[Hyack]

Sunday's game against the Caps had to be the best played game of the season for the Canucks. Although they started off slow in the 2nd period they made up for it in the 2nd half of the period, scoring 3 times in just under 2 minutes. The team was also the first of the season to get more than 30 shots against Washington in a game, out shooting them 34-22 for the game. The troubles the guys have been having in the faceoff circle didn't raise it's head during this game with Vancouver staying equal to the Caps winning 31 puck drops against Washington's 30. Another plus for the team was their lack of presence in the sin bin, taking only 2 penalties for the game, unfortunately one being too many men. The guys played great against a top tier team, the question is how they will fare against a team now dwelling in the cellar?

[Hyack]

Vancouver vs Carolina

The Vancouver Canucks go for their second win in a row on their current three-game home stand when they host the winless Carolina Hurricanes tonight at Rogers Arena.

Since starting the season with three wins in a row, the Canucks have not managed to string together consecutive wins managing just two total victories in their last five outings. But there's no better opportunity than tonight to turn that stat around when they host the NHL's lone remaining winless team in the Hurricanes. Vancouver is looking to carry over the momentum from their 4-2 win over Washington on Sunday night and will be led once again by Ryan Miller, who is riding a personal two-game win streak and is currently sitting just one win shy of recording his 300th career NHL victory. The Canucks had several no-shows at yesterday's practice – namely Henrik Sedin, Brad Richardson and Luca Sbisa – but all three of those players are expected to dress tonight.

The start of the season has been a nightmare for the Hurricanes and it's not only because they're on the verge of going winless in the opening month of the season. They lost Jordan Staal in the pre-season with a broken leg and, in just their second game of the season, lost team captain Eric Staal to an upper-body injury. They've also had to deal with injuries to the likes of Jeff Skinner and Nathan Gerbe. The good news for the Canes is that Eric Staal is expected to be back tonight after missing the last five games. The Canes should be well-rested and well-prepared for this contest considering they've been in town since Friday night after dropping a 6-3 decision to the Oilers that same evening in Edmonton. The Canucks swept the two-game season series against the Hurricanes last year, including blanking Carolina 2-0 at Rogers Arena on December 9.

Puck drop at 7 pm PT – Live on Sportsnet Vancouver Hockey

[sandorski]

woo another quick one richarsdon

[sandorski]

woot ppg vey

[sandorski]

booyah hansen

[sandorski]

empty netter richardson

Victory!

[Strutz]

A very entertaining game tonight.

Miller made some great saves, the end result could have been closer.

[Hyack]

Definitely an entertaining game tonight, unfortunately nothing really outstanding in the play, aside from Miller's 300th win. Once again the boys were outshot 30-25 and again didn't do as well as they could in the faceoff circle winning 23 against Carolina's 29. All other stats were pretty well equal, even to penalty minutes at 11 minutes each, the difference here was the Canucks managed to score on one of their power plays while the Hurricane scored on none. After 9 games the Canucks are in a four way tie for 7th place in the NHL with 12 points.

Next game sees Montreal come to town Thursday.

[Hyack]

Vancouver vs Montreal

The Vancouver Canucks look to sweep their three-game home stand which wraps up tonight when they host the always-popular Montreal Canadiens at Rogers Arena.

There is always a buzz in the building whenever the Habs roll into town and that should be the case once again tonight. Lately, however, the Canucks have done their part to keep The Rog rocking all on their own as they've won back-to-back games to start their home stand in convincing fashion over the Capitals and the Hurricanes, respectively. Although the Habs figure to be the toughest test yet for the Canucks on their home stand, Vancouver might just be catching the visitors at a good time. Montreal, despite coming off a win in Calgary on Tuesday night, has tallied just one goal over their last two outings.

The Habs are looking to conclude their three-game road win with consecutive wins despite not really playing some of their best hockey of late. Their trip began with a lackluster 3-0 shutout loss to the Oilers on Monday before they managed to squeak out a 2-1 shootout win against the aforementioned Flames thanks mostly to B.C. boy Carey Price, who stopped 37 of 38 shots in the win. History will be on the side of the Canadiens, however, as they are looking to extend their streak of three straight wins at Rogers Arena. Speaking of history, tonight's game will mark the respective returns of several former Canucks, namely Manny Malhotra, Dale Weise and Mike Weaver. Ryan Miller, who is riding a personal three-game win streak, and Price, who is riding a personal five-game win streak and has just one loss in eight starts this season, are the expected starters for their respective clubs tonight.

Puck drop at 7 pm PT – Live on Sportsnet 360

[Hyack]

Bonino....1-0 'Nucks

[sandorski]

woot

[Hyack]

Damn, the guys have been playing great tonight although at one point they were something like 3 faceoff wins against the Habs 11. They're still not doing really well, it's now 24 against our 18. Where they've really shined was with the 3 PKs, not allowing a shot in the 1st two and only 3 shots in the 3rd. Aside from the faceoffs, the Canucks are ahead in every stat, including trips to the penalty box.....3-0 'Nucks..... Of course they're also ahead on the scorecard 1-0....
Here's hoping they can hang on and play an even better 3rd period

[Hyack]

YES....Richardson makes it 2-0

[sandorski]

woo richardson

[Hyack]

An overtime PP for the 'Nucks, I hope the Sedins don't turn it into another game of "catch" again.....