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Bo Horvat looks to extend point streak as Vancouver Canucks host Anaheim |
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Thursday December 1 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Anaheim Ducks - 7 p.m. - Sportsnet 360
Vancouver Canucks: 23 GP, 10-11-2, 22 pts, sixth in Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks: 23 GP, 11-8-4, 26 pts, second in Pacific Division
The Vancouver Canucks will be looking to continue their hot streak with a third straight win as they host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night at Rogers Arena.
After the Canucks' exciting win over Minnesota on Tuesday and a full practice yesterday, they're holding another optional morning skate today.
As for the Ducks, they're kicking off a three-in-four Western Canadian road trip after beating Montreal 2-1 at the Honda Center on Tuesday. Like Vancouver, they'll be looking for their third straight win and, also like Vancouver, they'll be well rested after having played just one game in the last four days.
The Ducks were one game under .500 at the end of October, but started to roll once they got contract holdouts Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rackell back into the fold. Anaheim was 8-4-2 in the month of November, compared to a 6-7-1 record for Vancouver. Rackell leads the team with nine goals and has 13 points in 14 games, while Lindholm is a steady plus-three and is averaging 21:22 of ice time per game.
The two teams did have one early-season meeting, with Anaheim getting off to a hot start on the way to handing Vancouver its first regulation loss of the season by a score of 4-2 on October 23.
There's plenty of talk right now about the "weak" Pacific Division and how Vancouver remains just three points out of a wild-card playoff spot, but their record against division rivals so far this season has been anything but strong.
The Canucks were manhandled by the Ducks in October—outshot 37-19 and outhit 37-23. They'll need to show some moxie if they hope to pick up more points and keep pace in the Western Conference.
Kevin Bieksa did a radio hit on Wednesday and admitted that the emotions still run high for him when he comes back to town.
He also throws a little shade at Alex Burrows. Gamesmanship, perhaps? Especially since Burrows is playing so well? He now has nine points in 19 games and is tied for the Canucks' lead in plus-minus at plus-three.
Bieksa has just one point this season—a goal—and is averaging 20:25 a game. He's expected to play on Anaheim's third pair tonight, with rookie Shea Theodore.
Our other old pal, Ryan Kesler, is have a good season. He's tied for the Ducks' scoring lead with Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, with 18 points, and is a team-best plus-nine. As usual, he's also strong in the faceoff circle at 59.8 percent.
The Canucks' leading scorer, Bo Horvat, is now up to eight goals and 16 points, and is currently riding a team-high five-game point streak.
Ryan Miller is back in goal for the Canucks. No word yet on a starter for Anaheim—Randy Carlyle plays his cards close to the vest.
A couple of other notes to close out today:
First, the Vancouver Canucks' franchise value dropped by six percent over the last year, according to Forbes, but the team remains the seventh most valuable in the NHL, and third most valuable in Canada.
And second...a Thursday afternoon press conference by Hockey Canada has announced the return of the World Junior Championship to B.C.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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