Author Archives: CanucksBanter

Four Unanswered Goals Propel Montreal 4-3 Over Vancouver in OT

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CANUCKS BANTER     By Andrew Chernoff    November 17, 2015

The Vancouver Canucks (7-6-6) pulled out to a 3-0 lead, on goals by Adam Cracknell, Jared McCann, both in the first period; and Daniel Sedin in the second period.  And then the Canucks became their own worst enemies and imploded.

Montreal (14-3-2) stormed back with three straight goals to tie the game at 3-3 at the end of regulation play.

A shorthanded goal by Lars Eller, and an even strength goal by Max Pacioretty made the score 3-2 Vancouver after two periods. An even strength goal by Tomas Fleischmann with just over three minutes left in regulation evened things up for Montreal, who seemed down and out for the count nearing the middle of the second period.

The Canadians completed their comeback with their first win in overtime this season, handing the Canucks their 3rd consecutive loss, and their 6th loss in overtime, on a goal by David Desharnais.

The Canucks have lost 5 of 6 on the road trip, and lost 7 of their last 10 games, with their last game on this road swing on Wednesday night against the Winnipeg Jets.

The Canucks are 4-5-2 since defeating Montreal in Vancouver on October 27.

The point Vancouver earned in overtime, boosts the Canucks ahead of Arizona for sole possession of 2nd spot in the Pacific Division, 2 points behind the Los Angeles Kings, and 2 points ahead of the San Jose Sharks.

Los Angeles and San Jose have 2 games in hand on Vancouver, while Arizona, Anaheim and Edmonton, each have a game in hand on the Canucks.

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POWER PLAY GETS A LIFT

  • Vancouver was 2 for 6 on the power play against the Canadians
  • The Canucks are getting 2.84 goals per game and are scoring scoring on 17.5 percent of their power play chances (11 of 63) overall after tonight
  • On the road, the power play is now 15.8 percent (6 of 38).
  • The power play is 4-20 on the current road trip going into Winnipeg
  • Adding insult to the man advantage: Canucks have been stung for 3-shorthanded goals on the road trip.

PENALTY KILL BACK TO PERFECT

  • The penalty kill allowed no goals on four Montreal opportunities
  • Vancouver Canucks are allowing 2.63 goals per game and are killing 80.7 percent of their power play chances (42 of 57) overall after tonight
  • On the road, it is 79.4 percent (23 of 34).
  • Canucks have allowed 7 goals on 22 attempts during the current road stretch.
  • The Canucks had surrendered at least one power play goal in six straight games but a seventh straight game was not to be.
  • Previously they had not given up PPGs in a 6-game stretch  since the start of the 2009-10 season when they allowed PPGs in their first six games from October 1 to 16

