Canucks/Wild Game Recap:
The first meeting of the season between the Wild and Canucks is one that the Canucks may have wanted to get the extra point out of. They let this game slip away as they have done several times in other games.
The Canucks controlled the first period and got a goal from the top line as Jannik Hansen notched his sixth goal of the season. About three minutes later, Minnesota would respond on the powerplay as Zach Parise netted his fifteenth goal. The Canucks got hemmed in their own zone and could not clear the puck which led to giving up a rare powerplay goal.
Canucks defensemen Ryan Stanton went down early in the second period after being "tripped" into the boards by Wild forward Zenon Konopka. I am quite shocked that there has been no hearing scheduled for this trip/hit into the boards. I thought Konopka actually nudged Stanton into the boards and did not trip him.
The Canucks would control play in the second period and got another go ahead goal from David Booth eleven minutes into the period. They led 2-1 at the end of the second period and had a 23-16 shot advantage.
The third period was a lethargic period for the Canucks. Wild forward Charlie Coyle would shoot a snapshot about eight minutes into the third period which squeaked past Luongo. Luongo would probably like to have that one back. The Canucks were outshot 11-5 in the third and 5-3 in overtime.
The shootout is not a favorite thing to do for the Canucks. All three shooters for the Canucks (Santorelli, Higgins, and Kesler) were not able to put anything past Josh Harding. Jason Pominville would be the lone Wild scorer in the shootout as it propelled the Wild to a 3-2 victory.
Seeing Stars:
The Canucks visit Big D for the second game on this Central Division roadtrip. This is the second meeting between the Canucks and Stars this season. Dallas took the first meeting in Vancouver 2-1 as goaltender Kari Lehtonen made a whopping 42 saves on the night.
Vancouver Canucks: 36 GP: 20-10-6; 46 pts
Dallas Stars: 33 GP: 16-12-5; 37 pts
The Canucks are 8-1-1 in their last 10 contests while the Stars have struggled at 4-3-3 in their last 10. Vancouver is ranked fourth in the Pacific Division and sixth in the Western Conference. Dallas is ranked fifth in the Central Division and tenth in the Western Conferncce.
This game can be viewed on Fox Sports Southwest or Sportsnet Pacific at 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT.
Here are the projeted lineups:
Canucks (the good guys)
Forwards:
Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Jannik Hansen
Chris Higgins - Ryan Kesler - Mike Santorelli
David Booth - Brad Richardson - Zack Kassian
Tom Sestito - Zac Dalpe - Dale Weise
Defensemen:
Andrew Alberts - Kevin Bieksa
Dan Hamhuis - Christopher Tanev
Yannick Weber - Jason Garrison
Goaltenders:
Roberto Luongo (starter)
Eddie Lack
Stars (the bad guys)
Forwards:
Jamie Benn - Tyler Seguin - Valeri Nichushkin
Antoine Roussel - Cody Eakin - Ryan Garbutt
Erik Cole - Shawn Horcoff - Colton Sceviour
Ray Whitney - Rich Peverley - Alex Chiasson
Defensemen:
Alex Goligoski - Brenden Dillon
Jordie Benn - Sergei Gonchar
Kevin Connauton - Cameron Gaunce
Goaltenders:
Kari Lehtonen (starter)
Dan Ellis
Things to watch for - Canucks:
Andrew Alberts - the 32 year old Minnesota native defensemen will be playing in his seventh game this season. He usually is a healthy scratch on most nights. Due to injuries to fellow defensemen Alex Edler and Ryan Stanton for a while, his services will be needed on the blueline. He is trying to escape Tort's doghouse and trying to earn more playing time. Alberts' style of play is better suited to playing against big slower teams like Dallas.
David Booth - is he coming into his own? He has scored two goals in the last two games and has three points in the last three games. He is playing wing on the third line with Brad Richardson and Zack Kassian. Canucks fans can hope he can keep his scoring streak going due to some injuries up front.
Things to watch for - Stars:
Kari Lehtonen - he played an unbelievable game against the Canucks in Vancouver. He is a huge reason why the Stars continue to hang around. The 30 year old Fin has a respectable 2.63 GAA and .916 SV% on the season.
Tyler Seguin - the Bruins outcast is having a productive season in Big D. He has 33 points in 31 games and 18 goals on the season. The second overall pick of 2010 was sent to Dallas in mega deal over the summer as the Bruins decided to retool their lineup. Seguin grew sour with Bruins management as they believed he needed to grow up as a professional. He is thriving alongside star winger Jamie Benn.
Prediction:
4-1 Stars (Seguin GWG)
Until next time, stay classy! -George
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