Vancouver Looks To Bounce Back Against Carolina In Game Two Of Road Trip

Posted on January 15, 2016 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff January 15, 2016

The Vancouver Canucks (17-17-10) play the second game of their 6-game road trip tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes ( 20-18-7) at PNC Arena.

The Canucks will go for their third consecutive season sweep of the Hurricanes, while Carolina will try for their 5th win in a row against.

In their last game, Vancouver visited the Washington Capitals in the first game of their road trip last night at Verizon Center. The Canucks brought a 2-0-1 record in their last three games on the road into the game, looking for a third road victory in 4 games, and to end the Capitals 10 game home winning streak.

VANCOUVER, BC – JANUARY 6: Kris Versteeg #32 of the Carolina Hurricanes reaches to check Jared McCann #91 of the Vancouver Canucks during their NHL game at Rogers Arena January 6, 2016 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 3-2. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

But alas, it was not to be, as Vancouver, lost a tough one on the chin, 4 to 1, to the top team in the NHL, the Washington Capitals (33-7-3), who extended their consecutive winning streak at home to 11 straight games.

Radim Vrbata, had his second goal in his last 15 games; Bo Horvat, picked up his 7th point in 5 consecutive games (4-3=7); and Henrik Sedin, got his 28th assist of the season, his 7th assist in his last 10 games; his 3rd assist in two consecutive games. Ryan Miller, stopped 36 of 39 shots for a .923 Sv% for the Canucks.

Jacob Markstrom, who got the win against Carolina in Vancouver, will start against the Hurricanes. He has a 2.13 GAA and is 3-1-1 in his last five games, which includes the win against the Hurricanes.

“I look forward to facing them again. They’ll be fresh in our memory from when we saw them last week.”—Jacob Markstrom on Canucks Twitter.

Jared McCann will be in the lineup in place of Derek Dorsett who has the flu.

Taylor Fedun will his Canucks debut tonight in place of Yannick Weber.

“I’ve had lots of ups and downs which have allowed me to get where I am today. I’m reallly looking forward to tonight.”—Tyler Fedun on Canucks Twitter.

CANUCK JOTTINGS

Bo Horvat has 4 goals, 3 assists in his last five games, including 2 power play goals.
Since the start of the calendar year, Horvat ranks t-sixth in the NHL in goals scored (4) and is t-fourth in points (7).
Canucks are averaging 2.41 goals per game. For an 82 game schedule the estimate is Vancouver will finish with 198 goals. The least number of goals ever scored by a Vancouver team in a full season of 82 games are 192 by the 1998-99 Canucks.
In his last 13 games, Horvat has a FOW% of 50.4 percent (131 FOW and 124 FOL); 29 shots, 10 hits, 6 takeaways, 11 blocked shots; 2 PPG; 3 PPP; 9 PTS (4 G-5 A=9 PTS); and a 13.8 shooting percentage.
Canucks penalty kill is a killer at 26 for 29, 89.7 percent in their last 11 home games. And 34 for 40 in their last 12 games overall, 85.0 percent.
Vancouver has points in 12 of its last 21 (8-9-4=20 pts) & 15 of its last 27 games (10-12-5=25 pts).
Vancouver is 8 for 56, 14.3 percent in their last 19 games overall since December 1, 2015, with the man advantage (6 for 38, 15.8 percent at home in 11 games since December 1).
Captain Henrik Sedin is 6 games played from tying Trevor Linden (1140) for most games played in a Canucks uniform. Henrik has skated in 1,134 career regular season games and also ranks first in franchise history in points (952), assists (732), and plus/minus (+225).
Daniel Sedin tied Markus Naslund (346) for first all-time in franchise goals on January 11 against Florida. In the goals department, Daniel ranks first in franchise history in power play goals (121), game-winning goals (77), and overtime goals (14).
Vancouver has had 147 power play opportunities to date, tied for the 3rd most of any team in the League; 72 of these opportunities have been drawn on the road, 8th in the NHL.
The Canucks conclude their seventh of 13 back-to-back series this season with tonight’s game versus Carolina. Thus far, the Canucks have gone 5-5-3 in back-to-backs this season including a record of 2-4-1 in the first game and 3-1-2 in the second game. Last season, Vancouver played in 12 back-to-back series. They posted a 15-8-1 record in those series going 10-2-0 in the first game and 5- 6-1 in the second game.
Henrik and Daniel Sedin have played in 590 wins together. They have been Vancouver’s top two scorers every season since 2006.07. According to ESB, since 1990.91 the only pairs of teammates to play in more wins together are Niklas Lidstrom and Kris Draper (664); and Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom (599).
Alex Edler surpassed Garth Butcher for 13th (611) for most games played in franchise history, against the Washington Capitals on January 14, 2016.
Henrik Sedin is 2 ppg from tying Ryan Kesler (61) for ninth all-time in franchise ppg
Alex Edler is 2 goals from tying Sami Salo (74) for third all-time amongst defencemen in franchise goals
According to Elias Sports, with their win on Jan. 11 vs FLA, the Canucks became the first NHL team to end streak of two opponents, each streak of 9+ games, before Feb. 1 of a season
Vancouver has scored a power play goal in five straight games; they have gone 5 for 16 during that stretch, 31.3 percent.
Alex Edler leads the team in time on ice per game (24:35) and has led the team in that category in 39 of 43 games he’s played, including 21 games where he’s led all skaters in TOI. He currently ranks 17th in the NHL in TOI/GP.
Chris Tanev leads the team and ranks seventh in the League in blocked shots with 101. His defence partner Alex Edler ranks t- 12th in the NHL with 93 blocked shots.
Jacob Markstrom made a career-high eight consecutive starts from Dec. 22 – Jan. 11. He has posted a record of 5-2-1 and a goals against average of 2.19 and .927 save % during that stretch.
Canucks players aged 23 or younger that have appeared in the lineup thus far (Baertschi, Horvat, Hutton, Virtanen, McCann, Gaunce, Shinkaruk, and Etem) have accounted for 21.2% of points (59), 22.3% of goals (23), 20.6% of assists (36), and 21.2% of shots (271) for the team this season.

In the jammed Pacific division, except for top spot held by the Los Angeles Kings, positions 2nd thru 6th are wide open for the taking, and the Canucks have been making a steady upward move in the standings towards one of the two remaining playoff spots in the division. They are 5 points out of 2nd and 2 points from 3rd place; 1 point ahead of Anaheim in 5th; 2 points in front of Calgary in 6th.

In their last game, Carolina brought a three-game winning streak – all divisional victories – into a cross-conference game in St. Louis with an injury plagued Blues team last night . After back-to-back wins against Columbus, and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Hurricanes defeated the St. Louis Blues for their 4rth straight win, 4-1 at Scottrade Center on Thursday night.

Brett Pesce, Brock McGinn and Riley Nash scored for the Hurricanes; Jeff Skinner had a goal and an assist and goalie Eddie Lack made 23 saves.

The Hurricanes have earned points in 7 of its 8 games, are 7-2-2 in their last 11 games and are 12-5-3 in their last 20 games.

According to Canucks.nhl.com, Cam Ward may get the chance to extend Carolina’s winning streak to five games after Eddie Lack made 23 saves in a 4-1 victory at the St. Louis Blues.

