Canucks Review and Preview: February 20 to February 26, 2012
[Every week, Caylie King reviews the Canucks week that was and previews the Canucks week ahead. You can follow Caylie on Twitter (@cayking).]
Despite playing some inconsistent hockey over the last month or so, the Canucks have managed to keep pace with the NHL-leading, Detroit Red Wings. Now, things seem to be turning around as the Canucks won all four games this past week, including a 6-2 spanking of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday and a 5-2 beating of the Edmonton Oilers in Edmonton on Sunday. The Canucks haven’t lost in regulation in 9 games this month, boasting an impressive 7-0-2 record.
Yup, totally overrated.
Canucks Record
59 GP, 38-15-6, 82 points (1st in Northwest Division, 2nd in Western Conference)
Who’s Hot
Before the weekend, talk around town was how the Sedins were in a slump and how neither had produced much since the Bruins game in early January. That all changed this past weekend as they combined for 12 points against the Leafs and Oilers.
On Saturday night against the Leafs, Daniel had a goal and 3 assists, while Captain Hank potted 4 assists. Then on Sunday, both potted a goal and an assist each against the Oilers as they continue their domination against Edmonton.
Their production isn’t as high as when they each won the Art Ross Trophy in back-to-back years, but they’re hanging in with the league leaders. As of this morning, Hank is 4th in the NHL in scoring (64 points) and Danny is in 7th (61 points). Hank leads the Canucks in points and assists (51); Danny is right behind him in points (61) while also leading the team with 26 goals.
Who’s Next
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 vs. Nashville Predators (5:00 PM start, away)
Alex Edler got the shootout winner two weeks ago as the Canucks took 2 points in Nashville. Since then, the Preds have gone 2-2-1 and are sitting in 5th place in the Western Conference.
This will be the last meeting between the two teams in the regular season. Vancouver has won 2 of the 3 games, with Roberto Luongo backstopping in all 3 games. Colin Wilson leads the Predators with 5 points (2G-3A) in the season series; Daniel Sedin leads the Canucks with 6 points (3G-3A).
Mike “Mr. Underwood” Fisher is having a commendable season with 17 goals, 17 assists and a plus-4 rating so far this season. He is 5th in team scoring and tied with Patric Hornqvist for the team lead in goals (17). Fisher has 11 points (9G-2A) in his last 12 games.
Thursday, February 23, 2012 vs. Detroit Red Wings (4:30 PM start, away)
In case you’ve been living under a rock, the Detroit Red Wings are taking home ice advantage to a whole new level. The Canucks head into Motown in an attempt to try and end Detroit’s amazing 23-game winning streak on home ice. The Red Wings have a fantastic record of 26-2-1 at Joe Louis Arena and are currently in first place in the NHL with 84 points through 60 games.
Detroit has won 2 of the 3 meetings so far between the two teams. Danny Cleary has 3 points (1G-2A) while Jimmy Howard has played in all 3 games and stopped 68 of 75 shots. It’s still unknown whether or not Howard will play as he is still out with a broken finger that he suffered in the last meeting against Vancouver.
Johan Franzen leads the Red Wings in goals (23) and is currently second in team scoring (47 points). Franzen has 4 goals and 2 assists in his last 8 games.
Friday, February 24, 2012 vs. New Jersey Devils (4:00 PM start, away)
The Devils are having a great month of February going 7-1-1 and are currently sitting in 4th place in the Eastern Conference. That said, they haven’t had much success against Northwest Division opponents going 1-3-0 so far this season. This is the first and only meeting between the two teams. Last season, Roberto Luongo shutout the Devils in their only meeting, a 3-0 Canucks win.
Ilya Kovalchuk is having another great campaign leading the Devils with 58 points (25G-33A); he is also 12th in NHL scoring. Kovy has been hot recently – he last 18 points (6G-12A) in his last 10 games.
Sunday, February 26, 2012 vs. Dallas Stars (12:00 PM, away)
Sitting in 10th place in the Western Conference, the Dallas Stars are currently on the outside looking into the playoff race. They haven’t had much luck lately, going 1-3-2 in their last 6 games – all close games.
It’s hard to believe, but the Stars and Canucks haven’t played each other yet this season; this will be the first of 4 meetings in the next 5 weeks.
Michael Ryder is having a great season in Dallas. He leads the Stars in goals (23) and is also 3rd on the team in points (42), both of which surpasses his season totals in the last 2 seasons. He is currently riding a 6-game point streak with 4 goals and 2 assists.
