|
Alex Edler returns, Hansen out 4-6 weeks as Vancouver Canucks host Kings |
|
|
|
|
|
Wednesday December 28 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Los Angeles Kings - 7 p.m. - Sportsnet
Vancouver Canucks: 35 GP, 14-18-3, 31 pts, sixth in Pacific Division
Los Angeles Kings: 34 GP, 17-13-4, 38 pts, fifth in Pacific Division
After a four-day break to rest, recuperate and spend time with family, the Vancouver Canucks get back into game action as they host the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night at Rogers Arena.
Good news and bad news on the injury front. The good news first—all signs point to the team having Alex Edler back in the lineup on defense tonight.
The bad news? The team announced on Tuesday afternoon that after just six games and 11 days, Jannik Hansen's back on the shelf due to that knee injury he suffered in his collision with Mathieu Perreault last Thursday against Winnipeg.
After a good outing against Winnipeg in the first of the teams' two back-to-back games last Tuesday, the Canucks sagged noticeably in the followup game after Hansen was injured in the second period, and delivered one of their worst no-shows of the year the following night in Calgary. Here's hoping that after taking a few days to digest the loss, the team can come back and play hard tonight—the big, strong Kings are always tough to play against.
There's no doubt the twins will be missing Hansen, who seems to be the only straw that can successfully stir their Swedish drink these days.
Jayson Megna's tenure with the Vancouver Canucks this season has been a roller-coaster ride. He was healthy-scratched in the last game against Calgary to make room for the return of Brendan Gaunce, but now draws back in on the first line tonight.
Though he missed 10 games with a shoulder injury in November, the 26-year-old is on track for the most successful year of his NHL career. In his rookie season in 2013-14 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Megna played 36 games and went 5-4-9. So far with the Canucks, he has played 18 games and scored three goals—off an impressive shooting percentage of 16.7 percent. That's tied with Hansen for third on the team, behind Henrik (17.5 percent) and Bo Horvat (16.9 percent).
Coach Willie Desjardins got nothing out of Loui Eriksson when he put him back with the twins against Calgary last week, so I'm willing to see what Megna can do. He has some speed and has earned Willie's trust enough to be getting a little bit of power-play time here and there.
And there's this...
Putting Megna back in means someone will be coming out up front. No word yet on whether Anton Rodin will get a chance to play his first regular-season home game in a Vancouver uniform. He managed just 7:18 of ice time against the Flames.
It's expected that Ryan Miller will get the nod in net. The next couple of weeks of the Canucks' schedule look very similar to what we saw before Christmas, with spaced-out weekday games, then home-and-road back-to-backs on Friday and Saturday. There's even another back-to-back against the same team coming up as the Canucks play Calgary on January 6 in Vancouver, then the very next night at the Saddledome.
As I mentioned before Christmas, six of Vancouver's next seven games are against Pacific Division teams, and the next eight are all against teams in the Western Conference. If the Canucks hope to make any kind of push back towards a playoff position, it needs to happen now, with some wins in crucial four-point games.
As for the Kings, they're in the midst of a weird scheduling situation of their own—finishing off the last two games of a nine-game stretch away from the Staples Center in Vancouver tonight, then in Edmonton tomorrow. They're 3-2-2 in the first seven games, which saw them start in Buffalo and play five games against Eastern Conference teams before taking three of four points in back-to-backs in Nashville and Dallas before Christmas.
Though their star goaltender Jonathan Quick is now expected to be sidelined until March, the team has managed to stay competitive, leaning heavily on the resurgent Peter Budaj. When the Canucks suffered their first loss of the year in a shootout against Budaj and the Kings in L.A. back on October 22nd, it seemed like a disappointing result against a player who had basically been out of the NHL since losing his job as Carey Price's backup in Montreal to Dustin Tokarski during the 2013-14 season.
But Budaj has been solid for the Kings—playing 29 of the team's 34 games so far and putting up a record of 15-8-3 with four shutouts, a 2.04 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. The Kings, as usual, are one of the NHL's stingiest teams, tied for sixth at 2.38 goals against per game, while the Canucks languish in 28th at 3.09.
Also pretty normal—the Kings are still having trouble scoring goals. They rank 20th with 2.53 goals per game, while the Canucks aren't far behind in 23rd at 2.37.
Expect to see the Kings' big-money first line back together tonight.
These three have all struggled offensively this season, and haven't played together much—mostly because Marian Gaborik missed the first 21 games of the season after breaking his foot during the World Cup of Hockey in September.
Kopitar, in the first year of his new contract with the $10-million-a-season cap hit, has 3-13-16 in 29 games so far while Brown is 4-11-15 in 32 games and Gaborik is 1-3-4 in 12 games.
The offensive load has been carried primarily by Jeff Carter—who has 19 goals, 29 points, and was named the NHL's second star for the week before Christmas—and by Tyler Toffoli, who has 20 points but missed the last two games before Christmas with a lower-body injury. He's not expected back until after New Year's, so he'll miss tonight's game.
The Kings' only other injured player is defenseman Brayden McNabb. He suffered a broken collarbone at the end of October and has now been medically cleared to play, but is expected to need some practice time before getting into game action. It's unlikely we'll see him tonight.
With that, you're up to date. The game's being broadcast on the full Sportsnet network tonight, so you'll be able to tune in wherever you are.
Enjoy!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»