CAROLINA HURRICANE NOTES

The line consisting of Eric Staal, Kris Versteeg and Elias Lindholm have points in three of the last four games.
Skinner is tied for third among all NHL skaters in game-winning goals and ranks tied for sixth among all NHL skaters in even-strength goals (14).
In the 20 games since Carolina started using an all-American blueline full-time, the Hurricanes are 12-5-3 and the defensemen have accounted for 46 points (13g, 33a).
With their win on Thursday at STL, the Hurricanes moved to 20-18-7 on the season. It marks the first time since the conclusion of the 2013-14 season that the team has posted an above-.500 record (36-35-11). The last time the Hurricanes were two games above .500 was after a 4-1 win vs. DAL on April 3, 2014 (34-32-11).
The Carolina Hurricanes lead all NHL teams in total takeaways (404). Carolina forward Jeff Skinner leads all Hurricanes skaters in takeaways with 45 so far this season. Skinner ranks second among all NHL skaters in total takeaways. Carolina rookie defensemen Brett Pesce (20), Noah Hanifin (16) and Jaccob Slavin (14) rank among the top five NHL rookie defensemen in takeaways.
Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk was selected on Thursday to represent the Metropolitan Division in the 2016 NHL All-Star Game in Nashville. Faulk ranks second in the league in power-play goals (12), and was the first player in the history of the NHL to score his
first 12 goals of the season on the power play. Faulk is tied for the most power-play goals by a defenseman in a season in franchise history (Risto Siltanen; 1983-84).
The Carolina Hurricanes rank second in the NHL in faceoff win percentage (53.3). Hurricanes blueliner Noah Hanifin ranks first among NHL rookie defensemen (sixth overall) in power-play ice time (88:07).
Point Streaks
JEFF SKINNER (2-1-3 / 2 Games)

In the tight Metropolitan division, except for top spot held by the Washington Capitals, positions 2nd thru 7th are wide open for the taking, and Carolina has been making a steady upward move in the standings towards one of the two remaining playoff spots in the division. They are 6 points out of 2nd; 4 points from 3rd place, and tied for a share of 4rth with New Jersey, going into the game tonight.

WESTERN CONFERENCE WILD CARD STANDINGS

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE STANDINGS

2015-2016 VANCOUVER CANUCKS VS ALL TEAMS

CANUCKS PLAYER STATS

HURRICANES PLAYER STATS

STATISTICS COURTESY OF THE NHL AND VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Canucks Lose; Capitals Extend Home Winning Streak, With 4-1 Win

Posted on January 14, 2016 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff January 14, 2016

Vancouver visited the Washington Capitals in the first game of their 6-game road trip last night at Verizon Center. The Canucks brought a 2-0-1 record in their last three games on the road into the game, looking for a third victory in 4 games.

For the third time this season, Vancouver had a chance to spoil a teams long consecutive winning streak. First, it was the Montreal Canadians in October (9 games). Then, the the Florida Panthers on Monday night (12 games). Washington was in the midst of a 10 game winning streak at home last night.

But alas, it was not to be, as Vancouver (17-17-10), lost a tough one on the chin, 4 to 1, to the top team in the NHL, the Washington Capitals (33-7-3), who extended their consecutive winning streak at home to 11 straight games.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 14: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals is poses after being presented a commemorative hockey stick by Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis in honor of his 500th career NHL goal before playing the Vancouver Canucks at Verizon Center on January 14, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 14: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals poses after being presented a commemorative hockey stick by Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis in honor of his 500th career NHL goal before playing the Vancouver Canucks at Verizon Center on January 14, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Evgeny Kuznetsov had two goals and an assist, and had a plus/minus of +4 for the Capitals; Andre Burakovsky, checked in with 2 assists; Braden Holtby, stopped 29 of 30 shots, for a .967 Sv%, for the top team in the NHL.

Vancouver was handed their 3rd loss in the last 11 games, going to 6-3-2 in the span. And their first loss in their last four road games (2-1-1).

Radim Vrbata, had his second goal in his last 15 games; Bo Horvat, picked up his 6th point in 4 consecutive games (4-2=6); and Henrik Sedin, got his 28th assist of the season, his 7th assist in his last 10 games; his 3rd assist in two consecutive games. Ryan Miller, stopped 36 of 39 shots for a .923 Sv% for the Canucks.

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 14: Sven Baertschi #47 of the Vancouver Canucks skates with the puck past Zach Sill #23 of the Washington Capitals in the second period during a game at Verizon Center on January 14, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)

Sven Baertschi would have his consecutive points streak come to an end at 2 games (2-1=3).

The Capitals and Canucks played to a scoreless first period, with Vancouver goalie Ryan Miller making some great stops in his first game back from a groin injury.

After one period:

Washington out shot the Canucks 13 to 8. The Capitals had 8 giveaways to the Canucks 3.
Vancouver had 3 takeaways to Washington’s 1. Canucks had 8 blocked shots to the Capitals 5.
Vancouver ruled the face-off circle, going 7 for 12, 58.3 percent. Adam Cracknell was 2 for 2 on face-offs; Bo Horvat, 3 for 5.
Newcomer Emerson Etem led Canucks in shots with 3. Alex Biega had 4 blocked shots.
Four of the top six players in TOI for Canucks, were defensemen: Biega, Tanev, Edler, Bartkowski.

In the second period, the Canucks on a sloppy change, and Washington on a 3 on 2, led to the opening goal of the game by the Capitals, after Vancouver killed off a penalty to Alex Edler, 13 seconds earlier.

Evgeny Kuznetsov, with his 14th goal, on a backhand shot, assisted by Dmitry Orlov (12) at 6:12, 1-0 Washington. The 8th consecutive game Vancouver has given up the first goal.

The Capitals took a 2-0 lead at 12:03, when a shot by Karl Alzner went off Radim Vrbata’s stick and off the post on Miller’s blocker side.

Alzner, his 3rd goal, on a slapshot, from Andrew Burakovsky (9) and Justin Williams (15).

Canucks penalty kill came into the game, 32 for 38 in their last 11 games overall, 84.2 percent, and killed two penalties in the period, to improve that stat, 34 for 40, 85 percent.

Vancouver was 0 for 1 on the power play in the period.

After two periods:

Washington outshot the Canucks 15 to 14, 28 to 22 overall. The Capitals out hit the Canucks 12 to 4.
Vancouver had 8 takeaways to Washington’s 3. Canucks had 14 blocked shots to the Capitals 11.
Washington ruled the face-off circle, going 16 for 31, 51.6 percent. Newcomer Emerson Etem and Adam Cracknell led Canucks in shots with 4; Bo Horvat, with 3. Alex Biega had 5 blocked shots; Ben Hutton, 4.
Five of the top six players in TOI for Canucks, were defensemen: Biega, Tanev, Edler, Bartkowski and Hutton.

The Capitals were determined to put an exclamation on their desire to continue their consecutive home winning streak, as they scored just under the two minute mark of the final period, as the Canucks were under siege.

Tom Wilson, his 4rth goal of the season, on a wrist shot, at 1:37, assisted by Evgeny Kuznetsov (26) and Andre Burakovsky (10).

