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Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames - Sunday December 29 - 4:30 pm - Sportsnet Pacific
Vancouver Canucks 22-11-6 50 points fourth in Pacific Division
Calgary Flames 14-18-6 34 points sixth in Pacific Division
After a week-long Christmas break, the Vancouver Canucks ease back into the NHL schedule when they visit Calgary on Sunday afternoon to take on the Flames.
Vancouver is hoping to pick up where it left off, keeping pace in the tough Western Conference thanks to a 9-1-1 record in its last 11 games.
Other teams have been back in action since Friday, but Vancouver's position in the conference hasn't changed. The Canucks are still sixth, and their rivals have made up some of those games-in-hand with no real harm done. The gap has widened between the teams above them—Los Angeles, San Jose and St. Louis are now at least four points ahead—but the Canucks still have a five-point cushion between themselves and ninth-place Minnesota. They should be able to hang among the playoff contenders for a bit—at least until their two visits to California in the early part of January.
The big news for Vancouver is the absence of Roberto Luongo, who's out with what's believed to be a groin issue. Eddie Lack got his first win of the season at the Saddledome back in October and appeared in Vancouver's last three games before the break, so he should be ready to go as he faces fellow rookie Reto Berra in the Flames net.
Other than that, the Canucks' lineup looks basically the same as it did before Christmas. Expect to see Jannik Hansen line up once again beside the Sedins.
Alex Burrows made an appearance on the bench during practice on Saturday but didn't hit the ice. Still, that mean's he's probably the closest of the injured Canucks to getting back into the lineup. His timeline was originally estimated at about four weeks, so he could be close—the twins should be glad to have him back!
For the Flames, Mikael Backlund is questionable tonight with an undisclosed injury, which means Markus Granlund could draw in and make his NHL debut if Backlund can't go. Calgary is coming off a 2-0 loss to Edmonton on Friday and is 4-4-2 in its last 10 games.
Note the early start time—the game is at 4:30 this afternoon, on Sportsnet Pacific. I'll have a recap and set up Monday's game against the Flyers for you tomorrow.
Quick Hits:
- Bieksa#3 pointed out a great link yesterday to Pass It to Bulis, with everything we could ever want to know about new signing Dane Fox.
Click here to read. Hilarious that some anonymous guy on Twitter started the Fox campaign a couple of weeks ago—and it came to pass. Clearly you guys need to start re-directing your trade and roster suggestions. Will this be the start of a new management trend? Cheaper than hiring pro scouts!
Interesting to hear that Fox has a chippy side and sees himself as a Dave Bolland/Steve Ott type player. Curious about these alleged off-ice issues, though he certainly wouldn't be alone if that's the case. Zack Kassian, for one, has a suitcase full of trouble from his younger days.
- I also read an interview with David Booth yesterday; it's been up on The Province's blog since before Christmas.
Here's the link. For a "weird dude," he didn't come off all that strange—and didn't really get into his controversial subjects of hunting or religion.
I'm amused that he wants his nickname to be "Grizz"—I've also been calling him "Boothie" all this time—and I was interested to hear him speak *so* highly of the nature in our province, saying that he wants to stick around the area:
I really didn’t realize all the opportunities British Columbia has to offer in the outdoors, and I’m still learning about the absolutely expansive wilderness that there is here.I want to move here now, I want to make a home here.
It seems like he's doing his best to prove his worth and avoid a buyout this summer. We'll see what happens.
- The latest episode of 24/7 will be airing on Sportsnet right after the Canucks game tonight. I read a summary from Saturday's U.S. broadcast on HBO, and it sounds like there's some solid drama between David Clarkson and ex-Canuck Todd Bertuzzi—over a water bottle. I'll have to see it for myself, but if Clarkson can get bested by these sorts of petty mind games, the Leafs have a lot more to worry about than just his goal-scoring totals.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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