Vancouver Go Home Winners, Defeat Tampa Bay 2-1

Posted on December 22, 2015 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff December 22, 2015

CANUCKS TAKE 5 OF 6 POINTS IN FINAL 3 GAMES OF 6 GAME ROAD TRIP

Vancouver (13-14-9) played the last game of their six game road trip against Tampa Bay (17-15-3) tonight, and outlasted the home team for a 2-1 win.

The Canucks got on the winning side of things, after a tough 5-4 shoot out loss to Florida on Sunday afternoon.

The opening period saw Vancouver dominate play and they were rewarded before the end of the period.

Sven Baertschi, with his 5th goal of the season and 3rd goal in three games, on a backhand shot, put Vancouver up 1-0 at 15:57. Radim Vrbata (8) and Alex Biega (2) assisted on the goal.

Vancouver out shot Tampa Bay, 7-4. Jannick Hansen had 3 shots; Sven Baertschi, 2 shots. Canucks were better in the face-off circle, 8 for 15. Bo Horvat was 3 for 5; Henrik Sedin, 2 for 5. Vancouver out hit Tampa Bay, 9-6 with Alex Biega leading the way with 3 hits. Six other Canucks had one hit each.

Vancouver was 0 for 1 on the power play; 3 for 3 on the penalty kill, with no shots allowed

In the middle frame, Tampa Bay continued getting the favour of the referees by being given three power plays, scoring on one to tie the game up at 1-1 in the final minute.

Jonathan Marchessault, his 5th goal of the season, on a snap shot, off the post, assisted by Nikita Kucherov (12) and Anton Starlman (10) at 19:38.

It was a Tampa Bay’s period as they out shot Vancouver 13-9; and dominated the face-circle, winning 16 of 20 face-offs. Alex Edler had 4 blocked shots after two periods.

A fast start for Tampa Bay in the final period greeted Vancouver, as they continued where they left off in the second period.

Markstrom came up with a huge save on Steven Stamkos in the first minute of the final frame, and the Lightning continued to press Vancouver.

And as happened in the first two periods, the Canucks continued to be subjected to the bad side of the referees, as they continued to get penalized, making it difficult to get their even strength game going.

But the Canucks would score, at 6:08 of the period, but a penalty to Henrik Sedin for tripping wiped out the goal that would have given Vancouver a 2-1 lead.

Instead, Tampa Bay ended up going on their 8th power play and the game continued to be tied 1-1.

The referees obviously thought the Canucks were a goon squad as they ended up shorthanded for a 9th time at 8:49 when Radim Vrbata got a penalty for hooking.

Shortly after killing off the Vrbata penalty, the hockey gods looked favourably upon Vancouver, as Daniel Sedin scored on Ben Bishop, on a slapshot, his 16th goal of the season, giving Vancouver a 2-1 lead, assisted by Henrik Sedin (23) at 11:09.

A too many men on the ice penalty with less than two minutes left, gave Tampa Bay a chance to tie the game on their 10th power play opportunity of the game.

And soon after getting control, Tampa Bay pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker, but the Canucks would hang on for an important 2-1 victory, taking 5 of a possible 6 points in the final 3 games of their 6 game road trip.

Canuck defenseman Chris Tanev took a shot on his leg in the final seconds of the game, and would limp off the ice at the buzzer.

Vancouver was out shot in the 3rd period, 10 to 3 and 27-19 in the game. Canucks were 0 for 1 on the power play and 9 for 10 on the penalty kill. The 10 power plays opportunities against are the most this season for Vancouver.

After a promising start in the face-off circle after the first period winning 8 of 15 draws, Vancouver was 9 for 37 the rest of the game (4 for 20 in the second period). Bo Horvat was 8 for 25: 32%; Henrik Sedin, 4 for 12: 33%; Jared McCann, 3 for 6: 50%.

Alex Edler had 7 blocked shots; Chris Tanev, 4 blocked shots. Derek Dorsett had 4 hits; defensemen Alex Biega and Matt Bartkowski, 3 hits apiece.

Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 26 of 27 shots in grinding it out for his 2nd win of the season, 2-3-3. He was 17 for 17 on even strength shots, and finished with a .963 Sv%.

With his goal, Daniel Sedin now has 18 points (9-9-18) in his last 16 games played.

Sven Baertschi extended his points streak to three games with a goal in three consecutive games, to go with his lone assist, for 4 points.

With his goal tonight, Baertschi matched his longest goal streak of three games that occurred March 11-15, 2012.

Bo Horvat, Jannik Hansen and Jared McCann had their points streaks come to an end tonight.

ROAD TRIP REVIEW……

Vancouver record: 2W-3L-1SO (GF:11; GA: 20)
Canucks had six different goal scorers:
- Jared McCann, Radim Vrbata, Sven Baertschi
- Henrik Sedin, Jannik Hansen, Daniel Sedin
Sven Baertschi and Jannik Hansen finished with 4 points each.
Shot leaders:
- Daniel Sedin: 24
- Radim Vrbata: 23
- Alex Edler: 20
Face-off win percentage:
- Alex Burrows: 77.8%
- Bo Horvat: 50.0%
Plus/Minus:
- Daniel Sedin: +4
- Henrik Sedin: +3
- Yannick Weber, Ben Hutton: +2
- Chris Higgins: -7; Alex Edler: -3
- Chris Tanev: -3;
- Matt Bartkowski: -3
- Alex Burrows: -3
Penalty Kill: 21 for 28, 75%; Power Play: 0 for 11, 0%.
Face-off win percentage: 39.3%
Shots For: 190; Shots Against: 199

GAME REVIEW

CANUCKS PLAYER STATS

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

Newly discovered windows of brain plasticity may help stress-related disorders

Posted on December 22, 2015 by CanucksBanter

A familiar stressor (left) did not increase NMDA receptors (dark spots), a booster of potentially harmful glutamate signaling, in the brains of mice. However, when subjected to an unfamiliar stress (right), mice expressed more NMDA receptors. Credit: Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology at The Rockefeller University/PNAS

Chronic stress can lead to changes in neural circuitry that leave the brain trapped in states of anxiety and depression. But even under repeated stress, brief opportunities for recovery can open up, according to new research at The Rockefeller University.

“Even after a long period of chronic stress, the brain retains the ability to change and adapt. In experiments with mice, we discovered the mechanism that alters expression of key glutamate-controlling genes to make windows of stress-related neuroplasticity–and potential recovery–possible,” says senior author Bruce McEwen, Alfred E. Mirsky Professor, and head of the Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology. Glutamate is a chemical signal implicated in stress-related disorders, including depression.

“This sensitive window could provide an opportunity for treatment, when the brain is most responsive to efforts to restore neural circuitry in the affected areas,” he adds.

The team, including McEwen and first author Carla Nasca, wanted to know how a history of stress could alter the brain’s response to further stress. To find out, they accustomed mice to a daily experience they dislike, confinement in a small space for a short period. On the 22nd day, they introduced some of those mice to a new stressor; others received the now-familiar confinement.

Then, the researchers tested both groups for anxiety- or depression-like behaviors. A telling split emerged: Mice tested shortly after the receiving the familiar stressor showed fewer of those behaviors; meanwhile those given the unfamiliar stressor, displayed more. The difference was transitory, however; by 24 hours after the final stressor, the behavioral improvements seen in half of the mice had disappeared.

Molecular analyses revealed a parallel fluctuation in a part of the hippocampus, a brain region involved in the stress response. A key molecule, mGlu2, which tamps down the release of the neurotransmitter glutamate, increased temporarily in mice subjected to the familiar confinement stress. Meanwhile, a molecular glutamate booster, NMDA, increased in other mice that experienced the unfamiliar stressor. In stress-related disorders, excessive glutamate causes harmful structural changes in the brain.

The researchers also identified the molecule regulating the regulator, an enzyme called P300. By adding chemical groups to proteins known as histones, which give support and structure to DNA, P300 increases expression of mGlu2, they found.