The Canucks were looking to avoid being shut out for the 6th time in their last 20 games. And they were handed a great opportunity with a power play when Marcus Johansson was sent off for holding Alex Burrows at 9:10. The power play received a bonus, a two-man advantage, when Brooks Laich received a penalty for high sticking Alex Burrows at 9:55.

Radim Vrbata, with his 11th of the season, would score on the power play with the two-man advantage at 11:09, from Bo Horvat (11) and Henrik Sedin (28). That would be it for the power play though. The Canucks power play would end up being 1 for 3.

With Vrbata’s power play goal, Vancouver made it five straight games they have scored at least one power play goal, going 5 for 16 during that stretch.

After sticking close with the Capitals on face-off draws in the game, the Canucks hit the skids in the final period with the Capitals winning 11 of 13 at one point.

With 2:13 left in the game, Miller was pulled for a 6th attacker for the Canucks in an attempt to pull within a goal of the Capitals. Miller would have to return due to a Canucks icing call, with 1:14 to go in the game. And then return for another icing with a minute left. With 48 seconds left, Burrows came out on the ice as the 6th attacker.

In the end, the Capitals would make it 4-1, on an empty net goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov, his 15 of the season, second of the game, at 19:59, unassisted.

The Canucks continue to sit in 4rth spot in the Pacific division, 2 points out of 3rd, and 5 points out of 2nd place, in the fight for a playoff position.

GAME REVIEW

CANUCKS PLAYERS STATS

WESTERN CONFERENCE WILD CARD STANDINGS

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE STANDINGS

STATISTICS COURTESY OF THE NHL AND VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Vancouver Visits Washington In First Of Six On Road

Posted on January 14, 2016 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff January 14, 2016

The Vancouver Canucks (17-16-10) play the first game of a 6-game road trip tonight against the Washington Capitals ( 32-7-3) tonight at Verizon Center.

Canucks mission, as self serving as it is, once again, end the Capitals 10 consecutive game winning streak at Verizon Center.

In their last game, Vancouver would once again be spoilers to a team coming into Rogers Place on a long consecutive winning streak (first victim this season, the Montreal Canadians).

The Florida Panthers on Monday night, in an exciting game, had their 12 consecutive game winning streak come to an end, in unlucky game “13”, as the Canucks, in a come from behind win, defeated Florida 3-2 in overtime.

Jacob Markstrom, the Sedins and the youngsters, led the way. Daniel Sedin had two goals, including the overtime winner; Jake Virtanen, with his first goal since returning to the lineup on Saturday night against Tampa Bay; Henrik Sedin with two assists; and Jacob Markstrom, stopped 26 of 28 shots for a .929 Sv%.

Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi had their point streaks continue, with an assist each on Jake Virtanen’s goal. Horvat now has 4 goals and 2 assists in his last 4 games; Baertschi, 2 goals and 2 assists in his last 3 games.

Daniel Sedin will set a Canucks record with his next goal as he tied Markus Naslund on Monday night with his 346th goal all-time for the Canucks.

Breaking Washington’s home consecutive winning streak, would give Vancouver their 7th win in 11 games (6-2-2 in last 10) and their 3rd win on the road in their last four games (2-0-1 in last 3) tonight.

In the Canucks last 6-game road trip in December, Vancouver was 2-3-1, with 11 goals for and 20 goals against. The power play was 0 for 11, while their penalty kill was 21 for 28 (75%). And their face-off win percentage stunk at 39.3 percent.

Vancouver started that road trip with three straight losses before turning things around in the final three games, going 2-0-1, getting 5 out of a possible 6 points, coming back home to begin a long 7 game home stand, in which they were 4-2-1.

The Canucks are looking for better performances from the players on this road trip, and desperately need two point wins, not single point losses. Been there. Done that. Time to rack up wins.

In their last game, the Capitals defeated the Ottawa Senators 7-1 on Sunday to improve their record to 32-7-3 this season, tops in the NHL in points and wins.

Washington’s 32-7-3 record makes it the team’s best start, in points and wins, in franchise history.

Washington are the sixth team in NHL history to win 32 or more of their first 42 games in a season, joining Boston (1929-30: 36), Montreal (1944-45: 33), Chicago (2012-13: 33), San Jose (2008-09: 32) and Pittsburgh (2012-13: 32).

Ryan Miller will start tonight for the Canucks against the Capitals. It will be his first start since his December 20 start against the Florida Panthers, when he left the game with a groin injury. Miller dressed as the backup the last two games.

VANCOUVER, BC – OCTOBER 22: Ryan Miller #30 of the Vancouver Canucks makes a save on Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals during their NHL game at Rogers Arena October 22, 2015 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Washington won 3-2. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Canucks will have to find a way to neutralize Alex Ovechkin, who recently reached the 500 goal club. When asked about Ovechkin’s ability to score any where in the offensive end on Wednesday, Ryan Miller had this to say:

It’s usualy defense by committee with him out there. Everybody needs to be challenging him; everybody needs to be aware of it

Forward Jannik Hansen and defenseman Luca Sbisa skated at practice Wednesday and each is close to returning to the lineup, coach Willie Desjardins said.

Hansen has missed the past two games with an upper-body injury; Sbisa has missed 17 straight with a hand injury.

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

Bo Horvat has 4 goals, 2 assists in his last four games, including 2 power play goals.
Canucks are averaging 2.37 goals per game. For an 82 game schedule the estimate is Vancouver will finish with 194 goals. The least number of goals ever scored by a Vancouver team in a full season of 82 games are 192 by the 1998-99 Canucks.
In his last 12 games, Horvat has a FOW% of 51.4 percent (131 FOW and 124 FOL); 21 shots, 10 hits, 5 takeaways, 11 blocked shots; 2 PPG; 3 PPP; 8 PTS (4 G-4 A=8 PTS); and a 16.0 shooting percentage.
Canucks penalty kill is a killer at 26 for 29, 89.7 percent in their last 11 home games. And 32 for 38 in their last 11 games overall, 84.2 percent.
Vancouver has points in 12 of its last 20 (8-8-4=20 pts) & 15 of its last 26 games (10-11-5=25 pts).
Vancouver is 7 for 53, 13.2 percent in their last 18 games overall since December 1, 2015, with the man advantage (6 for 38, 15.8 percent at home in 11 games since December 1).
Captain Henrik Sedin is 8 games played from tying Trevor Linden (1140) for most games played in a Canucks uniform. Henrik has skated in 1,132 career regular season games and also ranks first in franchise history in points (949), assists (729), and plus/minus (+224).
Daniel Sedin tied Markus Naslund (346) for first all-time in franchise goals on January 11 against Florida. In the goals department, Daniel ranks first in franchise history in power play goals (121), game-winning goals (77), and overtime goals (14).
Vancouver has had 144 power play opportunities to date, tied for the 4rth most of any team in the League; 69 of these opportunities have been drawn on the road, tied for 9th in the NHL.
The Canucks begin their seventh of 13 back-to-back series this season with tonight’s game versus Washington. Thus far, the Canucks have gone 5-4-3 in six previous series this season including a record of 2-3-1 in the first game and 3-1-2 in the second game. Last season, Vancouver played in 12 back-to-back series. They posted a 15-8-1 record in those series going 10-2-0 in the first game and 5-6-1 in the second game.
Henrik and Daniel Sedin have played in 590 wins together. They have been Vancouver’s top two scorers every season since 2006.07. According to ESB, since 1990.91 the only pairs of teammates to play in more wins together are Niklas Lidstrom and Kris Draper (664); and Lidstrom and
Tomas Holmstrom (599).
Alex Edler is 1 game from surpassing Garth Butcher in 13th (610) for most games played in franchise history
Henrik Sedin is 2 ppg from tying Ryan Kesler (61) for ninth all-time in franchise ppg
Alex Edler is 2 goals from tying Sami Salo (74) for third all-time amongst defencemen in franchise goals
According to Elias Sports, with their win on Jan. 11 vs FLA, the Canucks became the first NHL team to end streak of two opponents, each streak of 9+ games, before Feb. 1 of a season
Vancouver has scored a power play goal in four straight games; they have gone 4 for 13 during that stretch