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

  • Jannik Hansen leads the Canucks in +/- with a +9, while Radim Vrbata is the worst Canuck at -11, after tonight’s game
  • Rookie Jared McCann scored his first power play goal, 6th goal of the season. McCann is tied for 3rd most goals by a rookie; and is tied for top sniper on the Canucks with Daniel Sedin with his 6 goals.
  • Ryan Miller is 0-4-1 with a 3.46 GAA over a five-game stretch in which he’s surrendered three goals or more each time
  • Miller has a 27-12-6 record against Montreal.
  • In 4 games on the road trip, Miller has allowed 14 goals on 115 shots, a save percentage of .878.
  • Vancouver’s Jannik Hansen had no points tonight but has 4 goals and 3 assists over his last 8 games.
  • The Canucks have at least one power-play goal in their last 3 games
  • Canucks C Brandon Sutter (lower body) did not practise Sunday and missed his third straight game.
  • Both D Luca Sbisa (foot) and LW Brandon Prust (ankle) rejoined the team in Toronto and practised.
  • Hunter Shinkaruk called up from Utica Comets after scoring 10 goals in 12 games in the AHL could made his NHL debut against the Canadians getting 13 shifts and 9:35 minutes/seconds in playing time.
  • Jacob Markstrom played tonight giving Ryan Miller a rest..
  • Jake Virtanen leads the team and all NHL rookies in hits with 44.
  • Daniel Sedin has 14 points (5-9-14) in his last 15 games.
  • Ben Hutton ranks t-second on the team and second among NHL rookies in assists (8). Hutton has 4 assists in the last 8
    games and had a career-high three game point/assist streak from Nov. 7-10/15. He also ranks t-third among rookies in blocked shots
    with 21.
  • Ryan Miller ranks first in a number of statistical categories this season including games played/started (16), TOI (966:31) and shots
    against (452).
  • Alex Edler leads VAN in time on ice (24:46) and has led the team in that category in 17 of 18 games he’s played, including 10
    games where he’s led all skaters in TOI. He currently ranks t-12th in the NHL in TOI/GP. Last season, Edler ranked first on the team
    in average ice time per game (23:58) and led the team in TOI on 59 separate occasions including 26 games where led all skaters in
    TOI.
  • The Canucks have had 18 different goal scorers this season (tied for most in the League with St. Louis and Nashville)
  • The Canucks are tied for 9th in the League with 2.84 goals for per game; their 54 goals on the year are tied for 4rth most in the NHL.
  • VANCOUVER’S 2015.16 RECORD WHEN…
    Score 4+ Goals: 5-0-0
    Score 3 Goals or Less: 2-7-5
    Allow 4+ Goals: 0-2-3
    Allow 3 Goals or Less: 7-4-3
    On 0 Days Rest: 2-0-1
    On 1 Day Rest: 2-3-4
    On 2 Days Rest: 2-2-1
    On 3+ Days Rest: 0-1-1
    Score a PPG: 2-3-4
    Give up a PPG: 2-4-3
    20+ Shots on Goal: 7-6-6
    Less than 20 shots:

GAME REVIEW

FireShot Screen Capture #140 - 'Vancouver Canucks at Montréal Canadiens - 11_16_2015' - canucks_nhl_com_gamecenter_en_boxscore_id=2015020263

CANUCKS AT A GLANCE

FireShot Screen Capture #141 - 'Vancouver Canucks 2016 Statistics - Team and Player Stats - ESPN' - espn_go_com_nhl_team_stats___name_van_vancouver-ca

Statistics courtesy of the NHL, Vancouver Canucks and ESPN, with thanks.

Scientists Develop LDL Cholesterol-Lowering Vaccine

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This image shows that high levels of active PCSK9 gene (green color) prevent LDL cholesterol (red color) from binding to the surface of liver cells. Image credit: Rockefeller University.

A new virus-like particle-based vaccine leads to dramatic reductions in ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol in mice and macaques, says a team of scientists led by the University of New Mexico and NIH’s Lung and Blood Institute.

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, also known as ‘bad’ cholesterol, makes up the majority of the body’s cholesterol.

A high LDL cholesterol level is considered a risk factor for coronary artery disease because, under certain conditions, it can cause hardening of the arteries.

According to the CDC, 73.5 million adults (31.7%) in the United States have high LDL cholesterol and fewer than 1 out of every 3 adults (29.5%) with high LDL cholesterol has the condition under control.

Diet and exercise are key to keeping cholesterol down, but millions of people worldwide take statins, a family of medications that lower cholesterol. Even more important, statins lower the chances of having a heart attack or stroke. They include atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, pitavastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin, and simvastatin.

However, they have some potentially serious side effects, such as muscle pain, an increased risk of diabetes and cognitive loss.

The newly developed vaccine could provide an alternative to statins, by targeting a protein that controls cholesterol levels in the blood.

“One of the most exiting things about this new vaccine is it seems to be much more effective than statins alone,” said Dr Bryce Chackerian, a scientist at the University of New Mexico and lead author of a study in the journal Vaccine.

The new vaccine targets a protein called proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), which regulates the cholesterol in the blood.

“PCSK9 is a secretory protein that controls cholesterol homeostasis by enhancing endosomal and lysosomal degradation of the low-density lipoprotein receptor,” the scientists explained.

People who have a mutation in the protein often suffer from increased risk of heart disease, and people who do not produce the protein have a decreased risk.

By targeting PCSK9, the vaccine can stop it from functioning, lowering the amount of cholesterol in the blood.

