Old Foes... Blackhawks/Canucks Preview; Tanev Injury

"Any team that you have history with makes for a fun game. We know what the history is here." - Luongo
— Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) January 29, 2014

The Vancouver Canucks will square off tonight against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks.  The Blackhawks have won two cups in the last four seasons and are arguably a favorite to win it again this postseason.  Vancouver is still seeking its first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

These two teams bring out the best in one another.  There is bitter hatred between the players and fanbases.  Both teams have struggled lately, so a rivalry game is a good dose of medicine both teams may need to get back on track.

Chicago Blackhawks: 55 GP: 32-10-13; 77 pts
Vancouver Canucks: 54 GP: 27-18-9; 63 pts

Chicago is coming off a 5-4 OT loss to Calgary last night.  The Blackhawks are ranked second in the Central Division and third in the Western Conference.  They have posted a surprisingly mediocre 3-3-4 record in their last ten contests.

Vancouver is coming off a 4-2 loss on Monday to the Edmonton Oilers.  The Canucks are ranked fourth in the Pacific Division and eighth in the Western Conference.  Their record in the last ten games is not impressive either: 4-5-1.

Tanev Injury:  

BREAKING - #Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev has fractured thumb and won't be back until after Olympic break.
— News1130 Sports (@News1130Sports) January 29, 2014

This is a huge loss for the Canucks blueline.  He has been a bright spot for the Canucks and has really bought in to Torts' new defensive scheme.  Chris Tanev and his defensive partner Dan Hamhuis have been the most consistent Canucks defensive pairing this season.

This game can be viewed on TSN or WGN at 10:30 PM ET/7:30 PM PT.

Here are the projected lineups:

Blackhawks (the bad guys)

Forwards:
Patrick Sharp - Jonathan Toews - Marian Hossa
Brandon Saad - Michal Handzus - Patrick Kane
Bryan Bickell - Andrew Shaw - Kris Versteeg
Brandon Bollig - Marcus Kruger - Ben Smith

Defensemen:
Duncan Keith - Brent Seabrook
Johnny Oduya - Niklas Hjalmarsson
Nick Leddy - Michal Rozsival

Goaltenders:
Corey Crawford (starter)
Antti Raanta

Canucks (the good guys)

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

Defensemen:
Ryan Stanton - Kevin Bieksa
Dan Hamhuis - Yannick Weber
Jason Garrison - Alex Edler

Goaltenders:
Roberto Luongo (starter)
Eddie Lack

Things to watch for - Blackhawks:

Patrick Kane - the 25 year old Buffalo native ranks fourth in points in the entire NHL.  He has racked up 25 goals and 60 points in 55 games played.  The 2007 1st overall pick has 2 goals in his last 3 games.  Kane is a thorn in the Canucks side and will be a handful to contain.  Kane is very skilled and has surprisingly good puck control.

Patrick Sharp - at the young age of 32, he is still getting it done.  The Canadian Olympian and former Flyer has 2 goals and 7 points in his last ten games.  He has a very good shot and a quick release.  Sharp also has a good nose for the net and can break through defenders with ease.

Things to watch for - Canucks:

Ryan Kesler - he was the hero against Chicago the last time around with the shootout winner.  The US Olympian steps his game up in big games.  The Canucks will need him to do so in this huge showdown against the Hawks.  Kesler has scored 18 goals this season and leads the Canucks in goal scoring.

Chris Higgins - the Smithtown, NY native has 5 points in his last 5 games.  He quietly has 14 goals this season and has been one of the Canucks better players through this slump.  He missed on a glorious chance against the Oilers on the breakaway, but he is getting lots of chances at the net.

Prediction:
4-2 Blackhawks (Kane GWG)