The Canucks sit in 4rth place of the Pacific division of the Western Conference, tied for 3rd place with San Jose, with 44 points. Canucks are 4 points behind Arizona who occupy 2nd place and with Los Angeles in top spot, 13 points ahead of Vancouver. Anaheim is in 5th place, with 43 points; Calgary in 6th with 42 points. Edmonton is in 7th and last spot, with 38 points.

The Capitals aim for a fifth straight win in their first game against a Western Conference opponent since Dec. 5.

“I’m looking forward to the Canucks,” says Caps coach Barry Trotz. “They’re playing really well right now. They come hard. They’re a hard team, they forecheck hard. They’ve got a good power play. The Sedins I’ve seen, [and they’ve] been fantastic for years and it will be good to play someone out of the conference we don’t know that well, so we’ll spend some time trying to dissect them a little bit.”

Source: http://dumpnchase.monumentalnetwork.com/2016/01/13/caps-clash-with-canucks

It’s been more than a month since the Capitals have faced a Western Conference opponent, and it’s been 50 days since the Caps have entertained a Western club at Verizon Center.

Braden Holtby will start in goal for the Capitals.

Braden Holtby is 19-0-1 with two shutouts, a 1.80 GAA and a .938 save pct. when the Capitals are playing on one day’s rest. Alex Ovechkin has scored 17 goals (of his total of 26) in the 22 such games in which he has played.

The Capitals are at the top of the league and the Metropolitan division, with 67 points. They have a comfortable 16 point lead on the New York Rangers and Islanders, who occupy 2nd and 3rd place with 51 points each. New Jersey, with 47 points and Pittsburgh with 46 points, sit in 4th and 5th positions respectively. Philadelphia and Carolina, are in 6th and 7th spots, with 45 points each. Columbus brings up 8 and last place, with 36 points.

CAPITALS 10-GAME HOME WINNING STREAK

Washington has won 10 consecutive games at Verizon Center (11/21-1/10), marking the second-longest home winning streak in the NHL this season (Calgary: 11) and the Capitals longest home winning streak since they won a franchise-record 13 consecutive games during the 2009-10 season (1/5/10-3/6/10: 13-0-0).
Washington has outscored its opponents 41-18 in its last 10 home games and is 12 for 32 (37.5%) on the power play during that span.
Capitals are 16-3-1 at home this season and have earned a point in 14 of their last 15 games at home (10/30-1/10: 13-1-1).
Washington leads the NHL in home point percentage (.825), ranks second in goals per game (3.35), goals against per game (2.05) and power-play percentage (30.6), seventh in penalty kill percentage (86.8%), ninth in shots per game (32.2) and tied for ninth in shots against per game (27.5) at home this season.
Goaltender Braden Holtby ranks second in the NHL in wins (14), goals against average (1.88) and save percentage (.931) on home ice. Alex Ovechkin ranks tied for second in the NHL in goals (16) at home and leads the team in home points (22).

WASHINGTON CAPITALS NOTES

Forward Marcus Johansson returns to the lineup after missing two games as the result of a suspension for an illegal check.
Defenseman Brooks Orpik, who hasn’t played since Nov. 10 because of a lower-body injury, resumed skating Wednesday.
Ovechkin has five goals in his past three games.
The Capitals host the Vancouver Canucks at Verizon Center on Thursday in the second and final meeting between the teams this season. Washington defeated Vancouver 3-2 on Oct. 22 in the team’s last meeting. The Capitals are 41-39-9-1 all-time against the Canucks and 24-17-4-0 at home against Vancouver.
Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby made 23 saves on Jan. 9 against the Rangers to earn his 128th NHL/Capitals win, tying Don Beaupre for second place on the franchise wins list. Holtby has posted a 19-0-2 record in his last 22 games with two shutouts, a 1.89 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Holtby is the fourth goaltender in the last 20 seasons to post a point streak of 20 games or more, joining Chris Osgood (1995-96: 19-0-2), Jose Theodore (2009-10: 20-0-3) and Roberto Luongo (2010-11: 16-0-5).
The Capitals have posted an 11-0-2 record against Canadian teams this season and a 6-0-1 record at home against teams from Canada. In addition, Washington has outscored Canadian teams 46-25 this season and has earned a point in 15 straight games against Canadian opponents dating back to last season (12-0-3).
The Capitals scored two power-play goals on Sunday against Ottawa, marking the 10th time this season Washington has scored two or more power-play goals in a game. In addition, Washington is 20-0-2 this season in games when it scores a power-play goal. The Capitals are 34 for 128 (26.6%) on the power play this season, ranking second in the NHL.
Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner has played in 418 consecutive games (10/8/10-01/10/16), marking the second-longest consecutive games played streak in franchise history. Alzner sits five games shy of passing Bob Carpenter (422) for first place.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

The Canucks 6-game road trip will be visiting Eastern Conference opponents:

Tonight, January 14 against the Washington Captials
Friday, January 15 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Sunday, January 17 against the New York Islanders
Tuesday, January 19 against the New York Rangers
Thursday, January 21 against the Boston Bruins
Saturday, January 23 against the Pittsburgh Penguins

COMING INTO TONIGHT…….

POINT STREAKS:

DANIEL SEDIN (2-0-2/ 1 Game

HENRIK SEDIN (0-2-2/ 1 Game

SVEN BAERTSCHI (2-1-3 / 2 Games)

BO HORVAT (4-1-5 / 3 Games)

CANUCKS AND NHL PLAYERS STATS:

Alex Edler is tied for 16th in the NHL in TOI/G with 24:35.
Jannick Hansen is tied for 32rd in the NHL in plus/minus with a +11.
Daniel Sedin is tied for 32nd in the NHL in plus/minus with a +11
Henrik Sedin is tied for 32nd in the NHL in plus/minus with a +11.
Bo Horvat is tied for 1rst in the NHL in negative plus/minus with a -20.
Radim Vrbata is tied for 6th in the NHL in negative plus/minus with a -14.

Daniel Sedin is tied for 11th in NHL scoring with 40 points (19-21=40).
Henrik Sedin is tied for 24th in NHL scoring with 36 points (9-27=36).
Henrik Sedin is tied for 7th in the NHL in assists with 27.

