Revenge is sweet
And here it is Canucks fans. Get ready to hate the Hawks again…
Matchup: Vancouver Canucks (3 – 2 – 2) v Chicago Blackhawks (6 – 0 – 1)
Venue: Rogers Arena
Time: 7:00 pm
TV/Radio: Sportsnet, Team 1040
Here’s what I said a while back on NWSB.
February 1 v Chicago Blackhawks / February 19 @ Chicago Blackhawks
The Los Angeles Kings might owe Duncan Keith a cup ring. His vicious elbow to Daniel Sedin sent the Canucks into disarray that ultimately led to their futile first round. So again, revenge. This might resemble the Boston game.
As an added bonus, the teams meet again in Chicago two and a half weeks later, with the game on the first surely still fresh in their minds.
When the Canucks schedule was released last month, this was the game everyone circled. Duncan Keith and the Chicago Blackhawks were back in town.
Giddy up.
The Canucks are saying all the right things, they just want the two points, but they said before the Boston game last year and it turned into a line brawl in the first period.
Duncan Keith’s elbow on Daniel Sedin was the death of the 2011 – 2012 Vancouver Canucks.
if Zack Kassian introduces himself to Duncan Keith it could be a really fun night
So yeah this should be a fun game.
What to Watch: Chicago
The Hawks are really good this year, who lost their first game of the year in a shootout to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night. This will be the second game of a six game road trip for the Hawks while Disney on Ice takes over the United Centre.
Don’t think that Chicago isn’t fired up for this one as well, because this article probably has the best nutgraph I’ve ever read.
The quad force of Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, and Jonathan Toews has 32 points already this season.
The Hawks are basically off to a perfect start, which means tonight should be really fun.
Line – up
- Brandon Saad – Jonathan Toews – Marian Hossa
- Patrick Sharp – Dave Bolland – Patrick Kane
- Bryan Bickell – Andrew Shaw – Viktor Stalberg
- Jamal Mayers – Marcus Kruger – Michael Frolik
- Duncan f’n Keith – Brent Seabrook
- Sheldon Brookbank – Nick Leddy
- Johnny Oduya – Niklas Hjalmarsson
- Corey Crawford
What to Watch: Vancouver
The Canucks are coming off a dominating shutout performance, that’s good. Except when that happened on Friday, they followed it up with the efforts against the Sharks and Kings. That’s bad.
The trick here is consistency. and Roberto Luongo.
I’m not entirely sure what Luongo’s official title is at this point, but he’ll get his third straight start against the team that haunts him the most. Sports!
The Canucks will also unveil a new third jersey tonight that includes a Vancouver Millionaires patch.
And if Zack Kassian introduces himself to Duncan Keith it could be a really fun night.
Line – up
- Daniel Sedin – Henrik Sedin – Zack Kassian
- Chris Higgins – Alex Burrows – Jannik Hansen
- Mason Raymond – Jordan Schroeder – Dale Weise
- Aaron Volpatti – Manny Malhotra – Maxim Lapierre
- Dan Hamhuis – Kevin Bieksa
- Jason Garrison – Alex Edler
- Keith Ballard – Chris Tanev
- Roberto Luongo
Injury Notes
Ryan Kesler and David Booth remain out for the Canucks. Is it hyperbole to say the Canucks’ season hinges on how quickly Kesler can return? Should we put that pressure on him after he rushed back last year and was pretty useless?
Sports!
For the Hawks, Michael Rozsival will miss the action with a lower body injury.
Prediction
3 – 2 Canucks win. Playoff atmosphere abounds. Zack Kassian fights a dude, hopefully Keith.
Game Day Tweets
It’s the #Canucks vs Blackhawks as these two teams face off for the first time this season. Game Preview: v.canucks.com/14vfLjC
— Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) February 1, 2013
#Blackhawks take on the #Vancouver #Canucks tonight Matchup/Stats Insight nwsb.co/g55z0 + #NWSB Gameday Preview nwsb.co/aaa57
— Q Smith (@NWSBQ) February 1, 2013
What every Canucks fan is thinking about tonight in regards to tonight’s game: twitter.com/TheStanchion/s…
— Wyatt Arndt (@TheStanchion) February 1, 2013
#Canucks to celebrate 100 years of West Coast hockey by wearing Vancouver Millionaires “V” patch on third jersey for select games.
— Sportsnet Pacific (@SNETPacific) February 1, 2013
Sure the Canucks would trade Cory Schneider. If they got Claude Giroux. Is that happening? Didn’t think so
— Jason Botchford (@botchford) January 31, 2013
Rick Bowness laid it out as simple as possible. “Goalie coming off a great game, coming off a shutout.”
— Mitch(@MitchEmDee) February 1, 2013
for better or worse, it really really feels like the lockout never happened
— Richard Hodges (@prfctsoundforvr) February 1, 2013
Tonight marks Henrik Sedin’s 900th career @nhl game. Congratulations, Henrik!
— Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) February 1, 2013
In case you missed it: Get ready for #Blackhawks-Canucks tonight with 5 facts you may not know about the rivalry: bit.ly/11ni19i
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 1, 2013
CLICK HERE CHECK OUT THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS CLUBHOUSE TODAY ON NWSB!
About Richard Hodges
