Tuesday February 14 - Vancouver Canucks at Pittsburgh Penguins - 4 p.m. - Sportsnet
Vancouver Canucks: 56 GP, 25-25-6, 56 pts, sixth in Pacific Division
Pittsburgh Penguins: 54 GP, 334-13-7, 75 pts, second in Metropolitan Division
The Vancouver Canucks make a rare appearance on national television on both sides of the border as they play the fifth game of their six-game road trip in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.
The reason for all the interest? Sidney Crosby is sitting at 998 career points and is pointless in his last two games.
Sportsnet will be carrying the game from coast to coast in Canada, while the NHL Network is broadcasting it in the U.S.
With that level of exposure, it's too bad that Vancouver's rising star Bo Horvat will be sidelined tonight.
Horvat's being listed as day-to-day, but was seen on crutches after Sunday's win in Buffalo. He'll be missed. With his All-Star appearance and some clutch scoring, the 21-year-old has generated plenty of press over the last six weeks or so, and he has deserved it. Since Christmas, Horvat is 7-10-17 and a plus-one in 21 games—Vancouver's leading scorer. Henrik Sedin is second with 12 points while Sven Baertschi, Markus Granlund and Alex Edler (!) each have 10.
With Baertschi also sidelined after being concussed last week in Nashville, that leaves Alex Burrows without either of his regular linemates, after arguably his best weekend of the season.
After the team took Monday off, Jannik Hansen didn't participate in the morning skate on Tuesday but is said to be playing tonight. Brandon Sutter appeared to hurt his wrist on Sunday in Buffalo. He took the morning skate but is still being called "questionable" against his old team.
Sutter didn't get to play when the Canucks visited Pittsburgh last year due to injury—and today's his 28th birthday. He seems like he's in good spirits although he's cagey about his injury.
He doesn't say for sure that he'll play, but he does say he's saving his birthday donuts for postgame—hopefully that's a good sign!
Horvat's injury has led to a recall for Brendan Gaunce, who was sent down to Utica just over a week ago, on February 6. The Comets went 1-2-1 with Gaunce in the lineup, but he did pick up two goals and an assist in his four games—pretty good production for a guy who has no goals and five assists in his 47 games with the Canucks this season.
Gaunce's recall will give the Canucks 12 healthy forwards. They'll be short a man—and be very shorthanded in the faceoff circle—if Sutter also ends up sitting out.
After a strong performance from Jacob Markstrom on Sunday in Buffalo, Ryan Miller returns to the net tonight against Pittsburgh.
This will be the first meeting of the year between the Canucks and the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Penguins, Canadiens and Bruins are all visiting Rogers Arena as part of a five-game homestand for Vancouver in mid-March. Pittsburgh has done a good job of fending off the dreaded Stanley Cup hangover—currently ranked third overall in the league and now tops in offense with 193 goals, one more than their division-mates Washington and the Rangers.
With a 2-2 record, the Canucks are putting together a respectable road trip, but the newly-renamed PPG Paints Arena is one tough place to play. The Penguins are 22-3-3 on home ice so far this year—their three regulation losses are the fewest in the league. Pittsburgh's also fourth overall on the power play, though their penalty kill is a weakness—they're tied with Vancouver for 23rd overall with a 79 percent success rate.
After his two-game scoring slump, Sidney Crosby continues to lead the league with 30 goals but he has slipped one point behind Connor McDavid in the Art Ross Trophy race—though McDavid has played eight more games.
Evgeni Malkin was also having an outstanding season before missing the last seven games with a lower-body injury. Malkin practiced on Monday and on a line with Scott Wilson and Patric Hornqvist and took today's morning skate. He'll be a game-time decision.
We won't get to see the HBK line tonight, as Carl Hagelin is sidelined with a concussion. Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary are also out with injuries.
Matt Murray will get the start in net. He and Marc-Andre Fleury have basically split the workload in Pittsburgh this season, but the rookie Murray has the better numbers. He's 20-6-2 with a .923 save percentage, a 2.35 goals-against average and two shutouts.
To wrap up today, Iain MacIntyre of the
Vancouver Sun is on the road with the Canucks for the back half of this trip. He spoke to both Jannik Hansen and Alex Burrows about the prospect of trade-deadline deals in
this article.
Burrows admits that he has taken drastic steps to avoid being exposed to chatter about his status.
“I’ve cut off my Twitter,” he told MacIntyre. “I’ve cut off TSN and Canadian websites. I watch ESPN right now. I’m more aware of the Charles Oakley incident and what happened in the NBA last night (than in the NHL). I’m a huge sports fan; I have to follow sports. But right now, I’m staying away from anything where my name could be.”
Burrows does acknowledge that, while he wants to remain a Canuck, he would consider waiving his no-trade clause if the situation warranted it.
“If they think they’ve got to rebuild and they can get an asset for me, I’d feel … not an obligation, but I’d think about it,” Burrows said. “Deep down in my heart, I want to make the playoffs with this team. And if something else happens, we’ll think about it. We’ll have a discussion for sure.”
MacIntyre points out that Hansen has a new baby as well as his four-year-old twins, so he's really not embracing the idea of a move. But he recognizes, with his limited no-trade clause, that he doesn't have the final say in he matter.
“There are too many variables where I have little control over. If the team comes to me, I give them my (trade list of eight teams) and then it’s in their hands. I can’t veto a trade. If (Benning) wants to trade me, he can trade me.”
The Calgary Flames laid an egg in their return to action on Monday after their bye week, losing 5-0 to the surging Arizona Coyotes—who are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games but still 11 points behind Vancouver in last place in the Pacific. Calgary's loss means the Canucks could pull back within two points of that second Western Conference wild-card spot with a win tonight—and if they can keep those playoff hopes alive, it's going to be mighty hard for Jim Benning to deal either Burrows or Hansen.
Pierre LeBrun did a radio hit yesterday, where he suggested that Hansen is the player who's of more interest to other teams—due to his younger age, lower cap hit and the fact that he has one more year left on his contract.
The Canucks play six games before the March 1 trade deadline—four this week, then two after they return from their bye week, starting on February 26th.
That five-day break is going to be anything but a holiday for Benning—that's when the rubber will meet the road.
Enjoy tonight's game!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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