Derek Dorsett is tied for 49th in NHL hits with 95.
Chris Tanev is 7th in the NHL in blocked shots with 99.
Alex Edler is 14th in the NHL in blocked shots with 92.
Radim Vrbata is tied for 11th in the NHL in shots on goal with 145.
Daniel Sedin is 8th in the NHL in shots on goal with 149.

Jacob Markstrom is 8th in the NHL with least goals allowed (13 games or more), with 36.
Jacob Markstrom is tied for 22nd in the NHL in GAA with 2.48 (13 games or more played).
Jacob Markstrom is tied for16th in the NHL in Sv% with .920 (13 games or more played).
Ryan Miller is 10th in the NHL in goals allowed with 76.
Ryan Miller is 17th in the NHL in shots faced with 836.
Ryan Miller is 17th in the NHL in saves made with 760.
Ryan Miller is tied for 33rd in the NHL in GAA with 2.74 (13 games or more played).
Ryan Miller is tied for 33rd in the NHL in Sv% with .909 (13 games or more played).

Brandon Prust is tied for 14th in the NHL with 57 penalty minutes.
Derek Dorsett is 1rst in the NHL with most penalty minutes with 110.
Derek Dorsett is tied for 6th most minor penalties in the NHL with 20.
Alex Edler is tied for 7th in the NHL for most minor penalties with 19.
Derek Dorsett is tied for 2nd in the NHL in roughing penalties with 8.
Derek Dorsett is tied for 1rst in the NHL in misconducts with 4.
Derek Dorsett is tied for 3rd most fighting majors in the NHL with 6.
Brandon Prust is tied for 2nd in the NHL in most fighting majors with 7.

Alex Edler is tied for 23rd in the NHL in missed shots with 52.
Radim Vrbata is tied for 43rd in the NHL in missed shots with 46.
Daniel Sedin is tied for 43rd in the NHL in missed shots with 46.
Henrik Sedin is 44rth in the NHL in shooting percentage with 17.3 percent

Jared McCann is tied for 18th in the NHL in rookie points with 11 (7-4=11)
Jared McCann is tied for 11th in the NHL in rookie goals with 7.
Jared McCann is tied for 12th in the NHL in rookie shots on goal with 67.
Ben Hutton has the 7th most rookie assists in the NHL with 10.
Ben Hutton is 17th in the NHL in rookie shots on goal with 52.
Ben Hutton is tied for 21rst in the NHL in rookie points with 10.
Ben Hutton is 13th in the NHL in rookie TOI/G with 17:50.
Ben Hutton is 11th in the NHL in rookie blocked shots with 35.
Ben Hutton is tied for 6th in the NHL in rookie negative plus/minus with -7.
Jake Virtanen is 13th in the NHL in rookie hits with 59.

GOALS BY PERIOD:

Canucks are 24th in the NHL in goals scored with 102.
Canucks are tied for 18th in the NHL in goals scored in 1rst periods with 30.
Canucks are tied for 26th in the NHL in goals scored in 2nd periods with 32.
Canucks are tied for 18th in the NHL in goals scored in 3rd periods with 38.

Canucks are 22nd in least goals against in the NHL with 118.
Canucks are tied for 21rst in the NHL in least goals against in 1rst periods with 34.
Canucks are tied for 3rd in the NHL in least goals against in 2nd periods with 33.
Canucks are tied for 21rst in the NHL in least goals against in 3rd periods with 43.

Opponents have scored first in 27 of 43 games played, for a record of 14-9-4.
Canucks have scored first in 16 of 43 games played, for a record of 8-2-6.

REAL TIME:

In the NHL, Vancouver is:

tied for 27th in hits with 801
15th in giveaways with 333
21rst in blocked shots with 557
25th in takeaways with 217
15th in total face-offs with 2608
30th in face-off wins with 1179
30th in face-off losses with 1429
16th in shots for with 1249
tied for 22nd in shots against with 1318
12th in missed shots with 470

LACK OF PRODUCTION:

Ben Hutton, 36 games without a goal; plus/minus of -7
Yannick Weber, 34 games without a goal; plus/minus of -14
Adam Cracknell, 22 games without a goal
Alex Biega, 18 games without a goal
Alex Burrows, 21 games without a goal; plus/minus of -7
Derek Dorsett, 1 goal in last 34 games played
Brandon Prust, 1 goal in last 32 games played
Bo Horvat, 4 goals in the last 31 games; plus/minus of -17
Jared McCann, 1 goal in last 22 games played; plus/minus of -8
Luca Sbisa, 1 goal in 18 games played
Radim Vrbata, 1 goal in last 14 games played
Brandon Prust, 1 assist in last 23 games played
Chris Tanev, 2 assists in last 26 games played
Alex Edler, 1 point in last 12 games played; plus/minus of -3
Yannick Weber, 1 point in last 15 games played; 2 points in last 21 games played
Ben Hutton, 1 point in last 14 games played; 2 points in last 20 games played
Matt Bartkowski, 2 goals in 42 games played
Chris Tanev, 2 goals in 39 games played

THE ROAD TO 25:

The Canucks have never had a season without a 25-goal scorer. Who will it be this year?

Daniel Sedin, 19 goals in 43 games played
Jannick Hansen, 12 goals in 41 games played
Radim Vrbata, 10 goals in 41 games played
Henrik Sedin, 9 goals in 41 games played
Jared McCann, 7 goals in 31 games played
Sven Baertschi, 7 goals in 35 games played

WESTERN CONFERENCE WILD CARD STANDINGS

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE STANDINGS

2015-2016 VANCOUVER CANUCKS VS ALL TEAMS

CANUCKS PLAYER STATS

CAPITALS PLAYER STATS

STATISTICS COURTESY OF THE NHL AND VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Canucks Aiming To End Panthers’ 12-Game Winning Streak

Posted on January 11, 2016 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff January 11, 2016

The Vancouver Canucks (16-16-10) play the last game of their 7-game home stand against the Florida Panthers (26-12-4) tonight at Rogers Place.

Canucks mission, as self serving as it is, end the Panthers’ 12-game winning streak in game two of Florida’s Western Canada road swing.

Vancouver looks for their 6th win in 10 games, sporting a record of 5-2-2 in their last 9.

The Canucks are 2-1-2 against the Panthers in their last five games played.

Canucks are 8 goals from 11, 000 goals scored as an NHL franchise, according to NHL.com

The Panthers’ streak is tied for the 10th-longest in NHL history and the longest of any team that failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs the previous season, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

The 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins hold the NHL record with 17 straight victories.

Roberto Luongo will be in net for the Panthers tonight, and will face the Canucks for the 5th time since being traded and is 2-1-1 against his former team. It will be his 898th career game tonight.

Jacob Markstrom gets the call for his 8th consecutive start, his first start ever against his former team .

Markstrom is 4-2-1 with a .927 save percentage in seven starts since Ryan Miller injured his groin Dec. 20 at the Florida Panthers.

Bo Horvat is currently sitting on a three-game point streak (4-1-5). Since the start of the new year, Horvat shares the NHL-lead in goals scored (4) and is t-sixth in points (5).

Sven Baertschi has a goal in each of his last two games and three points (2-1=3).

