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Henrik Sedin seeks 1,000th point against Roberto Luongo as Canucks host FLA |
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Friday January 20 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Florida Panthers - 7 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific
Vancouver Canucks: 46 GP, 21-19-6, 48 pts, sixth in Pacific Division
Florida Panthers: 47 GP, 20-18-9, 49 pts, fifth in Atlantic Division
The big story at Rogers Arena tonight is Henrik Sedin's continued quest for his thousandth NHL point, most likely against his old teammate Roberto Luongo.
Henrik was in good spirits at practice on Thursday as he answered more questions about the milestone.
As for Roberto Luongo, he also stopped by Rogers Arena, where he dropped this nugget:
After their Atlantic Division title and playoff appearance last season, the Panthers' position in the Eastern Conference basically mirrors Vancouver's in the West. Both teams are two games over .500. The Panthers are minus-20 overall for the year, with 111 goals for and 131 goals against—although they have played one more game than Vancouver—while the Canucks are minus-18 with 112 goals for and 130 goals against. And both the Panthers and Canucks are one point out of the second wild-card spot in their respective conferences—though the Canucks currently sit 10th in the West, tied with Los Angeles, while the Panthers are 11th in the East—now tied with Carolina and one point behind Philadelphia.
Roberto's right. The two points that are up for grabs tonight are a very big deal for both teams.
Recent performance is one area where the Canucks and Panthers do differ a bit. Vancouver is 6-1-3 in its last 10 games, collecting 15 of a possible 20 points, while the Panthers are 5-4-1 and have grabbed only 11 points. They came out of their two games in Alberta on their current road trip with just a single point, losing 5-2 to Calgary on Tuesday before dropping a 4-3 decision to Edmonton in overtime on Wednesday night.
This Connor McDavid game-winner was a dazzler:
James Reimer got it, too—but his glove was behind the goal line when he made the save.
After Wednesday's game, Reimer left the team to return to Florida, where he's spending time with his wife as they await the birth of their first child. Reto Berra has been recalled as the team's second goalie, which further cements the idea that it'll be Looo in net for the Cats tonight.
The Panthers are one of just two NHL teams to have made a coaching change so far this season. They were 11-10-1 when they replaced Gerard Gallant with Tom Rowe after their road loss to Carolina on November 27th. Under Rowe, the team's record has been 9-8-8—also one game above .500, but now with a lot more loser points.
The Panthers' other big storyline this season has been injuries, including the absence of two-thirds of what was last year's top line. Jonathan Huberdeau, who won the Calder Trophy in 2013, has been sidelined all year with an Achilles injury, although the team remains hopeful that he might be able to get back into action by early March. Aleksander Barkov has also been on the shelf since late December with an upper-body injury.
Additionally, Nick Bjugstad went back on the injured list in early January with a groin problem after missing the first 19 games of the year with a broken wrist. Defenseman Alex Petrovic suffered an ankle injury in mid-November that's expected to keep him sidelined awhile longer—he's listed as week-to-week.
That being said, the Panthers have actually gotten some healthy bodies back over the last week or so, which prompted them to put Seth Griffith on waivers yesterday. Griffith was placed on waivers by Boston at the beginning of the season, then claimed by Toronto, but Florida picked him up in mid-November when the Leafs put him on waivers themselves.
During his 21 games with the Panthers, including some quality ice time on the top line, Griffith managed no goals and just five assists, which is why he was waived once again. The Leafs reclaimed him today and were able to assign him directly to the AHL as he had already been their property earlier in the season.
Griffith's departure also marks a show of faith in former Canuck Jared McCann, who spent about six weeks in the minors between late November and early January. Since his recall, McCann has appeared in eight games and collected three assists. He's now the player getting quality minutes on the top line with Jaromir Jagr and Vincent Trocheck.
For all the Panthers' challenges this season, Trocheck is the guy to watch out for. The 23-year-old continues to improve by leaps and bounds and is Florida's All-Star Game representative this year. He's currently on a four-game goal-scoring streak and leads the Panthers with 17 goals and 32 points.
It hasn't been a great year for 45-year-old Jaromir Jagr, who is talking about playing till he's 50 but has amassed just eight goals and 28 points this season after leading his team with 27-39-66 last year. But Jagr has recently passed Mark Messier to move into second place in all-time NHL scoring and has inspired a cheering section that keeps growing larger and larger as this living legend continues his NHL career.
As for the Canucks, here's who hit the ice for this morning's optional skate:
Philip Larsen! It's good to see him moving back toward game action after he suffered that devastating hit in New Jersey back on December 6.
In goal—Markstrom but not Miller. I'm going to assume that means Markstrom will start tonight against his old team, the Panthers.
Last year's visit from the Panthers was a barn-burner, where Daniel Sedin incited a near-riot after ending Florida's 12-game winning streak with his overtime goal. Will we see similar fireworks tonight?
Here's what's planned if Henrik does hit the thousand-point mark:
Enjoy the game!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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