Follow me on Twitter @pool88.
Winnipeg Jets at Vancouver Canucks - Sunday December 22 - 5:00 pm - Sportsnet Pacific, TSN Jets Vancouver Canucks 21-11-6 fourth in Pacific Division Winnipeg Jets 16-16-5 sixth in Central Division
It should be a rowdy night at Rogers Arena as the Winnipeg Jets make their first visit in nearly two years—the first time since they've returned to the Western Conference.
Though the Jets themselves still haven't risen to respectability, their fans are a great bunch. They represented in big numbers last time Winnipeg came to town in March 2012, announcing themselves with an emphatic shout of "True North" during the national anthem. I'll be listening for that again tonight.
With a few exceptions, the atmosphere at Rogers Arena has left a lot to be desired this season, so I'm glad to know that there will be some high energy in the building tonight—even if it is directed at the other team.
The Canucks are coming off their dramatic comeback win in Chicago on Friday and will head into an unusual week-long Christmas break after tonight's contest. The Jets are coming off a 5-2 win over the improving Florida Panthers on Friday, but are just 4-5-1 in their last 10 games.
This will be Vancouver's first of three meetings against the Jets and our first chance this season to get a good look at hometown boy Evander Kane. He has four points in three games since returning from a lower-body injury.
Hopefully Kane's trip home will go more smoothly than fellow former Vancouver Giant Milan Lucic's; the Jets play on Monday in Edmonton so they'll likely be leaving right after the game, which should help to temper any possible shenanigans.
One of Winnipeg's other top young players, Zach Bogosian, returned to the lineup on Friday after missing 15 games with a groin injury. Anthony Peluso is also eligible to return after serving a three-game suspension for his hit on Alex Goligoski last week.
After another perfect night against Chicago on Friday, the Canucks' No. 1 penalty-killing unit will be put to the test again on Sunday. Winnipeg is hot on the power play—the team had ranked worst in the league before a recent string of six goals in five games pushed them up to 25th place, right behind Vancouver.
Neither team is holding a morning skate on Sunday, so there's not much information about lineups for the game. I'd expect the Canucks to ice the same skaters as last game, with Roberto Luongo back between the pipes. Vancouver will be looking to extend its home winning streak to six straight games against a team that has won just once in its franchise history at Rogers Arena.
On Saturday, Colorado got a point before losing in the shootout, while the Sharks won their shootout and the Coyotes beat Ottawa in overtime. After the dust settled, the Canucks were back in seventh place in the conference, tied with Colorado with 48 points though the Avs have games in hand. Going into Sunday's game, they're three points up on the Wild—who play the New York Rangers this afternoon—and two points back of the Sharks.
Quick Hits:
- No good news for Team Canada or Canucks' prospect Bo Horvat at today's World Junior pre-tournament game against Sweden. Canada fell 3-0 to the host country, who look like strong contenders for a medal.
- Even in my off-time, hockey seems to follow me around. I spent a few hours yesterday volunteering at the Food Bank, helping to sort food before it goes out for distribution. Our organizer mentioned that we'd be sharing the warehouse with a minor hockey team. We were told before we started that there would be a video camera on hand, filming the kids.
When the cameraman slunk over to our part of the warehouse, I couldn't help but notice the Hockey Night in Canada logo on the side. Apparently the kids were being filmed for a future broadcast—Hockey Day in Canada on January 18, perhaps?—and while they hadn't been told, they'll be attending a Canucks game in a suite as a thank-you for their efforts.
They did a good job of loading up shopping carts for us to sort through; a little holiday spirit at this time of year.