VANCOUVER, BC – JANUARY 1: Jacob Markstrom #25 of the Vancouver Canucks stops Corey Perry #10 of the Anaheim Ducks to preserve a shootout victory for the Canucks during their NHL game at Rogers Arena January 1, 2016 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 2-1. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

Luongo has a 9-0-0 record, a 1.31 GAA, .954 SV% and two shutouts, over his last nine games.

Emerson Etem, acquired Friday in a trade with the New York Rangers, will make his Vancouver debut.

Jared McCann to play tonight, even though he missed the morning skate in place of Adam Cracknell.

In their last game, Vancouver lost for the third time on their 7-game home stand against the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday night at Rogers Place, 3-2 in overtime.

Bo Horvat, had a goal and an assist ; and Sven Baertschi, a power play goal, in the losing effort. Vancouver is now 5-3-1 in their last nine games. And 8-8-4 at home this season.

Jacob Markstrom stopped 32 of 35 shots in his 7th straight start, for a Sv% of .914.

Markstrom is now, 4-4-2 in his last 10 games, with a GAA of 2.12 and a Sv% of .929. On the home stand, he is 3-2-1, with a GAA of 2.42 and Sv% of .921.

In their previous game, Vancouver led by Bo Horvat’s two goals, including the winner on the power play with 1:06 remaining in regulation, defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2. Sven Baertschi, with a goal on his return to the lineup, also scored for Vancouver.

Jacob Markstrom stopped 26 of 28 shots in his 6th straight start, for a Sv% of .929.

Vancouver has a 4-4-4 record against the Atlantic division opponents and 8-8-5 record against the Eastern Conference overall.

Current injuries for the Canucks include: F Brandon Sutter (sports hernia surgery), D Luca Sbisa (hand), and D Dan Hamhuis (facial fracture) and F Jannick Hansen (upper body) are on the injured reserve list.

This morning the Canucks tweeted that Willie Desjardins feels that both Sbisa and Sutter are close to returning to the lineup.

Sbisa is ahead of Sutter and Sutter is very close. “They’ll both be with us at some point on our trip”

Vancouver sits in 3rd place in the Pacific division with 42 points, 4 points behind Arizona in 2nd place. They are 13 points behind Los Angeles; a point in front of Anaheim. They are two points ahead of San Jose and Calgary; 5 points in front of Edmonton.

San Jose has 3 games in hand on Vancouver; Anaheim and Calgary 2 games each in hand on the Canucks; Los Angeles and Arizona have played one less game each than Vancouver.

The Panthers come into the game having played the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday night at Rexall Place, in the first game of their three game Western Canada road trip, where they extended their consecutive winning streak to 12 games, with a 2-1 victory.

Jaromir Jagr scored his 15 goal of the season unassisted; Jonathan Huberdeau scored the winner.

Goalie Al Montoya recorded his 50th career win, stopping 24 of 25 shot for a .960 Sv%.

Al Montoya now sports a 7-1-1 record this season, with a 1.67 GAA and 0.944 SV%.

Florida previously defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 last Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre. Reilly Smith had a goal, Jonathan Huberdeau had two helpers; Aleksander Barkov and Vincent Trocheck also scored.

Roberto Luongo stopped 30 of 32 shots and had a .938 Sv%; and had his career-best ninth consecutive win.

Current Florida injuries: Dave Bolland (lower body) is day-to-day. Steven Kampfer (lower body) and Marc Savard (post-concussion syndrome) are on the injured reserve list.

Florida is 3-4-1 against Pacific Division opponents and have a 8-6-1 record against the Western Conference overall.

The Panthers sit in 1rst place in the Atlantic division of the Eastern Conference, with 56 points, 5 points ahead of Detroit; 6 points ahead of Montreal; 7 points in front of Boston.

FLORIDA 12-GAME WINNING STREAK

Florida became the first NHL team to ever win 12 consecutive games, after missing the playoffs the previous season, when they defeated Edmonton last night.

The Panthers are making it difficult to lose, as they have shown during their team record 12 game winning streak: 12-0-0, 38 goals for (3.17 G/gm) and 15 goals against (1.25 G/gm).

The Panthers have given up 9 goals in their past 8 games and 15 goals during their winning streak, which is the longest in the NHL this season, and the longest since the Boston Bruins won 12 games in a row during the 2013-14 season (March 2-22), according to NHL.com.

Power play is 5 for 43, 11.6 percent;
Penalty kill is 36 for 41, 87.8 percent.
Face-off win percentage is 47.8 percent.
The penalty kill is above their season average of 82 percent;
Power play below their season average of 16.8.
Face-off win percentage is below their season average of 48.8 percent.

The Panthers have also set a franchise record for consecutive road wins with 6. During that stretch they have:

22 GF (3.67 G/gm) & 6 GA (1.00 G/gm)
19.5 SF/gm; 27.2 SA/gm)
Their power play is 1 for 14, 7.1 percent (below season average of 8.9%)
Penalty kill is 19 for 21, 90.5 percent (above season average of 84.8%)
Face-off win percentage is 50.3 percent (above season average of 48.4%)

Over the 12-game streak dating back to Dec. 15, Aleksander Barkov leads Florida with six goals and 14 points. Jonathan Huberdeau leads the club with 11 assists. Florida has allowed the least amount of
goals in the NHL (15) over their 12-game winning streak. The Panthers have outscored their opponents 38-15 over their last 12 games.

FLORIDA PANTHER NOTES

Florida has won a franchise record 12 consecutive games. Over the 12-game span, the Panthers have won six consecutive home games and six consecutive road games.
With a win last night in Edmonton, Florida set a new franchise record for consecutive road wins (6) and set a franchise record for consecutive games with a point (13 games, 9-0-4)
Florida owns a 11-2-0 record over their last 13 road games.
The Panthers have allowed 9 goals over their last 8 games.
Florida owns a 17-0-1 record when scoring at least three goals and a 22-3-2 record when scoring first. Florida has scored 3+ goals in six of their last eight games.
Florida ranks first in the NHL for least goals allowed in the first period (19) and for least goals allowed this season (88).

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

Bo Horvat has 4 goals, 1 assist in his last three home games, including 2 power play goals.
Canucks are averaging 2.36 goals per game. For an 82 game schedule the estimate is Vancouver will finish with 194 goals. The least number of goals ever scored by a Vancouver team in a full season of 82 games are 192 by the 1998-99 Canucks.
In his last 10 home games, Horvat has a FOW% of 55.9 percent (95 FOW and 75 FOL); 21 shots, 10 hits, 8 takeaways, 7 blocked shots; 2 PPG; 5 PTS (4 G-1 A=5PTS); and a 19.0 shooting percentage.
Canucks penalty kill is a killer at 25 for 28, 89.3 percent in their last 10 home games. And 31 for 37 in their last 10 games overall, 83.8 percent.
Vancouver has points in 11 of its last 19 (7-8-4=18 pts) & 14 of its last 25 games (9-11-5=23 pts).
Vancouver is 6 for 49 in their last 17 games overall since December 1, 2015, with the man advantage (5 for 34 at home in 10 games since December 1).
The Panthers organization contains a number of former Canucks, including former goaltender Roberto Luongo who posted a record of 252-137-50 and 38 shutouts and former defencemen Dale Tallon (44-93-137 in 222 GP) and Willie Mitchell (10-48-58 in 264). Florida’s Assistant Coach Mike Kelly also served as an Assistant Coach with the Canucks and their AHL affiliate the Manitoba Moose (2005-08).
Captain Henrik Sedin is 8 games played from tying Trevor Linden (1140) for most games played in a Canucks uniform. Henrik has skated in 1,132 career regular season games and also ranks first in franchise history in points (949), assists (729), and plus/minus (+224).
Daniel Sedin is 2 goals from tying Markus Naslund (346) for first all-time in franchise goals. In the goals department, Daniel ranks first in franchise history in power play goals (120), game-winning goals (76), and overtime goals (13). He is also 5 shots from becoming the first and only Canucks player in history to register 3,000 in his career.
Vancouver has had 140 power play opportunities to date, the sixth most of any team in the League; 69 of these opportunities have been drawn on the road (t-fourth in the NHL).

