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The Canucks are in Carolina tonight and will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing game in Columbus. The Canucks didn’t play bad on Tuesday night, but they didn’t get nearly enough traffic to the net and as a result only beat Steve Mason once. Carolina has been dreadful in their last 10, winning only 1 game and collecting 4 points. Despite the Canes terrible record you always have to be careful of Ward and Staal as they have the talent to win games on their own.
Canucks 18-10-2 38pts
Hurricanes 9-18-5 23pts
Leaders
Canucks
Goals- D. Sedin 12
Assists- H. Sedin 25
+/-- Burrows +11
Hits- Lapierre 89
Faceoffs- Malhotra 57.9%
Hurricanes
Goals- Skinner 12
Assists- Jokinen 14
+/-- Spacek +2
Hits- Dwyer 72
Faceoffs- Jokinen 53.7%
For Vancouver to win this game they will need to play better than they did in Columbus. They need to get back to battling hard for 60 minutes like they were doing when they won 9 of 10 games. The Canucks need to play as a team and drive the net hard. If they can do that they should be able to get to Cam Ward. If they can't get to the front of the net on Ward, he may just steal the game.
I also wouldn't be surprised to see the twins respond tonight to David Bolland's comments by having a big game on the ice. I can see both twins wanting reinforce to Mr. Bolland just how good they are. In my opinion, the twins don't even need to respond to the comments by chirping in the media. Everyone knows how good they are, and everyone knows Bolland isn't even close to being in the twin's league. To me the twins are tough even though they don't fight. They have missed a total of 41 games between the two of them in 10+ years. To me that's toughness. They go out every night and get the job done whether they're 100% or not. Maybe Bolland should try and be tough like Daniel and Hank, and stop missing so many games with excuses like the flu, a sore foot, and a bad back.
For Carolina to win tonight they are going to need big games from Cam Ward and Eric Staal. The Canes are not the deepest teams when healthy, so missing two of their top four guys is not going to help them tonight. Ward is capable of stealing games and he could very well do that if the Canes can keep the Canucks to the outside. Staal has struggled so far this year and currently has the worst plus/minus in the NHL at -18. Eric Staal is a much better player than that and if he gets going tonight the Canes have a shot.
The Canes are also one of the best teams in the league at blocking shots and will have to do a lot of that tonight to win. If they can block a lot of shots early it may force Vancouver into over passing and trying to get the perfect shot. If that happens Vancouver may not get many shots and as a result may not score much. Paying the price to block shots will be a key for the Canes to stay in this one.
This game has the potential to be a blowout for the Canucks. The Hurricanes are playing some real bad hockey right now, and they are likely going to be missing two of their key offensive weapons in Skinner and Pitkanen. The Canucks are also coming off of a not so good effort against Columbus, and will want to play a strong game tonight before heading into Toronto to battle the Maple Leafs. Vancouver knows they are better than the way they played in Columbus and I think they will be tonight in Carolina.
Prediction- 6-1 Canucks
Respect Your Rival- Carolina Hurricanes
Jeff Skinner
Half Justin Bieber, Half Sidney Crosby, Jeff Skinner is one of the most exciting players in the game today. I've been a fan of this kid since I watched him a few years back at Canada's U-18 camp. The kid's hockey sense and skill is just off the charts. He just knows where to be to score goals and the puck seems to follow him. It pisses me off that he's out right now with a concussion because I was looking forward to watching him play tonight. Oh well, at least when realignment comes we will get to see him twice a year, every year.
Brandon Sutter
You gotta love the way Sutter's play. They always go all out to win, and will do anything that is asked of them. While Brandon may be the most talented of the Sutter's, it doesn't affect how he plays. In a lot of ways Brandon reminds me of Ryan Kesler without the skating. The kid competes hard every shift, is a pain to play against, and he can score too. I would take Brandon on the Canucks any day. He's exactly what a hockey player should be, tough, hardnosed, skilled and honest.
Chad Larose
Larose is another guy that I would take on my team any day. Despite his size, the guy just gets the job done. He's good penalty killer, he scores, he hits and he'll even drop the gloves once in a while if he has too. The guy to me is a real life "Rudy" who may not look like he should be in the NHL, but he sure does play like an NHLer every night. Larose is just one of the reason's people all over pull for the Canes. You can't help but love Larose.
Canes to keep an eye on tonight- Ruutu, Ponikarovsky, Stewart, Spacek, Allen, and Gleason
With the exception of Stewart, all 6 of these players will be UFA's at season's end and if the Canes can't sign them, they'll likely be somewhere else for the stretch run. As much as I like Ruutu and Poni I think they may be too expensive to add as a rental. Stewart might be a nice 12th or 13th forward to add that can bang a bit. The cost will likely be low for Stewart too. As for the 3 D, Gleason is a very interesting player. I think he would be a nice addition to the team and could slot in anywhere from 3-6 on the Canucks. He will be a guy I watch very closely tonight and I hope Gillis does the same.
Question of the day
Would you like to see any of Ruutu, Ponikarovsky, Stewart, Spacek, Allen, and Gleason added to the Canucks? And what would you give the Canes for them?
Thanks for reading.
Enjoy your day.
Ian
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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