In other experiments, they looked at mice genetically engineered to carry a genetic variant associated with development of depression and other stress-related disorders in humans, and present in 33 percent of the population.

“Here again, in experiments relevant to humans, we saw the same window of plasticity, with the same up-then-down fluctuations in mGlu2 and P300 in the hippocampus,” Nasca says. “This result suggests we can take advantage of these windows of plasticity through treatments, including the next generation of drugs, such as acetyl carnitine, that target mGlu2–not to ‘roll back the clock’ but rather to change the trajectory of such brain plasticity toward more positive directions.”

source: Rockefeller University

Source: Newly discovered windows of brain plasticity may help stress-related disorders | Science Codex

NHL MORNING SKATE – DEC. 22, 2015

Posted on December 22, 2015 by CanucksBanter

NHL MORNING SKATE – DEC. 22, 2015

Welcome to the “NHL Morning Skate,” a daily collection of the latest news and notes from around the League.

ICE TRUCK ARRIVES AT GILLETTE STADIUM . . .

The NHL began its transformation of Gillette Stadium with Monday’s arrival of the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic Ice Plant presented by York. The custom-built 53-foot, 300-ton capacity truck – which houses the world’s largest mobile rink refrigeration unit – departed from the Hockey Hall of Fame last Tuesday, Dec. 15.

ICYMI: Click here to watch a live webcam of the rink build at Gillette Stadium.

. . . NHL ANNOUNCES WINTER CLASSIC PERFORMERS

The NHL announced its lineup of featured performers for the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, including Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Nate Ruess, alternative rock band American Authors, The Voice Season 9 winner Jordan Smith and musicians from the Boston Pops.

Click here for complete details.

SNEAK PEEK AT TUESDAY’S ACTION

All Times Eastern
St. Louis @ Boston, 7:00 p.m., FS-MW, NESN
Anaheim @ NY Rangers, 7:00 p.m., SN1, SNO, PRIME, FS-SD, MSG
New Jersey @ Detroit, 7:30 p.m., MSG+, FS-D+
Vancouver @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m., TVAS, SNP, SUN
Ottawa @ Florida, 7:30 p.m., TSN5, RDS2, FS-F
Montreal @ Minnesota, 8:00 p.m., NBCSN, SNE, RDS
Chicago @ Dallas, 8:30 p.m., CSN-CH, FS-SW+
Winnipeg @ Calgary, 9:00 p.m., TSN3, SNW
Toronto @ Arizona, 9:00 p.m., TSN4, FS-A
San Jose @ Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m., NBCSN, SN

10 GAMES HIGHLIGHT FINAL DAY BEFORE HOLIDAY BREAK

Ten games dot the schedule on the final day before the NHL takes its holiday break: NBCSN hosts a doubleheader, with the Canadiens (20-12-3, 43 points) looking to snap a four-game skid against the Wild (17-9-6, 40 points) and the Kings (20-10-2, 42 points) battling the intrastate rival Sharks (16-15-2, 34 points); the Panthers (18-12-4, 40 points), winners of four straight and 10 of their last 13, try to stay hot when they play the Senators (17-12-5, 39 points); former Chicago teammates Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya face their old club for the first time when the Stars (25-7-2, 52 points) meet the Blackhawks (20-11-4, 44 points); and the Ducks (12-15-5, 29 points) complete the second half of back-to-back games in New York when they visit the Rangers (19-12-4, 42 points).

REMINDER: The NHL’s holiday break runs from Wednesday, Dec. 23 – Friday, Dec. 25. There are no scheduled practices during that time. Dressing rooms also are closed.