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

The Canucks head out on a 6-game road trip visiting Eastern Conference opponents:

Thursday, January 14 against the Washington Captials;
Friday, January 15 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Sunday, January 17 against the New York Islanders
Tuesday, January 19 against the New York Rangers
Thursday, January 21 against the Boston Bruins
Saturday, January 23 against the Pittsburgh Penguins

Their next home game will be Tuesday, January 26 against the Nashville Predators.

COMING INTO TONIGHT…….

POINT STREAKS:

ALEX BIEGA (0-2-2 / 2 Games)

SVEN BAERTSCHI (2-1-3 / 2 Games)

BO HORVAT (4-1-5 / 3 Games)

CANUCKS AND NHL PLAYERS STATS:

Alex Edler is tied for 17th in the NHL in TOI/G with 24:36.
Jannick Hansen is tied for 23rd in the NHL in plus/minus with a +11.
Daniel Sedin is tied for 37th in the NHL in plus/minus with a +10
Henrik Sedin is tied for 40th in the NHL in plus/minus with a +10.
Bo Horvat is tied for 2nd in the NHL in negative plus/minus with a -19.
Radim Vrbata is 13th in the NHL in negative plus/minus with a -13.

Daniel Sedin is tied for 11th in NHL scoring with 38 points (17-21=38).
Henrik Sedin is tied for 26th in NHL scoring with 34 points (9-25=34).
Henrik Sedin is tied for 8th in the NHL in assists with 25.

Derek Dorsett is tied for 49th in NHL hits with 93.
Chris Tanev is 7th in the NHL in blocked shots with 98.
Alex Edler is tied for 13th in the NHL in blocked shots with 92.
Radim Vrbata is tied for 8th in the NHL in shots on goal with 144.
Daniel Sedin is tied for 8th in the NHL in shots on goal with 144.

Jacob Markstrom is 13th in the NHL with least goals allowed (10 games or more), with 34.
Jacob Markstrom is 24rth in the NHL in GAA with 2.48 (13 games or more played).
Jacob Markstrom is tied for18th in the NHL in Sv% with .919 (13 games or more played).
Ryan Miller is 4rth in the NHL in goals allowed with 76.
Ryan Miller is 16th in the NHL in shots faced with 836.
Ryan Miller is 17th in the NHL in saves made with 760.

Brandon Prust is 14th in the NHL with 57 penalty minutes.
Derek Dorsett is 1rst in the NHL with most penalty minutes with 110.
Derek Dorsett is tied for 5th most minor penalties in the NHL with 20.
Derek Dorsett is tied for 2nd in the NHL in roughing penalties with 8.
Derek Dorsett is tied for 1rst in the NHL in misconducts with 4.
Derek Dorsett is tied for 3rd most fighting majors in the NHL with 6.
Brandon Prust is tied for 2nd in the NHL in fighting majors with 7.

Alex Edler is tied for 21rst in the NHL in missed shots with 52.
Radim Vrbata is tied for 36th in the NHL in missed shots with 46.
Daniel Sedin is tied for 36th in the NHL in missed shots with 46.
Henrik Sedin is 42nd in the NHL in shooting percentage with 17.3 percent

Jared McCann is tied for 18th in the NHL in rookie points with 11 (7-4=11)
Jared McCann is tied for 10th in the NHL in rookie goals with 7.
Jared McCann is 12th in the NHL in rookie shots on goal with 62.
Ben Hutton is tied for 7th in the NHL in rookie assists with 10.
Ben Hutton is 17th in the NHL in rookie shots on goal with 51.
Ben Hutton is tied for 21rst in the NHL in rookie points with 10.
Ben Hutton is 13th in the NHL in rookie TOI/G with 17:49.
Ben Hutton is 11th in the NHL in rookie blocked shots with 35.
Ben Hutton is tied for 7th in the NHL in rookie negative plus/minus with -7.
Jake Virtanen is 11th in the NHL in rookie hits with 56.

GOALS BY PERIOD:

Canucks are 25th in the NHL in goals scored with 99.
Canucks are tied for 16th in the NHL in goals scored in 1rst periods with 30.
Canucks are 27th in the NHL in goals scored in 2nd periods with 31.
Canucks are tied for 18th in the NHL in goals scored in 3rd periods with 37.

Canucks are 22nd in least goals against in the NHL with 116.
Canucks are tied for 17th in the NHL in least goals against in 1rst periods with 32.
Canucks are tied for 4rth in the NHL in least goals against in 2nd periods with 33.
Canucks are tied for 21rst in the NHL in least goals against in 3rd periods with 43.

Opponents have scored first in 26 of 42 games played, for a record of 14-8-4.
Canucks have scored first in 16 of 42 games played, for a record of 8-2-6.

REAL TIME:

In the NHL, Vancouver is:

27th in hits with 783
15th in giveaways with 323
21rst in blocked shots with 548
25th in takeaways with 211
15th in total face-offs with 2542
29th in face-off wins with 1153
30th in face-off losses with 1389
20th in shots for with 1219
23rd in shots against with 1290
13th in missed shots with 465

LACK OF PRODUCTION:

Ben Hutton, 35 games without a goal; plus/minus of -7
Yannick Weber, 33 games without a goal; plus/minus of -14
Chris Higgins, 22 games without a goal; plus/minus of -14
Adam Cracknell, 22 games without a goal
Alex Burrows, 20 games without a goal; plus/minus of -7
Derek Dorsett, 1 goal in last 33 games played
Brandon Prust, 1 goal in last 31 games played
Bo Horvat, 4 goals in the last 30 games; plus/minus of -16
Jared McCann, 1 goal in last 21 games played; plus/minus of -8
Radim Vrbata, 1 goal in last 13 games played
Chris Higgins, 1 assist in last 25 games played
Brandon Prust, 1 assist in last 22 games played
Chris Tanev, 2 assists in last 25 games played
Alex Edler, 0 points in last 11 games played; plus/minus of -3
Yannick Weber, 1 point in last 14 games played; 2 points in last 20 games played
Ben Hutton, 1 point in last 13 games played; 2 points in last 19 games played

THE ROAD TO 25:

The Canucks have never had a season without a 25-goal scorer. Who will it be this year?

