The Vancouver Canucks are in Denver tonight for their first matchup of the season against the Colorado Avalanche. The Canucks are 6-4 in their last 10, and are coming off a not so convincing win against the Sen's. The Avalanche on the over hand have struggled since starting off the season strong and have won only 2 of their last 10. While games are always close between these two rivals, the Canucks dominated the Av's last season, taking 11 of 12 points from them.
Canucks 10-9-1 21pts
Avalanche 9-11-1 19pts
Team Leaders
Canucks
Goals - H. Sedin, Higgins 7
Assists - D. Sedin 18
+/- - H. Sedin +6
Hits - Lapierre 50
Blocked Shots - Bieksa 31
Giveaways - Bieksa, Ballard 12
Takeaways - Higgins 14
Face-off% - Malhotra 58.5%
Avalanche
Goals - Duchene 9
Assists - Quincey, Wilson 11
+/- - Wilson +3
Hits - Landeskog 51
Blocked Shots - Hejda 41
Giveaways - Johnson 19
Takeaways - O'Reilly 28
Face-off% - O'Reilly 55.5%
Matchups
Hodgson VS Duchene
Hodgson and Duchene are good friends dating all the way back to their junior hockey days in the OHL. Up until a few years ago, Hodgson was always looked at as the better of the two. He was captaining U-18 teams and Brampton teams. He was winning world jr gold while leading the team in scoring, etc… A little over 2 years ago things changed. Duchene passed Hodgson in development and has since gone on to NHL stardom, leaving Cody in his shadow.
In this game Cody will want to send a message to his good friend that he is still just as good as him. I can see Cody having his best game of the year tonight for a couple of reasons. One, he has something to prove to Duchene and himself. He has to prove he is still just as good, if not better than Duchene. And two, The Av's are a fairly young team with a lot of their players being around the same point in their career as Cody. Cody knows he can play with these guys, because he has played better than them in the past. I think Cody has a big night tonight and if he is flying early I hope AV rewards him with a ton of ice-time.
Canucks Forwards VS Avalanche D
The Av's D is not full of household names, but they are one thing that has given the Canucks forwards problems in the past. They're big, they can play physical, and they collapse around the goal well. Their D may be the biggest in the league at an average of just over 6"3, and weighing in at just over 224lbs. The Bruins D was built this exact way, with little skill and a lot of nasty, and we all saw how they shut the Canucks down.
While there will be no Tim Thomas in net tonight, the Canucks forwards will have to battle all night for their chances. They will have to be willing to pay the price to get to the net. If the Canucks can establish a strong fore-check early, the Av's D is prone to turnovers. The Canucks have to get in, finish their checks and cause turnovers and they will be fine against this D. Tonight will show just how much of a price the forwards are willing to pay to score.
Canucks PP VS Avalanche PP
Not very often do we get to see the league's top two power plays battle each other. Tonight we could be in for a special teams treat, as games between these two teams can get a bit chippy, and if that happens we could see a high scoring game. The Av's have been just like the Canucks this season and have done a lot of their scoring on the PP. The Canucks power play will have to keep pace with the Av's tonight to win. I predict that the team who takes the fewest penalties wins tonight.
Landeskog
Tonight will be my first chance to see the second overall pick in action this season and I'm excited. I'm a bit surprised he has struggled this year offensively but I have a feeling we will notice him all night. Landeskog is relentless on the fore-check, and will get to know Vancouver's D real well tonight. I look for him to have a good solid game even if he doesn't score. Av's fans, you've got a good one in Gabby.
Closing Thoughts
I think the Canucks show up tonight and play one of their better games to date this season. I always find games between these two teams to be some of the best games of the season. Both teams seem to get up to play each other, and while the Av's aren't the Canucks number one rival anymore, there is just something exciting about when these two teams play. Tonight's game will be exciting, the Canucks are looking to continue moving forward, while the Av's don't want to fall further back. I expect a fast paced, hard working game, with lots of PP's which the Canucks will win.
Prediction- 5-4 Canucks
A Bit About Myself
I'll keep this brief because let's face it you come here to read about the Canucks and not me, but here are a few facts about me.
- Born and raised in Victoria BC, but I moved to Calgary with my wife 7 years ago, still miss the west coast from time to time.
- Lifelong Canucks fan for 33 years and counting
- I have a wonderful Golden Retriever and a Jack Russell Terrier
- I have completed two marathon's and one Ironman
- I competed at the World Age Group Triathlon Championships in 2005
- I have traveled to Thailand, Peru, Hawaii, Egypt, and yes even Dauphin Manitoba
- Favourite Movie- Tombstone, best movie ever, although Starship Troopers is close
- Favourite Food- Ice Cream- Toll House Cookie Dough mmm…
- Favourite Beer- Can a man really pick just one? I'll take 4, Keiths, Guinness, Wraspberry, and St. Ambrose Pumpkin Ale
I look forward to getting to know all the Canucks fans, and other fans on of hockey buzz better. PM me anytime or send me a tweet @IanEsplen and I will do my best to respond.
My goal is to put out a blog that is entertaining, fun to read, and truthful, with a little bit of my own opinion tossed in for fun. I will try my best to focus on the bright side of things, because I think the Vancouver media already has the down side covered. However if the team or players are playing bad I will call them on it from time to time. Hopefully most people enjoy the blog. If you don’t like it, argue your point, I’m always open to change the way I look at things if you can make a strong argument.
If you have any ideas as to what you want to see in a blog let me know and I’ll see what I can do.
Thanks for reading
Enjoy your day
Ian
You can follow Ian on Twitter by clicking RIGHT HERE 
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