Sunday January 22 - Vancouver Canucks at Chicago Blackhawks - 4:30 p.m. - Sportsnet
Vancouver Canucks: 47 GP, 22-19-6, 50 pts, fifth in Pacific Division Chicago Blackhawks: 48 GP, 29-14-5, 63 pts, second in Central Division
After a successful week at Rogers Arena, the Vancouver Canucks hit the road for three games before taking a week off for this year's All-Star Break.
The fun begins tonight with a visit to the United Center to take on the Blackhawks before back-to-back games in Denver against the Avalanche on Wednesday, then in Glendale against the Coyotes on Thursday.
The Canucks come into the game as one of the hottest teams in the league. The 15 points they've earned through their 6-1-3 record in their last 10 games ties them with Minnesota and Edmonton as the most productive teams in the Western Conference over that stretch—they're both 7-2-1. Only Washington, with a 9-0-1 record, has amassed more points over the last 10 games.
The out-of-town scoreboard broke in the Canucks' favour while they sat idle on Saturday night. The Kings (48 pts), Blues (51 pts) and Flames (51 pts) all lost, and none of those teams are playing today. It's a tall order—on the road, against Chicago—but if Vancouver can conjure up a win today, the team will vault into the first Western Conference wild-card spot, ahead of both St. Louis and Calgary, and would take over fourth place in the Pacific.
No changes in the roster at today's morning skate.
Fully attended morning skate, including defenceman Philip Larsen. pic.twitter.com/5cLCjrAL6B
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 22, 2017
Larsen is still on IR, but the Canucks are currently running one player below the allowable roster limit with 13 forwards and seven defensemen, so he can be activated at any time if coach Desjardins thinks he's ready to get back into game action.
Jordan Subban is also with the team, on his first NHL road trip.
There was concern about Bo Horvat, who was felled on Friday after taking a wild Nikita Tryamkin slap shot in the back of his head.
Tryamkin hits Horvat in head with shot. Is first on the scene to make sure he's ok. #GoodGuyTryamkin pic.twitter.com/ZjFiwfvOhd
— Wyatt Arndt (@TheStanchion) January 21, 2017
Here's a look at the aftermath.
Bo's head is a little tender this morning... pic.twitter.com/E98xfNrTok
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 21, 2017
Bo says he's fine to play today.
"We're trying to find me a bigger helmet, if that's even possible. I'm good to go, a little sore for sure" - Horvat, after puck to the head.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 22, 2017
We'll see Ryan Miller back in net.
Miller starts vs. Blackhawks.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 22, 2017
"He's been great for us and we're hoping he can keep it going." - Desjardins pic.twitter.com/6lCY1bMglw
Since the Canucks started their hot streak after Christmas, Miller's numbers line up very impressively against the league's best goaltenders. He's 7-0-2. His 1.52 goals-against average and .951 save percentage are both the best in the league among goalies that have played more than four games over that stretch—John Gibson is next-best at 1.61 and .946.
Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have been having some issues with the normally-solid Corey Crawford during this same stretch. Crawford has also played nine games since Christmas, but he's 5-4-0 with a 3.21 goals-against average and .898 save percentage.
Crawford is expected to get the start today.
Quenneville on playing Crawford: "We want 'Crow' playing as much as he can to get back to the great pace he had prior to being away."
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) January 22, 2017
Crawford missed 10 games in December after having his appendix removed.
Looking at the season as a whole, Chicago is still tied for fifth overall with 2.48 goals allowed per game, so it's probable that Crawford will rediscover his form as he gets back to full health. The Canucks are now up to a respectable 16th in this category, averaging 2.74 goals against per game.
It's interesting to note that the Blackhawks actually surrender more shots per game (31.1) than the Canucks (30.7), so there should be some opportunities for Vancouver to get goals tonight. Even though they went 2-0-1 on their recent homestand, the Canucks scored just four goals in those three games—two of which came from Henrik. Maybe he can stay hot after all the love that has come his way after his 1,000th point?
The Blackhawks, of course, boast some impressive scorers of their own. Last year's Art Ross winner, Patrick Kane, currently sits in a tie for fourth in the NHL scoring race with 47 points, while Artemi Panarin is proving that his Calder Trophy-winning season was no fluke. He's 17-26-43 in 48 games.
Captain Jonathan Toews is currently enduring an unusual level of criticism from the Blackhawks faithful. With his $10.5 million-a-year contract, Toews has just seven goals and 22 points so far this season.
Here are the Chicago lines from today's morning skate.
#Blackhawks lines: Hartman-Toews-Panik, Panarin-Anisimov-Kane, Hinostroza-Kero-Hossa, Desjardins-Rasmussen-Tootoo-Schmaltz.
— Eric Lear (@BHTVeric) January 22, 2017
Marcus Kruger took the morning skate but is not expected to play. He has been sidelined since December 30 with an upper-body injury.
The Blackhawks continue to lean heavily on rookies. We saw Ryan Hartman and Vinnie Hinostroza make big impressions when the Blackhawks visited Rogers Arena for that wild 4-3 overtime win back in November. Tanner Kero is the latest new addition to be contributing. The undrafted 24-year-old has been playing about 15 minutes a game while Kruger has been sidelined and has been a difference-maker—he was 2-1-3 in Chicago's 6-4 win over Colorado in Denver last Tuesday and also picked up an assist in the 1-0 Blackhawks win in Boston on Friday.
With that, you're up to date. I'm looking forward to seeing how these confident Canucks match up against the Blackhawks today and whether they can avenge that loss from November, when their third-period collapse cost them a win. It's a good test for this team, which is looking at a tougher schedule after the All-Star Break.
Enjoy the game!