|
Vancouver Canucks Game Day: October 26 vs. Washington Capitals, Home Again |
|
|
|
|
|
Vancouver Canucks vs. Washington Capitals - Sunday October 26 - 6:30 p.m. - Sportsnet Vancouver - TSN1040
Vancouver Canucks 4-3-0 fifth in Pacific Division
Washington Capitals 4-1-2 second in Metropolitan Division
After going 1-2-0 on their Central Division road trip, the Vancouver Canucks will play four of their next five games at home, starting Sunday when the Washington Capitals come to town.
Note the early (and unusual) start time for the game: 6:30 p.m.
The Canucks will be looking to tighten up defensively after giving up 14 goals on the three-game road trip, including seven on Friday against Colorado. Ryan Miller will be back in net.
The Canucks didn't practice yesterday. Both Frank Corrado and Ryan Stanton are skating this morning but are not expected to draw in quite yet:
Ben Kuzma is thinking along the same lines as me:
But it doesn't sound like Wilie's planning to put Stanton back in the lineup just yet:
Tonight will mark my first chance to see the team in person since preseason. As well as keeping an eye on the defense, I'll be watching the face-off dot, where the Canucks currently sit 29th in the league with a 45.2 percent success rate.
Of course, I'm also looking forward to seeing the Sedins and Vrbata in action, and hope they can produce some pretty plays.
The Canucks split their season series with Washington last year, winning at Rogers Arena in October, then losing on the road in March. The Caps haven't won in Vancouver for more than a decade: their last victory came in February of 2001, when the Sedins were fresh-faced rookies.
Washington's coming off a 3-1 win in Calgary on Saturday night, so the Caps could start backup Justin Peters for tonight's contest. Peters had a great game against Vancouver as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes last December. He stopped 24 of 25 shots but took the loss as Eddie Lack recorded a shutout in his first-ever start at Rogers Arena, giving the Canucks a 2-0 win.
The Capitals are a much more defensive-minded team this season under new coach Barry Trotz. Washington's ranked fourth in the league, giving up just 1.86 goals per game and also boast a lethal power play that's clicking at 28 percent.
Even Alex Ovechkin is showing some commitment to team defense. He's a plus-one so far and has blocked six shots in seven games so far: he only blocked 22 over 82 games last season!
Ovechkin leads his team with five goals. His linemate Nicklas Backstrom is tops with seven points.
Another player to watch is 19-year-old left-winger Andre Burakovsky. Taken 23rd overall in 2013, one pick before Hunter Shinkaruk, Burakovsky's doing his best to avoid being sent back to junior with two goals and four assists in seven games.
They're still dangerous, but I don't expect to see the coast-to-coast Caps of recent years at tonight's game. So far, Barry Trotz's structured system is paying dividends in Washington. Their only defeat of the young season came earlier this week: a 3-2 loss in Edmonton.
Notes From the Farm:
The Canucks prospects sure are making it fun to write about the action at the CHL and AHL levels.
Jacob Markstrom posted another shutout on Saturday as the Utica Comets beat the Toronto Marlies 4-0. He has given up just one goal all year so far, which gives him an insane goals-against average of 0.25, and could break an AHL record in his next game:
Alexandre Grenier had two goals on Saturday. Bo Horvat is pointless, with an even plus-minus, through the first two games of his conditioning stint.
Meanwhile, 2014 prospect Jake Virtanen got back on the ice in fine style for the Calgary Hitmen this weekend. Virtanen had an assist in his first game on Friday night, then posted two goals and an assist on Saturday, though the team fell 7-5 to the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The kids are back on the ice again tonight, with a 4:00 MT home game against the Prince George Cougars.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»