Canucks Limp to Montreal; Henrik Shut Down For Sochi and Roadtrip; Diaz vs. Weise

February has not started the way the Canucks have wanted.  The goal heading into the month was to have a fresh start and face a tough road trip to try and get back on track.  It has not happened.  The Canucks are still the same team who were crippled in January.

Vancouver has lost all three games on this road trip and have two games remaining before Sochi.  The Canucks head to a very tough building at the Bell Centre in Montreal trying to break a five game losing streak.

Henrik Shut Down For Sochi and Roadtrip

The Canucks continue to face more adversity as several key players remain out of the lineup.  Captain Henrik Sedin has battled in a few games with an apparent rib injury.  It was reported today that Henrik Sedin will be out of the Canucks lineup until after the Sochi Olympics and that he will end up missing the Olympics.

A report from @SVTSport in Sweden is suggesting Henrik Sedin will miss the Olympics. #Canucks
— Matt Lee (@mattlee980) February 6, 2014

"We are shutting Henrik down for next 2 games. He wants to play, but he's not as effective as we need him to be right now." - Torts
— Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) February 6, 2014

Diaz vs. Weise

Former Habs defenseman Raphael Diaz who was traded to Vancouver on Monday will be looking to get the best of his former club tonight.  This is also the case for former Canucks forward Dale Weise.

Raphael Diaz had a very good Canucks debut on Tuesday when he scored the lone Canucks goal against the Bruins while piling over 25 minutes of icetime.  Dale Weise played on Tuesday for the Habs against the Calgary Flames and recorded 12:45 icetime and 3 hits.

Canucks/Canadiens Preview

As mentioned, the Canucks are trying to break a five game losing streak.  This losing streak is the longest in over fifteen years.  The Canadiens are coming off a 2-0 victory over Calgary on Tuesday.

Montreal Canadiens: 57 GP: 30-21-6; 66 pts
Vancouver Canucks: 58 GP: 27-22-9; 63 pts

Despite some recent struggles, the Canadiens rank third in the Atlantic Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference.  Vancouver is ranked fourth in the Pacific Division and eighth in the Western Conference.  Montreal is 4-5-1 in their last ten games, while Vancouver is 3-7 in their last ten games.

This game can be viewed on Sportsnet Pacific, TSN-Habs, and RDS at 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT.

Here are the projected lineups:

Canadiens (the bad guys)

Forwards:
Daniel Brière - Tomas Plekanec - Brian Gionta
Max Pacioretty - David Desharnais - Brendan Gallagher
Rene Bourque - Lars Eller - Brandon Prust
Michael Bournival - Ryan White - Dale Weise

Defenseman:
Andrei Markov - Alexei Emelin
Josh Gorges - P.K. Subban
Douglas Murray - Nathan Beaulieu

Goaltenders:
Carey Price (starter)
Peter Budaj

Canucks (the good guys)

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

Defensemen:
Jason Garrison - Alex Edler
Yann Sauve - Frank Corrado
Ryan Stanton - Raphael Diaz

Goaltenders:
Roberto Luongo (starter)
Eddie Lack

Things to watch for - Canadiens:

P.K. Subban - the 2007 second round pick of the Canadiens and Norris Trophy Winner is having another great season.  He leads the Canadiens in scoring with 38 points this season.  The 24 year old Toronto native has a booming shot that he loves to use on the powerplay.  He plays with an edge every shift and loves to get under the opponents' skin.  Look for him to log 25-28 minutes of icetime on a game by game basis.

Carey Price - another outstanding season for the Habs netminder as he makes his way to the Sochi Olympics to battle with Roberto Luongo for the starting job as Team Canada's netminder.  The British Columbia native has a 2.37 GAA and .923 SV% this season.  He has 24 wins in 46 games played and will make a strong case to be Team Canada's netminder.

Things to watch for - Canucks:

Brad Richardson - with injuries piling up to the Canucks, Richardson has had to step in and fill a bigger role than what he is accustomed to.  He will make his return to the lineup tonight after missing the last couple of games.  He has been very good for the Canucks in the faceoff dot this season and has a 53.5% faceoff win percentage.

Chris Higgins - another player who will make his return to the Canucks lineup after missing the last game against Boston with a minor injury.  He has been one of the more consistent Canucks this season.  Higgins has 15 goals and 31 points this season and is having one of the best seasons of his pro career.  The 30 year old Smithtown, NY native has been a consistent linemate with Ryan Kesler and Jannik Hansen.

Prediction:
4-1 Canadiens (Gallagher GWG)

Hopefully we do not see a replay of this goal:

Courtesy: Darryl Dyck, CP; www.theprovince.com

Until next time, stay classy! -George