Canucks Game Day Preview - Dec 12

[Argyle]

Jovo returns to the Garage tonight!!! Will he getting a warm welcome?? Or Boo'd for leaving for money??? Can you really blame him?

GAME: Vancouver Canucks (14-15-1) vs. Phoenix Coyotes (11-16-1).

It's the last thing the Canucks need - another streaking opponent.

The Canucks came out on the sorry end of a clash against a Calgary Flames team looking to tie a franchise record home-ice unbeaten streak Saturday; now they lock horns with a Phoenix Coyotes squad that's got just one regulation loss in their last six.

As if they needed any added incentive, all-star rear guard Ed Jovanovski makes his return to Vancouver having scored in his last two games.

The one consistent soft spot in the Coyotes' game this season has been goaltending. Curtis Joseph has struggled to a 7-12-0 record and 3.42 GAA this season, prompting the Coyotes to trade Tyson Nash and a fourth round pick in 2007 for Mikael Tellqvist.

Tellqvist made 40 stops at home on Saturday, but a bad bounce resulted in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. Tellqvist made the initial stop on a goal mouth scramble with time running out in overtime, but the rebounded puck flew up and bounced twice off the goaltender before sliding off the back of his neck into the net for the game-winner with 4.6 seconds left.

Mike Zigomanis had forced overtime with a power-play goal in the third.

"It was nice to battle back," said Jovanovski. "We felt in the third period this was a very winnable game. (Tellqvist) makes the save and it goes right up over the top of his head. It was just a bad break."

One chink in the surging Coyotes' armour, is their road record. They lead the NHL in road losses this season, though they have improved lately.

Since losing nine of their first 10 road games, Phoenix has won two of its last three outside Glendale Arena. No team has reached double digits in road losses besides the Coyotes, who are averaging 1.85 goals per game away from home to rank second-worst in the league behind Florida (1.81).

Of course the Canucks can't exactly boast. No team averages fewer goals per game than the Canucks' 2.17, though their fortunes seem to be on the rise.

A sorry power play that was ranked 27th at 12.5 percent last week, jumped two spots over the weekend going 6-for-14 in back-to-back games against the Hurricanes and Flames. Calling up power-play specialist Yannick Tremblay hasn't hurt, though it seems the bounces are the biggest reason - they're finally starting to kick the right direction.

Having said that, puck luck wasn't able to do much about Saturday's outcome. Just 24 hours after Daniel Sedin scored in overtime to hand the 'Canes a 4-3 loss, the Canucks crashed in Cowtown.

A slew of penalties and some soft defence allowed the Flames to run up a 4-1 lead, then cruise to a 5-3 victory. Vancouver was outplayed by yet another Northwest rival and fall to 2-8-1 against divisional opponents.

"They pretty much outskated us and won all the one-on-one battles," said Jan Bulis, who has goals in two straight. "There was a little spark in the third, but it was too late." The Canucks have just one even-strength goal in their past four games, and Roberto Luongo was mercifully pulled again after giving up four goals on 24 shots.

"Nobody had trouble going to our [net] out there," said Alain Vigneault. "For a while I thought it was the Trans-Canada Highway... You've got to play tougher in those areas."

Forward Lee Goren, who was playing his fourth game in five days after getting the call-up Saturday to fill in for Tommi Santala had one shot and was a minus-one in 9:29 of ice time.

The Canucks sit one point out of last spot in the Northwest, though the Colorado Avalanche have played one fewer games.

Rory Fitzpatrick, Taylor Pyatt, and Josh Green all skated with the team Monday morning.

The Canucks were 3-1 versus the Coyotes last season.

LEADERS

CANUCKS

Goals:M. Naslund 12
Assists:H. Sedin 24
Points:H. Sedin 27
Plus/Minus:S. Salo +6
PIMs:A. Burrows 45

COYOTES

Goals:Y. Perreault 8
Assists:L. Nagy 11
Points:L. Nagy 18
Plus/Minus:O. Saprykin +4
PIMs:N. Boynton 72

INJURIES

Rory Fitzpatrick (ankle) is day-to-day, as is Josh Green (toe), Taylor Pyatt (shoulder). Rick Rypien (groin), Sami Salo (shoulder), and Tommi Santala (knee) are also out with injuries.

Nick Boynton (foot), Steven Reinprecht (shoulder) are missing for the Coyotes.

 

[nutmegs]

Jovo returns to the Garage tonight!!! Will he getting a warm welcome?? Or Boo'd for leaving for money??? Can you really blame him?

I don't think you can boo an unrestricted free agent after he's signed with another team. I think fans have a right to boo guys like Chris Pronger who demand a trade when he meant so much to the success of the team. But to boo a guy who is just going after his market value which the Canucks can't afford due to other big signings isn't justified.

Just my $0.02.

nutmegswhowillbeatthegametonightbutnotbooingjovo.

 

[italian_stallion21]

I too agree with Nutmegs, although I think the Pronger thing is stupid, family first, and his family wanted out of Edmonton (which makes sense), no brainer. I got surprised with tickets and won't be booing Jovo, but won't be cheering him either. Hopefully my good luck of wins when I'm there will continue, we know we need it.

 

[Guinness]

I too will live dangerously and agree with Megs...
JOVO played with an emotion level that not many current Canucks will ever match!!! I hated to see him go, but the mighty US dollar is what usually tempts players to move frequently in todays NHL... That said, I hope some young hopeful gets in his face tonight...


GuinnesswillnotbebooingJOVOCOP.

 

[italian_stallion21]

What a freaking sweet game to go to, my winning streak continues, Canucks should spring for season tickets for me. It's about time they exploded, hopefully it will instill more confidence in the boys when they play a team of higher calibre

 

[italian_stallion21]

Did anyone else at the game notice that after each Canuck's goal was announced they used Borat's "Nice!"?