Monday January 11 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Florida Panthers - 7 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific, TSN1040
Vancouver Canucks: 42 GP, 16-16-10, 42 pts, third in Pacific Division
Florida Panthers: 42 GP, 26-12-4, 56 pts, first in Atlantic Division
The Florida Panthers are riding a franchise-best 12-game winning streak as they roll into Vancouver to take on the Canucks on Monday night.
A streak like that has to end sometime, right? Why not on lucky Game 13? Remember when the Canucks shut down the surging Montreal Canadiens at Rogers Arena back on October 27?
Furthermore, it's not like the Panthers have been playing all that well. They were outshot 25-14 in their 2-1 win over Edmonton in a feisty game on Sunday night. The difference was a Taylor Hall goal in the first period that was called back after a coach's challenge on a squeaker of an offside play.
Three nights earlier, I did stats for the Panthers' 3-2 win over Ottawa where, once again, they were outplayed and outshot—this time by a 32-16 margin—but still managed to come out on the right side of the scoreboard.
With performances like that, the Panthers are getting great goaltending—"obviously," as Roberto Luongo would like to say. Loo's up to a .931 save percentage and down to a 2.06 goals-against average, the best numbers of his career as he approaches his 37th birthday in April.
Of course, Luongo's a young pup compared to the Panthers' best scorer. Jaromir Jagr leads his team in both goals (15) and points (31)—and he turns 44 on February 15.
Jagr was out of the lineup with the flu for the first game of the Panthers' winning streak back on December 15 but has had an eventful run since his return. Remember when he scored his 732nd career goal against the Canucks in Florida's 5-4 shootout win back on December 20? That moved him into fourth place on the NHL's all-time goal-scoring list—and was the fourth game of the current winning streak.
Two nights after the Vancouver game, Jagr lost a bunch of his front teeth, Daniel Sedin-style, after taking a high stick to the mouth in front of the net from Ottawa's Alex Chiasson.
Recently, Jagr has been on his hottest streak of the season, with five goals in his last six games, including two game-winners.
I think I say this every time he comes to town: because he has played most of his career in the Eastern Conference, a visit to Vancouver by Jagr is always a special occasion. I also really enjoyed the opportunity to watch him dazzle in front of the adoring fans in his home country of Czech Republic at last spring's World Championships. He truly has god-like status over there.
Still—I like Vancouver's chances tonight.
The Canucks have amassed a relatively decent 3-2-1 record in the first six games of this homestand so far. A fourth win would be an excellent cherry on top.
Jacob Markstrom will be starting in net against his old team, with Ryan Miller backing up. And the Canucks should get an injection of youth and speed in their lineup when Emerson Etem plays his first game in place of Chris Higgins.
Kevin Woodley has a very candid interview with Etem over at
NHL.com. The newcomer has taken a long look in the mirror and says he knows what he needs to do to step up his game.
This self-assessment should be music to Willie's ears:
"Sometimes you think, 'Oh, it's my stick.' You find any reason to believe, and really it just comes down to working hard and getting into gritty areas to score. I have been very perimeter these past four years, to be honest. It's something that I try to get better, but I have to get better or else it's consequences for me. I am not trying to think about it right now, but I want to play here a long time, and if I am going to do that it's going to come down to will, winning puck battles and getting to the net."
Willie says he believes in Etem's character from their time together back in junior with Medicine Hat. He said Etem's relatively strong postseason experience when he was with the Ducks is also an asset.
At just 23, Etem already has 23 games of NHL playoff experience across three seasons, where he scored six goals and added two assists. He played in 12 of the Ducks' 16 playoff games during their run to the Western Conference Final last spring.
Etem will be wearing Mike Sillinger's old No. 26 and skated at practice on Sunday with Linden Vey and Jake Virtanen. Etem and Vey were teammates in Medicine Hat for two years, so it'll be interesting to see if they show some chemistry together.
Jared McCann was also back in the mix with Dorsett and Prust on Sunday, so I guess that means Adam Cracknell will be the healthy scratch up front tonight?
Here's who showed up for the optional morning skate at Rogers Arena today:
Yep, you see both Luca Sbisa and Brandon Sutter's numbers on that list—but not Jannik Hansen's.
As far as Chris Higgins, here's where that situation stands today:
Jason Botchford believes that a draft pick would be the most likely possible return in a Higgins trade. He also suggests that the situation won't go unresolved for too long. Higgins' roster spot will be needed once Hansen and/or Sutter are ready to be activated, so he could be on waivers by the end of the week if a deal isn't consummated.
Higgins met his wife here and the family just set down its roots with a house in West Vancouver and a new baby. There's no doubt that he's a good guy with strong ties to the team—the personal part of the business that's so tough. But that's why they get paid the big bucks, right?
Though the Florida Panthers won't be skating today and Roberto Luongo doesn't usually talk to the media on days that he plays, he's expected to check in because—well, because it's Vancouver.
For now, check out this Luongo feature from Sportsnet's
Mark Spector.
Here's how a more at-peace Luongo looks back on things now:
“I did a lot of growing up in Van. Unfortunately, when I figured it out it was a little too late for me there,” Luongo said. “I just look at things differently now. I keep it in mind that I’m playing the game that I love, and I’m going to enjoy these moments. I don’t think about the stuff surrounding me that sometimes can become distractions.”
Given how he was cast aside by the Canucks organization, I guess it's not surprising that Willie Mitchell doesn't feel so philosophical.
“Personally I don’t think I would have put up with the bull**** that long, but that’s Roberto. On a personal level, he doesn’t like drama. He likes playing hockey, then going home and being a family man. When there’s drama like that …”
According to Spector:
Mitchell believes Luongo was too willing to take the brunt of troubles in Vancouver that weren’t of his own making, like a team that couldn’t get past Chicago for a couple of years, then lost in the Final to Boston. Like a GM that foolishly made Luongo the Canucks captain, something many goalies would have refused. That brainchild of GM Mike Gillis left Luongo in a terrible position.
Sounds like 39-year-old Mitchell will have some fire in his belly tonight—the Panthers' captain is now in his fifth season since the Canucks cut him loose at the end of the 2009-10 season, believing his career was finished due to injury troubles.
As for Luongo? He's chill—and will almost certainly enjoy himself tonight.
“It’s always fun to play against old teammates, in a building where you played eight years, and won a gold medal,” Luongo said. “The fans, we have that mutual respect. I’m looking forward to it.”
We only heard one faint "Eddie! Eddie!" chant last week when Eddie Lack rolled through town with the Carolina Hurricanes. I'm expecting the "Loooooo" chants will still rain down tonight.
Enjoy the game!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»