MONDAY’S RESULTS

Home Team in Caps
NY ISLANDERS 5, Anaheim 2
PHILADELPHIA 4, St. Louis 3
PITTSBURGH 5, Columbus 2
Washington 2, CAROLINA 1
NASHVILLE 5, Montreal 1
Dallas 6, MINNESOTA 3
Toronto 7, COLORADO 4
EDMONTON 3, Winnipeg 1

CAPITALS, STARS KEEP PACE ATOP NHL STANDINGS

Both the Capitals (25-6-2, 52 points) and Stars (25-7-2, 52 points) – the top two teams in the NHL – earned wins on Monday to continue their franchise-best starts to the season and keep pace atop the League standings:

* Philipp Grubauer made 31 saves, including 12 in both the first and third periods, to backstop the Capitals to their sixth consecutive victory and a 13-1-1 record in their last 15 contests – a stretch that includes a pair of six-game winning streaks (also Nov. 21 – Dec. 3: 6-0-0). Washington last posted multiple winning streaks of six or more games in the same season in 2010-11 (Oct. 30 – Nov. 11: 6-0-0 and Feb. 26 – March 15: 9-0-0).
* The Stars scored four straight goals, including two in the final 90 seconds of the middle frame, to overcome a 2-0 deficit en route to their fifth victory in their past seven outings. Dallas has won each of its first three games against Minnesota this season, including one other in which they overcame a multi-goal deficit – on Nov. 28, the Stars erased a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Wild, 4-3 in overtime (also at MIN).

OILERS OUST JETS, EXTEND HOME WINNING STREAK TO SEVEN

The line of Teddy Purcell (2-1—3), Taylor Hall (0-3—3) and Leon Draisaitl (0-2—2) combined for 2-6—8 to power the Oilers to their seventh consecutive victory at Rexall Place, their longest home winning streak since Feb. 4 – March 2, 2008 (also 7-0-0).

* The Oilers’ seven-game home winning streak is one shy of equaling the franchise record, established Jan. 19 – Feb. 22, 1985 (8-0-0) and matched Feb. 24 – April 2, 1986 (8-0-0).
* Purcell registered his second three-point performance of the season (also Dec. 11 vs. NYR: 1-2—3) and first multi-goal game since March 20, 2014 at OTT (2-0—2 w/ TBL).
* Hall, who ranks fourth in the NHL with 15-24—39 this season (35 GP), recorded his 300th NHL point (121-181—302 in 334 GP). Only one other player from the 2010 NHL Draft has eclipsed 300 career points: Tyler Seguin (149-179—328 in 388 GP), who was drafted second overall (by BOS) behind Hall.
* Draisaitl raised his totals to 9-21—30 in 25 games this season. His average of 1.20 points per game ranks fourth in the League, behind Patrick Kane (1.43), Seguin (1.35) and Jamie Benn (1.32).

DID YOU KNOW?

The Oilers became the fourth team to post a home winning streak of seven or more games this season. Four clubs hold active home winning streaks of at least six games:

Longest Home Winning Streaks, 2015-16 Season
9 – Calgary Flames (Nov. 5 – Dec. 12)^
9 – New York Rangers (Oct. 19 – Nov. 23)
7 – Edmonton Oilers (Nov. 20 – Dec. 21)^
7 – Washington Capitals (Nov. 21 – Dec. 18)^
6 – Chicago Blackhawks (Oct. 10 – Nov. 2)
6 – Los Angeles Kings (Nov. 12 – Dec. 6)^
^ Active

FLYERS OVERCOME 3-0 DEFICIT TO CONTINUE CLIMB

The Blues raced to a 3-0 lead early in the second period, but the Flyers scored four unanswered goals – including the tiebreaker by Evgeny Medvedev with 3:13 remaining in regulation – to improve to 8-2-2 in their last 12 games.
* At 15-12-7 (37 points), the Flyers moved within two points of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference:

* Via Elias, the Flyers posted the ninth three-goal comeback win of the season. They last achieved that feat on Dec. 19, 2013, when Claude Giroux collected 2-2—4 to rally the club from 3-0 and 4-2 deficits en route to a 5-4 victory vs. CBJ.
* Four players – Wayne Simmonds (2-0—2), Chris VandeVelde (1-1—2), Shayne Gostisbehere (0-2—2) and Jakub Voracek (0-2—2) – registered multiple points. Voracek, who had 1-14—15 in his first 29 outings of the season, has 2-6—8 during a five-game point streak.

