Posted by The Canucks continue their six-game road trip this week with stops in Dallas on Tuesday, St. Louis on Thursday, Denver on Friday, and Chicago on Sunday. It will be interesting to see how they follow up their horrific 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Coyotes this past Saturday, extending their road losing streak to four games and costing them two points they could have used as they continue to chase the Flames for the division lead.
In the next three games, they face teams they recently beat back at GM Place as part of their 11-game — and counting — home winning streak, and which are all currently out of the playoffs. However, the Stars and Blues are only 3 and 2 points, respectively, out of the 8th spot, and one would have to expect they’ll be fighting tooth and nail. The Avalanche, meanwhile, potentially pose a similar threat as the Coyotes did — players fighting for roster spots next year and doing their best to impress.
Sunday’s game versus the Blackhawks, on the other hand, could well be a preview of a first-round playoff matchup. The Canucks have dropped two out of three this year to Chicago, but most recently delivered the Hawks a sound 7-3 spanking back on February 7. This game should be terrific, matching the Hawks’ youth and speed against the Canucks’ tight defense and tenacious forecheck.
Lineup-wise, no changes have been announced so far, but with winger Jannik Hansen back from injury and D-man Ossi Vaananen waiting in the wings, you can be sure Alain Vigneault is considering a couple of substitutions after Saturday’s woeful loss.
Despite that defeat, the recent play of the Canucks has shown that they are capable of taking a majority of points this week. If they still hope to catch the Flames, they had better do just that.
Derek Jung is a contributing writer covering the Vancouver Canucks for The Hockey Writers.
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