Wednesday November 19 - Vancouver Canucks 5 - Edmonton Oilers 4
It was in danger of slipping away, but the Vancouver Canucks hung on by their fingernails to take two points out of Edmonton with a 5-4 in on Wednesday night at Rexall Place.
Here are your highlights:
As expected, the game featured plenty of snarl. Just 2:27 into the first period, Derek Dorsett and Edmonton call-up Steve Pinizzotto squared off to set the tone. Ex-Canuck Pinizotto would go on to score his first-ever NHL goal in the second period, then add an assist on Boyd Gordon's 3-3 marker to complete a Gordie Howe hat trick and earn third star honours.
Fortunately for the Canucks, Radim Vrbata was feeling his oats as the "third Sedin" and doing what the Sedins have done for years—feasting on Edmonton. Vrbata had two goals, Daniel had three assists and Henrik had two assists as the first line went to town, both at five-on-five and on the power play, which was 2-for-5.
The Canucks also dominated in the faceoff circle, winning 61 percent of their draws. It's a good day for the team when Bo Horvat is the low man at 56 percent.
Seven penalties for each side meant lots of special-team play, which limited the ice time for Horvat's fourth line. Bo played just 7:57 and was a minus-one. Right after Teddy Purcell had pulled the Oilers to 3-2 midway through the second period, Horvat's line wasn't able to contain Boyd Gordon's line, which led to Edmonton's tying goal just 11 seconds later. Probably not the defining moment of his game that Horvat was hoping for.
Ryan Miller took some heat for giving up another four goals. That makes 16 goals against in his last four starts. But it was one of those nights where the goaltender didn't have much of a chance:
On the bright side, referee Gord Dwyer made a decisive and accurate call when he disallowed the Oilers' apparent tying goal with 11 seconds left on the clock, correctly ruling that the puck had been kicked into the net.
The Canucks dodged that bullet, moved back into a tie for second place in the Western Conference, and headed back to Vancouver to prepare for tonight's date with Ryan Kesler and company.
ps. Jannik Hansen opened the scoring on Wednesday on a shorthanded breakaway, and it was a mighty sweet shot.
Thursday November 20 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Anaheim Ducks - 7:00 - Sportsnet Vancouver - TSN1040
Vancouver Canucks: 13-6-0 second in Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks: 11-4-5 first in Pacific Division
"This is a big game. I've definitely had this one circled for a long time," Ryan Kesler told Kevin Woodley of
NHL.com ahead of tonight's matchup between the top two teams in the Pacific Division. I think we all feel the same way.
Woodley offers up a balanced perspective on how things could go for Kesler at Rogers Arena tonight. Certainly, there's plenty of malice among the fan base for Kesler's hardball tactics when he demanded a trade last season, but he was also a long-time face of the franchise, drafted and developed by the Canucks, and part of some of the team's most memorable moments.
Kesler warns that if he gets booed, it could fire him up. "It's going to be an emotional night for me," Kesler said. "And if they boo me, it will probably jack me up even more."
Coming into a back-to-back situation, the Canucks are making some tweaks to their lineup tonight, getting some fresh bodies on the ice.
Doesn't sound like there's any bad blood between Lack and Kesler—not even after Lack won the shootout battle in Anaheim 11 days ago.
Lost in the excitement over the Kesler storyline—this will be Luca Sbisa's first chance to play against his old team. He missed the game in Anaheim due to his injury.
I feel like I'm tempting fate by passing along this nugget, but it's a nice reminder of just how well things have gone for the Canucks in the early going this year:
As for the Ducks, they're gradually returning to full health. In addition to Corey Perry, Francois Beauchemin will be back from his bout with the mumps. Devante Smith-Pelly is also recovered from a shoulder issue, but it's not yet clear whether or not he'll draw into the lineup.
Enjoy the game. Should be a fun one!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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