OFFENSIVE SURGES

Four other clubs joined the Stars with five or more goals in Monday wins:

* Jake Gardiner (0-4—4), Tyler Bozak (3-0—3), Leo Komarov (2-1—3) and James van Riemsdyk (1-2—3) combined for 6-7—13 to help the Maple Leafs extend their point streak to six games (4-0-2) and halt the Avalanche’s winning streak at five contests. Gardiner, who established career highs for assists and points in one game, became the first Maple Leafs defenseman to record four or more points in one contest since Jan. 7, 2011 at ATL (Tomas Kaberle: 0-4—4). Bozak posted his second career hat trick (also March 28 vs. OTT: 3-1—4), while Komarov registered his second consecutive three-point performance (also Saturday vs. LAK: 2-1—3).
* Four players – Shea Weber (1-2—3), Colin Wilson (1-2—3), Calle Jarnkrok (1-1—2) and Roman Josi (1-1—2) – picked up multiple points to lead the Predators to their second straight win overall as well as a 5-0-3 record in their past eight meetings with the Canadiens dating to Nov. 14, 2009 (MTL: 3-4-1). Weber, who ranks seventh among defensemen with 10-15—25 this season (34 GP), paces all skaters with 4-11—15 since the start of December (11 GP).
* Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin each scored twice and Nick Bonino and David Perron both collected two assists to help the Penguins snap a five-game skid (0-4-1). Pittsburgh posted its second five-goal game of the season (33 GP; also Dec. 1 at SJS: 5-1 W); the club had 12 such performances in 2014-15 (12-0-0 in those contests).
* The Islanders scored three straight goals in the first period – including two in the final minute of the frame – to overcome an early 1-0 deficit and snap a three-game skid (0-3-0). New York picked up its 11th victory of the season against Western Conference opponents (11-4-1); no other Eastern Conference team has a double-digit win total in that category.

MILESTONES & BENCHMARKS

* Mike Sullivan earned his first win as head coach of the Penguins (5 GP).
* Penguins goaltender Matthew Murray, who made his League debut on Saturday vs. CAR, stopped 22 shots for his first NHL win (2 GP).
* Defenseman David Warsofsky scored his first goal with the Penguins (10 GP).
* Jets defenseman Mark Stuart (600) and Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson (400) both played in milestone games.

LOOSE PUCKS

ICYMI: Hurricanes forward Kris Versteeg scored a highlight-reel, between-the-legs goal . . . Stars forward Tyler Seguin (1-1—2) registered his League-leading 14th multi-point game of the season (34 GP). He ranks second in the NHL with 19-27—46 overall, four points behind Patrick Kane (21-29—50 in 35 GP) . . . Capitals defenseman John Carlson collected one assist to extend his point streak to a career-high seven games (2-6—8). He shares fourth among defensemen with 6-21—27 overall (33 GP) . . . Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko saw his goal streak end at five games, but posted one assist to extend his point streak to six contests (5-5—10). He shares fifth in the NHL with 21-16—37 overall (34 GP) . . . Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne made 35 saves to improve to 5-1-1 in seven career appearances vs. MTL (1.28 GAA, .952 SV%, 2 SO) . . . Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon recorded his fifth goal of the season hours after agreeing to a four-year contract extension . . . The Department of Player Safety suspended Bruins forward Max Talbot for two games for interference against Devils forward Jiri Tlusty . . . Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov, Capitals forward T.J. Oshie and Wild captain Mikko Koivu were named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Dec. 20 . . . Minnesota native and former North Stars forward Neal Broten unveiled the jerseys the combined Wild and North Stars team will wear for the 2016 NHL Stadium Series Alumni Game that will be played at TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 20.

Vancouver Looks For Win In Tampa Bay In Final Game Of Road Trip

Posted on December 22, 2015 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff December 22, 2015

Updated: 2:37 pm PST

Henrik Sedin To Play

Vancouver (12-14-9) plays the last game of their six game road trip, when they face-off against Tampa Bay (17-14-3) tonight.

The Canucks will try to get on the winning track after a 5-4 shoot out loss to Florida on Sunday afternoon.

