Friday January 1 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Anaheim Ducks - 7 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific, TSN1040
Vancouver Canucks: 38 GP, 14-15-9, 37 pts, fourth in Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks: 36 GP, 15-15-6, 36 pts, fifth in Pacific Division
Happy New Year! I hope 2016 is full of success and fulfillment for all of you.
The Vancouver Canucks kick off the new year with a tough, important game. The Anaheim Ducks have started their climb out of the Pacific Division cellar and could pass the Canucks in the standings with a win tonight.
Coming out of the Christmas break, the Ducks have now won three in a row. Their most recent games were both 1-0 wins: in Calgary on Tuesday, then last night in Edmonton. John Gibson was between the pipes for both games, so perhaps the Ducks will turn to Frederik Andersen for the second half of their back-to-back tonight.
Not only has the goaltending been good—Anaheim's defence has been airtight for these past two games. The team allowed 21 shots on goal by the Oilers last night, while Calgary managed only 14 back on Tuesday.
So—the Ducks are playing their best hockey of the season just as Kevin Bieksa makes his first appearance in Vancouver in an opposition uniform.
Ben Kuzma of
The Province expects that Bieksa will get a friendlier treatment from the fans at Rogers Arena tonight than did his teammate Ryan Kesler last season. It wouldn't surprise me if fans still boo Kesler, while giving Bieksa a reasonably friendly reception.
Their situations are quite different. Kesler asked out of Vancouver, while Bieksa isn't hiding the fact that his departure wasn't his idea. As he told Kuzma:
Whatever happens, happens but most people know my story and how I was kind of asked to leave. I gave my heart and soul to that team and community and people were always great to me. Whatever they want to do to me, I’ll accept.
As expected, the Canucks have slipped back in the standings while they've been idle this week, so a win tonight is crucial to keep the playoff dream alive.
Vancouver started the season series well with an early 2-1 shootout win in Anaheim on October 12, but were thoroughly outclassed in a 4-0 loss on November 30.
The good news for the Canucks: Chris Tanev will likely be back in the lineup. Tanev practiced with the team on Thursday after missing the last two games.
Later in the day, extra defenseman Ashton Sautner was returned to Utica, so it seems like the expectation is that Tanev will be able to play.
In other news from the infirmary:
There wasn't any clear indication of when Baertschi was injured during Monday's game against the Kings, so it's tough to project when he might return. He'll be missed on that second line with Bo Horvat and Radim Vrbata.
Jannik Hansen practiced on Thursday after missing one day on the ice. I expect he'll be good to go tonight.
I'll leave it here for today. I'm off to do the Resolution Run in the fog shortly, so I need to get ready.
Hope you're not too hung over! No World Juniors today as they prepare for the playoff rounds to start tomorrow. So, enjoy the Winter Classic, which starts at 10 a.m., and enjoy the game tonight!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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