Dr Chackerian and his colleagues tested the vaccine in mice, which showed a reduced level of LDL cholesterol. They then tested it in a small group of macaques, along with statins, resulting in a dramatic decrease in cholesterol.

“Mice and macaques vaccinated with bacteriophage VLPs displaying PCSK9-derived peptides developed high titer IgG antibodies that bound to circulating PCSK9,” Dr Chackerian and co-authors said.

“Vaccination was associated with significant reductions in total cholesterol, free cholesterol, phospholipids, and triglycerides.”

“A vaccine targeting PCSK9 may, therefore, be an attractive alternative to monoclonal antibody-based therapies.”

Source: Scientists Develop LDL Cholesterol-Lowering Vaccine | Medicine | Sci-News.com

‘No place’ for genetic testing to spot young sporting talent or boost performance

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No child or young athlete should be subjected to genetic testing to spot sporting talent or boost performance, concludes an international panel of experts in a consensus statement published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The scientific evidence on the effectiveness of these commercial tests is simply far too weak to back their use, says the panel of 22 experts in the fields of genomics, exercise, sports performance, disease, injury, and anti-doping.

While the science of genomics has advanced rapidly over the past decade, the ability to interpret the meaning of genetic test results is still at a relatively early stage, says the statement.

But that has not hindered the growth of DIY ‘direct to consumer’ genetic tests, which claim to be able to talent spot children’s athletic prowess or tailor training to maximise performance, it says. Anyone willing to stump up the cost and send a sample of spit or a mouth smear for lab analysis can request one of these tests.

This burgeoning market has prompted fears that the current limited level of knowledge on the genetics of sports performance is being misrepresented for commercial gain, it says.

To inform the consensus statement, the panel looked at the availability of DIY genetic tests. It found 39 companies marketing tests associated with sport or exercise performance or injury–almost twice as many as in 2013, when a similar review found 22.

Since 2013, 14 of the original 22 companies have ceased trading, meaning that 25 companies have entered the market within the past two years.

Claims included: ‘Personalise your training based on your sports genetics,’ ‘Gives parents and coaches early information on their child’s genetic predisposition for success in team or individual speed/power or endurance sports,’ and ‘We use your DNA results to help you lose fat, get lean, build muscle, get fitter.’

For over half (54%) of the 39 companies, it was impossible to find out which gene sequences and variants would be tested, because this information wasn’t provided. For the remainder, the average number of variants tested was 6, but ranged from 1 to 27.

But the absence of any good scientific data to guide selection of which variants to test undermines the value of multiple testing, says the statement.

The most popular genetic variants tested were ACTN3 R577X and ACE I/D, both of which have been relatively well studied. While there is some evidence to suggest a link with enhanced physical performance, it is very weak, rendering the predictive value of these tests “virtually zero,” says the statement.

Of further concern is that several companies use the results to market additional products, such as training advice and nutritional supplements, for which the evidence is again limited, it says.

The statement emphasises that the speed of change in gene sequencing technology has far outpaced regulation, or universally accepted guidelines. And legislation varies widely among countries–the UK has none, for example.

And it points out the importance of counselling before any genetic test is taken, particularly as this may have implications for health or life insurance–but which is not part of the package offered with these tests.

Furthermore, the sensitive nature of an individual’s genetic information should be subject to the highest level of security and confidentiality, says the statement. But it is not at all clear what happens to these data when one of these companies goes under.

“While further evidence will undoubtedly emerge around the genetics of sport performance in the future, the data are currently very limited,” says the consensus statement.

“Consequently, in the current state of knowledge, no child or young athlete should be exposed to [direct to consumer] genetic testing to define or alter training or for talent identification aimed at selecting gifted children or adolescents,” it concludes.

Source: BMJ

Source: ‘No place’ for genetic testing to spot young sporting talent or boost performance | Science Codex

Putin would back moderate Syrian opposition in Isis fight

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Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Monday that he would back parts of the Syrian opposition with air support in a joint fight against Islamic State in northern Syria, in the first concrete sign that Russia and the west can set aside their differences over the political future of President Bashar al-Assad in order to defeat Isis.

Hinting at the Russian change of policy, David Cameron said there were “some signs” during talks with Putin on the margins of the G20 summit that Russia would no longer focus bombing raids on moderate Syrian forces.

