Canucks Visit Winterpeg; Pre Olympic Roadtrip Begins

The Vancouver Canucks head into Winnipeg battered and banged up.  The Canucks are without the services of Henrik Sedin, Kevin Bieksa, Chris Tanev, Mike Santorelli, and Andrew Alberts.  The injury list seems to grow by the game and the adversity that comes with it also rises.

The Winnipeg Jets have gone under some changes since the last time they saw Vancouver back on December 22.  Winnipeg has a new bench boss in Paul Maurice, who formerly coached the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs.  Since Paul Maurice took over as Jets coach, they have posted a 6-2 record and are playing much better hockey.  Jets defensemen and Canuck killer Dustin Byfuglien has moved up from the blueline to play forward and has lots of success with the transition.

Several Canucks return back to Winnipeg where their early hockey careers began.  These Canucks include Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler, Alex Edler, Jordan Schroeder, Jannik Hansen, and Eddie Lack who all played for the AHL's Manitoba Moose.

Vancouver Canucks: 55 GP: 27-19-9; 63 pts
Winnipeg Jets: 55 GP: 25-25-5; 55 pts

Both teams are coming off losses.  The Jets lost their last game on Tuesday night to the Predators 4-3.  The Canucks lost their last game on Wednesday night to the Blackhawks 5-2.  Winnipeg is ranked seventh in the Central Division and twelfth in the Western Conference.  Vancouver is ranked fourth in the Pacific Division and eighth in the Western Conference.  The Jets are 6-4 in their last ten games, while the Canucks have posted a 4-6 record.

This game can be viewed on TSN at 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT.

Jets (the bad guys)

Forwards:
Andrew Ladd - Bryan Little - Blake Wheeler
Dustin Byfuglien - Mark Scheifele - Michael Frolik
James Wright - Olli Jokinen - Devin Setoguchi
Anthony Peluso - Eric O'Dell - Chris Thorburn

Defensemen:
Jacob Trouba - Mark Stuart
Tobias Enstrom - Zach Bogosian
Keaton Ellerby - Adam Pardy

Goaltenders:
Ondrej Pavelec (starter)
Al Montoya

Canucks (the good guys)

Forwards:
Daniel Sedin - Jordan Schroeder - Zack Kassian
Chris Higgins - Ryan Kesler - Alex Burrows
David Booth - Brad Richardson - Jannik Hansen
Tom Sestito - Zac Dalpe - Dale Weise

Defensemen:
Jason Garrison - Alex Edler
Dan Hamhuis - Frank Corrado
Ryan Stanton - Yannick Weber

Goaltenders:
Eddie Lack (starter)
Roberto Luongo

Things to watch for - Jets:

Mark Scheifele - the Kitchener, Ontario native is coming off a 2 point night against the Predators.  He is having a nice season with the Jets and has put up 11 goals and 31 points.  The 7th overall pick from 2011 has a ton of speed and skill and continues to improve game by game.  He is really fun to watch and a big part of the Jets future.

Dustin Byfuglien - no matter where he plays, whether it is forward or defense, he is a threat.  The big rig is a major threat on skates.  He has a powerful slapshot that he uses in powerplay situations.  Byfuglien has fond memories playing against the Canucks during his time playing with Chicago.  His incredible size is a factor in every game.

Things to watch for - Canucks:

Alex Burrows - the monkey on his back just will not let him loose and let him free.  He is still sporting that ugly aquarium on his face due to his recent jaw injury.  He has no goals this season for a team that is starving to score some.  Maybe returning to his old farmhouse will inspire him and his stick to start putting the puck in the back of the net during this critical roadtrip.

Jannik Hansen - known as the "honey badger" for the Canucks, he is not having the season that he would like to have.  He has 9 goals and 14 points on the season.  The former Manitoba Moose only has 2 goals in his last 15 games.  Hansen had some trouble against the Hawks and iced the puck several times during the game and also botched a 2 on 1 opportunity.  Hansen needs to utilize his slapshot a little more and throw some more rubber at the net.

Prediction:
3-1 Jets (Byfuglien GWG)

Until next time, stay classy! -George