The Canucks did not lack offense with Jannnick Hansen, Sven Baertschi, Derek Dorsett and Daniel Sedin all scoring. Ryan Miller allowed four goals on 42 shots and left the game because of cramps in favor of Jacob Markstrom who took the loss in the shoot out.

Henrik Sedin will be in the lineup tonight as he was cleared after practice to play.

Sedin has missed the past two games with a lower-body injury but was a full participant in the Canucks’ optional morning skate and said he’s ready to go.

“[The injury is] much better and I should be good tonight,” Sedin said. “You never want to test something in a game. I’m going in there feeling 100 percent.”

Sedin said he should record his normal minutes and will have his usual role on his line and on the power play.

Vancouver recalled goalie Joe Cannata from Utica Comets as Ryan Miller will not back-up tonight, coach Willie Desjardins told reporters today.

Jacob Markstrom will in net tonight, with Cannata as his backup.

Markstrom has been in 9 games this seasons and has a record of 1-1-3 with a 2.76 GAA and a .911 Sv%.

Chris Higgins did not skate today, and will not be in the lineup tonight.

Vancouver sits in 3rd place in the Pacific division of the Western Conference with 33 points, a point behind San Jose in 2nd spot, and a single points ahead of Arizona, Calgary and Edmonton. Anaheim is 4 points out of a playoff spots.

Five points separate Nos. 2-7 in the Pacific division.

Tampa Bay enters the game after a 5-2 win at Amalie Arena against the Ottawa Senators, their third win in a row. Steven Stamkos scored two times while Mike Angelidis, Nikita Nesterov and Alex Killorn also scored. Ben Bishop put in a 23 save effort for the win.

Tampa Bay occupies 6th in the Atlantic division of the Eastern Conference, with 37 points, four points behind Detroit in 3rd spot and a playoff position.

Five points separate Nos. 2-6 in the Atlantic position.

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

Point Streaks going into the game tonight:

JARED MCCANN (1-1-2 / 2 Games)

JANNIK HANSEN (1-2-3 / 2 Games) BO HORVAT (0-2-2/ 2 Games)

SVEN BAERTSCHI (2-1-3 / 2 Games)
Sven Baertschi has goals in consecutive games for the first time this season. He last had a goal in consecutive games from Apr. 13-15/13. His

longest goal streak is three games from Mar. 11-15/12.
Bo Horvat has recorded an assist in consecutive games for the second time this season (he previously had an assist in consecutive games from Nov. 21-22/15). Last season, Horvat had an assist in two consecutive games on three separate occasions.
Jared McCann has two points (1-1-2) over the past two games. It is the first time he has recorded at least a point in consecutive games in his career.
Ryan Miller earned his 54th career shootout victory on Dec. 18 at DET. It is the most by any goaltender in NHL history.
Daniel Sedin has 17 points (8-9-17) in his last 15 games played. He currently leads the team in points (35), goals (15), ppg (5) and ppp (13), gwg (3), shots (129) and is second in assists (20).
The Canucks have gone two straight games where they have scored three or more goals (first time since Nov. 8-10)
Vancouver has a .667 win percentage when scoring three or more goals (10-1-4)
Vancouver has had 121 power play opportunities to date, the second most of any team in the League; 68 of these opportunities have been drawn on the road
The Canucks are 15th in the League in blocked shots with 469 and sixth in shots for with 1043

Here are the projected lineups:

CANUCKS

Daniel Sedin – Henrik Sedin – Jannik Hansen

Sven Baertschi – Bo Horvat – Alexandre Burrows

Ronalds Kenins – Jared McCann – Radim Vrbata

Derek Dorsett – Adam Cracknell – Brandon Prust

Alexander Edler – Christopher Tanev

Yannick Weber – Ben Hutton

Alex Biega – Matt Bartkowski

Jacob Markstrom

Joe Cannata

Injured: Chris Higgins (undisclosed), Ryan Miller (cramps), Luca Sbisa (hand), Brandon Sutter (sports hernia surgery), Dan Hamhuis (facial fracture)

