner in a 4-3 win against the Blue Jackets. Henrik Sedin chipped in with two assists, David Booth had Vancouver's first goal and Alex Edler notched a goal -- a remarkable coast-to-coast solo effort -- and an assist.

The Canucks also got 33 saves from backup Cory Schneider, who was making his second start in four games with Luongo struggling of late. Since Luongo allowed three goals on seven shots in just over five minutes of work on March 3, he has surrendered 13 goals in losing three consecutive starts. However, Schneider's play has been stellar, as he improved to 9-1-1 since late-December by stopping 17 of 18 shots in the third period in what wound up being Vancouver's 21st one-goal victory.

"I'm happy we won, but it shouldn't have been that close," said Daniel, who hadn’t found the back of the net in his previous nine contests. "We didn't play that good tonight, but we were able to squeeze out a win anyways. We gave them a lot of chances. We need to tighten up. We can't keep giving up over 30 shots. That is unacceptable."

The Canucks begin their final road trip of the season Monday with Minnesota as the first of four stops. After this trip, they will play six of their final seven games at Rogers Arena, where they are 21-10-4.

Wild: Minnesota dropped to 1-7-1 in its last nine after falling to Carolina Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild scored three times on their first 12 shots to build a 3-1 lead in the second period, but were shut down the rest of the way by Brian Boucher. The Hurricanes cut the deficit to one with a goal late in the second, and then put three pucks past Matt Hackett in the third to claim a 5-3 victory.

Minnesota now has the fourth fewest wins in the League when leading after two periods (18-3-3) and the fourth-worst winning percentage (.750).

"The message is pretty simple," said coach Mike Yeo, obviously frustrated in his post-game press conference. "We all have to hate losing a lot more than we do. You can never accept this. I don't care who we've got out of the lineup, you cannot accept this. … We're in hell. It's not fun."

Who's Hot: Vancouver forward Chris Higgins extended his points streak to five games (1-5-6) with an assist on Booth's goal in Saturday’s win. The assist was his 25th of the season, matching a career high. … Wild center Kyle Brodziak tallied a goal and two assists Saturday, posting the fourth three-point game of his career. He now has 37 points on the season, matching a career high that he set in 2010-11. Erik Christensen also scored Saturday and has three goals in as many games.

Injury Report: Vancouver center Manny Malhotra (personal) has missed the last two games, but traveled with the team Sunday to Minnesota. The Canucks will still be without defenseman Keith Ballard (concussion) and forwards Andrew Ebbett (collarbone surgery), Aaron Volpatti (shoulder surgery) and Steve Pinizzotto (shoulder surgery). … Part of the Wild's downfall this season can be attributed to injuries, though a couple of key players are close to coming back. Captain Mikko Koivu (shoulder) has been practicing with the team and is now just day-to-day. Goalie Niklas Backstrom (groin) has also begun to practice and is nearing a return. Justin Falk (leg) hasn’t played since March 4 and Matt Kassian (groin) sat out the loss to Carolina, while Guillaume Latendresse (concussion), Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion), Mike Lundin (lower body) and Jarod Palmer (upper body) remain on injured reserve.

Stat Pack: With a pair of tallies against Columbus, Daniel Sedin reached the 30-goal plateau for the fourth time in his career. He also moved into second place in franchise history with 103 power-play goals, 11 shy of the franchise record held by Markus Naslund. … The Canucks have the second-best road record in the League at 22-10-4. … The Wild, who are 15-15-4 in the State of Hockey, have tallied a League-worst 80 goals in 34 home games. Overall, they are averaging the fewest goals per game (2.06) in the NHL.

Puck Drop: There was a great deal of frustration from the Minnesota locker room after blowing a two-goal lead in Saturday's home loss to the Hurricanes.

"We just gave it away, threw it away in the third," Brodziak said. "The desperation level wasn't at the level it needed to be. We turned too many pucks over. We just weren't swarming them like we were in the first two periods. … Everyone in here is sick of losing. It's not a fun feeling, getting booed in your own rink. We know we deserve it and we've got to find a way give fans something to cheer about."

 

[talloola]

well, I guess the time has come. mason raymond is a healthy scratch today, malhotra is back in, so I guess
burrows is back with the twins.

I was kind of interested in the way it was last game and the game before, but I suppose that is over.

I thought raymond looked good with the twins last game, guess they didn't see it that way.

And, by the way, schneider is playing tonight.

 

[JLM]

well, I guess the time has come. mason raymond is a healthy scratch today, malhotra is back in, so I guess
burrows is back with the twins.

I was kind of interested in the way it was last game and the game before, but I suppose that is over.

I thought raymond looked good with the twins last game, guess they didn't see it that way.

And, by the way, schneider is playing tonight.

Surprising about Raymond, much better on any line than on the pine! :lol:

 

[#juan]

Surprising about Raymond, much better on any line than on the pine! :lol:

I get the distinct feeling that Raymond is on the way out. He has a lot of skills but he seems to have been coasting
for a while now. I thought he was good with the twins and I thought he needed more time with the twins but right now
Burrows is the one who fits with the twins in the eyes of the management and Raymond is likely going to be on the bench.

 

[talloola]

I get the distinct feeling that Raymond is on the way out. He has a lot of skills but he seems to have been coasting
for a while now. I thought he was good with the twins and I thought he needed more time with the twins but right now
Burrows is the one who fits with the twins in the eyes of the management and Raymond is likely going to be on the bench.

yes, it seems that way, although they might just be sitting him so he can watch and maybe see where he
is not contributing, and how he can best change it.
I don't think he is coasting, actually sometimes he goes so fast he overskates his opportunities, but if
they keep him out of the lineup they are definitely giving up speed on the team, and I don't like that at

He almost scored a couple of times last game, and I thought that perhaps if he was left on that line,
he would start finding the back of the net.

We will see how burrows does back on that first line tonight, as that line did nothing with him there
for quite a while, so hopefully they can get their mojo back tonight, like they were before.

Luongo has been horrible in minnesota, guess that is why schneider is playing tonight, and also they
probably want luongo to play against chicago on wednesday, so if he stunk out the place tonight, how could
they then, play him in chicago, so there is a method in their madness.

 

[JLM]

yes, it seems that way, although they might just be sitting him so he can watch and maybe see where he
is not contributing, and how he can best change it.
I don't think he is coasting, actually sometimes he goes so fast he overskates his opportunities, but if
they keep him out of the lineup they are definitely giving up speed on the team, and I don't like that at

He almost scored a couple of times last game, and I thought that perhaps if he was left on that line,
he would start finding the back of the net.

We will see how burrows does back on that first line tonight, as that line did nothing with him there
for quite a while, so hopefully they can get their mojo back tonight, like they were before.

Luongo has been horrible in minnesota, guess that is why schneider is playing tonight, and also they
probably want luongo to play against chicago on wednesday, so if he stunk out the place tonight, how could
they then, play him in chicago, so there is a method in their madness.

Good chance for the Canucks tonight to get back on the road to the Prez's Trophy? :smile:

 

[talloola]

Good chance for the Canucks tonight to get back on the road to the Prez's Trophy? :smile:

I think they are starting to polish it up as we speak. lol