Putin’s offer, if it turns into reality, is potentially the biggest military breakthrough in Syria for some months, and allied with the pressure being applied to Isis in Iraq, could start to change the military equation in Syria.

The quest for an end to the four-year civil war in Syria – which has prompted a mass migration and terror crisis in Europe – has been stymied by the Russian and Iranian refusal to abandon Assad.

Since September, Putin has stepped up his support for Assad by bombing anti-Assad forces – including the more moderate opposition groups supported by the west.

Speaking at the close of the G20 summit in Antalya in southern Turkey, Putin said: “A part of the Syrian opposition considers it possible to begin military actions against Isil [Isis] with the assistance of the Russian air forces, and we are ready to provide that assistance.”

If this happens, Assad’s army and the opposition will fight a common enemy, he outlined.

“It’s not the time to debate who is more effective in the fight against Isil, what we need to do is consolidate our efforts,” added Putin.

The formal agenda of the two-day G20 summit rapidly became swamped by the issue of how the world leaders should respond to the murder of at least 129 people in Paris on Friday, for which Isis has claimed responsibility.

Both Cameron and Barack Obama met Putin to urge him to shift his focus to an attack on Isis, as well as to agree a political process that might lead to the removal of Assad in 18 months, after elections.

Cameron hinted at possible flexibility in Putin’s position, saying: “We think bombing the Syrian Free Army – that can play a part and should play a part in the future of Syria – is a mistake. I made that view absolutely clear to President Putin; there are some signs, some signs, that they are focusing on Isil and we need to see if that continues.

“Everyone recognises there is a need for compromise. The gap has been enormous between those, like us, who say President Assad must go immediately and those who continue to support him.

“It is not as if there has been a British pride or stubbornness, an American stubbornness or a Saudi stubbornness. This is for the Syrian people. If you barrel-bomb your own nation and rain down destruction on your own people, it’s obvious that they won’t accept him as their leader.

“That is the gap we have and it has been reduced. I hope we can close the gap still further but it will need compromise on both sides.

“I have said Assad should go immediately and we have come to recognise there is a transition. We have never argued that the right answer is take away all the elements of the Syrian state.”

Cameron added: “Some elements of the state need to continue. We need to find elements in the government – Christians, Kurds and Alawites – so that government represents all of Syria and that is the process that needs to be gone through.”

Under political and media pressure to come up with a new, faster strategy to defeat Isis in the wake of the Paris attacks, Obama again insisted the current strategy was ultimately going to work, but will be intensified.

He said the key was reduce the size of territory over which Isis holds sway, and to intensify intelligence co-operation with the French.

He said he had ruled out the idea of putting as many as 50,000 troops on the ground or setting up safe havens. He said: “That would be a mistake, not because our military could not march into Mosul or Raqqa or Ramadi and temporarily clear out Isil, but because we would see a repetition of what we’ve seen before, which is if you do not have local populations that are committed to inclusive governance and who are pushing back against ideological extremes, that they resurface unless we’re prepared to have a permanent occupation of these countries.

“One of the challenges we have in this situation is that if you have a handful of people who don’t mind dying, they can kill a lot of people. That’s one of the challenges of terrorism. It’s not their sophistication or the particular weaponry that they possess, but it is the ideology they carry with them and their willingness to die.”

Source: Putin would back moderate Syrian opposition in Isis fight | World news | The Guardian

Asian shares rally as positive US close boosts confidence – BBC News

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Asian shares opened higher on Tuesday, recovering from Monday’s losses, as Wall Street’s positive close boosts investor confidence.

US stocks ended three days of losses overnight as investors moved past concerns that the terrorists attacks in Paris could create instability for the global economy.

Energy shares were among the winners as the price of crude oil rebounded.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index was up 1.3% to 19,641.67 on a weaker yen.

The US dollar was also stronger on the expectations of an interest rate increase by the Federal Reserve in December.

The dollar stood near a one-week high of 123.33 yen.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index was up 1% to 5,056.50, while South Korea’s Kospi index was higher by 1.3% to 1,968.82 in early trade.

Source: Asian shares rally as positive US close boosts confidence – BBC News