Scratched: Andrey Pedan

LIGHTNING

Vladislav Namestnikov – Steven Stamkos – Nikita Kucherov

Alex Killorn – Valtteri Filppula – Ryan Callahan

Jonathan Marchessault – Cedric Paquette – Erik Condra

Mike Angelidis – Mike Blunden

Victor Hedman – Anton Stralman

Jason Garrison – Andrej Sustr

Matthew Carle – Braydon Coburn

Nikita Nesterov

Ben Bishop

Kristers Gudlevskis

Injured: Ondrej Palat (undisclosed), Tyler Johnson (undisclosed), Jonathan Drouin (lower body), Joel Vermin (hand surgery), Brian Boyle (upper body)

Scratched: Tanner Richard

SEASON SNAPSHOT

CANUCKS PLAYERS STATS

LIGHTNING PLAYERS STATS

CANUCKS-LIGHTNING AT A GLANCE

Statistics courtesy of NHL, Vancouver Canucks and SportingCharts, with thanks.

One of two Canadians prefer Trudeau as PM, unsure in second (ending December 18, 2015)

Posted on December 22, 2015 by CanucksBanter

Nanos Weekly Leadership Tracking

Preferred Prime Minister – The latest Nanos weekly tracking on the preferred Prime Minister front suggests that 50.2% of Canadians prefer Trudeau, 17.4% are currently unsure (a 12 month high), 13.0% prefer Mulcair, 12.9% prefer Ambrose and 5.1% prefer May.

Qualities of a Good Political Leader – Asked a series independent questions for each federal party leader, 69.3% of Canadians believe Trudeau has the qualities of a good political leader followed by Mulcair at 53.8%, May at 41.8%, and Ambrose at 27.1%.

The team at Nanos in conjunction with Klipfolio have launched our new live political data portal where you run the numbers you want and can explore the trends and data you need. This is part of our campaign, not only to provide the most reliable data to Canadians but to let them use it as they wish. We were the first to do nightly tracking and now we are the first research organization to post live public opinion data for Canadians.

We were the first to do nightly tracking and now we are the first research organization to post live public opinion data for Canadians. Here’s the link to check it out

To view the detailed tracking visit our website.

Methodology

The views of 1,000 respondents are compiled into a party power brand index for each party that goes from 0 to 100, where 0 means that the party has no brand power and 100 means it has maximum brand power. A score above 50 is an indication of brand power for the party and its leader at this time.

The important factors in this weekly tracking include the direction of the brand strength or weakness and also the brand power of one federal party relative to another.

The data is based on random telephone interviews with 1,000 Canadians, using a four week rolling average of 250 respondents each week, 18 years of age and over. The random sample of 1,000 respondents may be weighted by age and gender using the latest census information for Canada, and the sample is geographically stratified to be representative of Canada.

The interviews are compiled into a four week rolling average of 1,000 interviews where each week, the oldest group of 250 interviews is dropped and a new group of 250 interviews is added. The current wave of tracking is based on a four-week rolling average of 1,000 Canadians (250 per week) ending December 18th.

A random telephone survey of 1,000 Canadians is accurate 3.1 percentage points, plus or minus, 19 times out of 20.

All references or use of this data must cite “Nanos Party Power Index” as the source.

Nanos Party Power Index Data Summary for period ending December 18th, 2015:

Andrew Phillip Chernoff

The Outer Limits To The Inner Depths

Vancouver Go Home Winners, Defeat Tampa Bay 2-1

CANUCKS TAKE 5 OF 6 POINTS IN FINAL 3 GAMES OF 6 GAME ROAD TRIP

GAME REVIEW

CANUCKS PLAYER STATS

Newly discovered windows of brain plasticity may help stress-related disorders

NHL MORNING SKATE – DEC. 22, 2015

Vancouver Looks For Win In Tampa Bay In Final Game Of Road Trip

Henrik Sedin To Play

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

SEASON SNAPSHOT

CANUCKS PLAYERS STATS

LIGHTNING PLAYERS STATS

CANUCKS-LIGHTNING AT A GLANCE

One of two Canadians prefer Trudeau as PM, unsure in second (ending December 18, 2015)