Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks - Sunday November 23 - 6:30 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific, TSN1040
Vancouver Canucks 13-6-1 third in Pacific Division
Chicago Blackhawks 12-7-1 third in Central Division
The rivalry's not what it used to be, but there will likely be some fireworks at Rogers Arena when the Chicago Blackhawks stop in on Sunday night.
After a so-so start to the season, the 'Hawks are getting in gear during their annual "Circus Trip"—a six-game swing through the West over 10 days while the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus takes over the United Centre.
Last night, I was happy to see Vancouver would get the benefit of facing a tired team, as the 'Hawks played in Edmonton. But I don't think the 7-1 spanking they laid on the Oilers was especially taxing: it was 6-0 by the 3:50 mark of the second period, so it was easy for Joel Quenneville to manage his team's ice time. Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson was the only player on the team to log more than 20 minutes of ice time, at 21:23.
The win was Chicago's third in a row on a week when the Blackhawks' offense has started to click. The streak began at home with a 6-2 win over Dallas and was followed by a 4-3 victory in Calgary on Thursday.
The 'Hawks haven't been playing their best until this week, yet they're ranking well in some key team stats. Chicago is tied with Vancouver for seventh overall, averaging 2.95 goals per game, but they're now first in goals-against per game, averaging a stingy 2.00.
They're also first with 36.7 shots per game and second with a 90 percent penalty kill.
Corey Crawford was a surprise starter in Chicago last night and could end up seeing back-to-back action. Antti Raanta was scheduled to make his first start in nearly a month last night in Edmonton, but fell ill just before the game. No word yet on whether or not he'll be well enough to spell off Crawford tonight.
Other key injuries for the Blackhawks are Patrick Sharp, who has just started skating back in Chicago after sustaining a knee injury on November 4, Andrew Shaw, who has been out with an upper-body injury for the last few days, and Trevor van Riemsdyk, who's now on injured reserve after knee surgery to repair a broken patella. Sharp and van Riemsdyk are definitely out; Shaw is "doubtful."
As for the Canucks, it sounds like there's still time for us to play "Guess Hamhuis' Injury." Last year, Torts was grumpy about providing injury information; Willie's a bit more pleasant but not much more forthcoming:
Is it a good sign if the team's not sure whether Hamhuis will need surgery? Does that mean he hasn't torn his ACL or groin or Achilles but is dealing with some sort of severe strain instead?
What body part do you think is affected?
With Hamhuis "out for awhile," the next question is whether or not the Canucks will look for help to shore up the blue line. Ryan Stanton can certainly draw back in tonight, with Frank Corrado waiting in the wings, but will the team need to trade for a reinforcement or sign a free agent?
Pass It To Bulis
makes a case for bringing back Sami Salo—though he's currently on the mend from wrist surgery and wouldn't be available immediately. Though Salo's now 40, the fragile Finn played a solid 71 games last year with the Tampa Bay Lighting, averaging 18 minutes a game and posting a plus-11.
To me, he'd be a sentimental choice, but it sure would be interesting to see if he could still unload that big point shot on the power play.
With plenty of other teams looking for defensive help, the free-agent market has been picked pretty clean. Buffalo seems to be sticking to its high asking price for Tyler Myers—my guess is that the Sabres will wait until the trade deadline to make a move, when they can create a true bidding war. Daniel Wagner suggests the Canucks could go after a depth defenseman like David Schlemko, who just passed through waivers, but would he really be an upgrade over the players the team has available in the minors?
We've seen that Jim Benning can make deals when he chooses to do so. It'll be interesting to see what template he uses to deal with the loss of Hamhuis.
One other injury note from today's morning skate: Alex Burrows was also missing and is not expected to play tonight.
That'll get Bo Horvat game number eight of his NHL career, and a chance to build on his fine performance against Anaheim. Jim Benning certainly
sounds like Horvat will be sticking around in Ed Willes' latest column in the Province:
"My personal view is I’d like him to stay," the Canucks GM said. "That will put him one year ahead in his development."
And.
"(Horvat) fills an organizational need. He’s a big body up the middle, he can win faceoffs and he has a mature defensive game. He’s got a skill set we need going forward. He’s important to this organization."
And, just in case you still missed the point: "He’s got the physicality, so that’s not in question. He can play with men. The part of the game he excels at are the things coaches worry about with young kids."
Welcome to the show, Bo.
Note the early start for tonight's game. Puck drop is at 6:30 on Sportsnet Pacific.
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