Daniel Sedin, 17 goals in 42 games played
Jannick Hansen, 12 goals in 41 games played
Radim Vrbata, 10 goals in 40 games played
Henrik Sedin, 9 goals in 40 games played
Jared McCann, 7 goals in 38 games played
Sven Baertschi, 7 goals in 34 games played

WESTERN CONFERENCE WILD CARD STANDINGS

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE STANDINGS

2015-2016 VANCOUVER CANUCKS VS ALL TEAMS

CANUCKS PLAYER STATS

PANTHER PLAYER STATS

STATISTICS COURTESY OF THE NHL AND VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Poor Change In Overtime Leads To Tampa Bay 3-2 Win Over Vancouver

Posted on January 10, 2016 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff January 10, 2016

The Vancouver Canucks (16-16-10) lost for the third time on their 7-game home stand against the Tampa Bay Lightning (21-17-4) Saturday night at Rogers Place, 3-2 in overtime.

Bo Horvat, had a goal and an assist ; and Sven Baertschi, a power play goal, in the losing effort. Vancouver is now 5-3-1 in their last nine games. And 8-8-4 at home this season.

For Horvat, he now has 4 goals in three straight games, two on the power play, and an assist. For Baertschi, he now has 5 goals and 2 assists along with 15 shots on net, in his last 7 games played.

Jacob Markstrom stopped 32 of 35 shots in his 7th straight start, for a Sv% of .914. He is now, 4-2-2 in his last 8 games.

Vancouver was 1 for 2 on the power play, and 4 for 4 on the penalty kill. Canucks are now 3 for 29 in their last 12 games with the man advantage, and 25 for 28 in their last 10 home games on the penalty kill.

VANCOUVER, BC – JANUARY 9: Nikita Kucherov #86 of the Tampa Bay Lightning scores in overtime on Jacob Markstrom #25 of the Vancouver Canucks during their NHL game January 9, 2016 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Tampa Bay won 3-2. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

Tampa Bay got some early scoring chances putting the Canucks on notice they came to play. Vancouver could not, or just didn’t, make the necessary adjustment and that would lead to something Canuck fans are too used to seeing: the other team score the first goal.

Tampa Bay, on their 4rth unanswered shot of the game, would open the scoring and take a 1-0 lead at 3:41 on a goal by Alex Killorn, his 7th of the season, on a wrist shot, assisted by Nikita Kucherov (17) and Vladislav Namestnikov (11).

Canucks would get their first shot at the 5:53 mark of the opening period, as they continued to play without any push back against the Lightning, who were dominating the period.

Nearing the halfway point of the period, the Lightning had a 5-1 edge on shots, with Vancouver seemingly starting to figure out how to get some offensive play going in the Lightning end.

A penalty by Tampa Bay to Ryan Callahan at 9:21 for holding Ben Hutton, would give Vancouver their first power play of the game, and a chance to get some shots on Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Lightning goaltender. Unfortunately for the Canucks, the power play was anything but polished with little good puck movement and was free of any real scoring threat.

At 14:12, Alex Killorn of the Lightning would be assessed a penalty for hooking Jake Virtanen, putting the Canucks back on the power play.

This time, Vancouver would do a better job with the man advantage, getting the tying goal, on Sven Baertschi’s 7th goal of the season at 15:24, on a backhand shot, assisted by Bo Horvat (9) and Yannick Weber (5).

With a couple of minutes left in the period, Vancouver caught up to the Lightning in shots, surpassing them 7-5, making the last half of the opening period opposite of the first half.

The period would end with both teams tied at 1-1.

After being out shot 5-0, the Canucks ended up out shooting the Lightning 8-6 in the first period. Vancouver was 10 for 19 on face-offs. Bo Horvat was 4 for 5; Adam Cracknell, 4 for 6. Henrik Sedin led Canucks in shots with 2. Jake Virtanen had 2 of Vancouver’s four hits in the opening period and drew one penalty that led to the tying 1-1 power play goal. Vancouver was 1 for 2 on the power play.

In the second period, Vancouver would get some good shots on the Lightning goalie early, but things would settle down with the momentum shifting to Tampa Bay.

The Lightning received a 4 minute power play as the Canucks were assessed a double minor to Alex Edler at 4:03 for high sticking Nikita Kucherov and drawing blood. The Canucks killed the double minor successfuly.

Alex Edler would receive a minor almost five minutes later, for interference at 8:59, handing the Lightning another power play opportunity to get the go ahead goal.

Edler’s teammates bailed him out, killing off the penalty. The penalty kill was 3 for 3 in the period, keeping the game tied at 1-1. Canucks penalty kill improved to 24 for 27, 88.89 percent in their last 10 home games, with the penalty kills.

With five minutes left, both teams would start getting scoring chances, as the special teams gave way to regular lines for both teams, but the game would continue to be tied after two periods.

Shots were 9 to 7 Lightning and even at 15 each after two periods. Face-offs were 9 for 16 for Tampa Bay. Radim Vrbata and Henrik Sedin led Canucks in shots after two periods with 3 each; Sven Baertschi had 2. Alex Edler led the Canucks in penalty minutes after two periods with 6.

Canucks entered the final frame with a record of 9-7-9 in 1-goal games and 6-0-3 when tied after two periods; and 8-5-3, when tied after the 1rst period.

Bo Horvat got himself an breakaway on the Tampa Bay goalie in the opening minute of the 3rd period but his chance was snuffed out.

Nearing the halfway point of the 3rd the Canucks were getting some sustained pressure in the Lightning end.

While there was lots of skating, and play making, shots were 5-3 Tampa Bay, at the 10 minute mark.

Vancouver got into penalty trouble again, and Tampa Bay would get a man advantage at 10:19 when Yannick Weber would be sent off for cross checking Tyler Johnson, and a chance to break the tie.

The Canucks would kill the penalty one second before the Lightning would finally score, and take the lead 2-1, on a goal by Valtteri Filppula (5), on a wrist shot, assisted by Anton Stralman (15) and Ryan CAllahan (9), off the skate of Alex Edler and past Jacob Markstrom.

After the go ahead goal, Tampa Bay dominated the rest of the period, plugging up the neutral zone, and putting up a wall on their blue line.

With under three minutes left, the Lightning were out shooting Vancouver 13-4, and 8 to 1 in the final half of the final frame.

With 2:50 left in the game, Bo Horvat on a seemingly innocent play on the Lightning net, would score to even the game up at 2-2.

Horvat, his 6th goal, on a wrist shot, assisted by Ben Hutton (10) and Alex Biega (4) at 17:10. It was Horvat’s 4rth goal in his last 3 games.

The game would go into overtime tied 2-2 at the end of regulation play.

For the 14th time this season, the Canucks would go into overtime with a chance to improve upon their 1-7 record.

Several Canucks had opportunities to put the game away but it would take a sloppy change to lead to the winning goal.

With Henrik Sedin out of gas and changing, Lightning player Vladislav Namestnikov threw the puck up the ice to Nikita Kucherov, who went in on Markstrom, and scored the winning goal for a 3-2 victory for Tampa Bay.

Nikita Kucherov, his 16th goal of the season, assisted by Vladislav Namestnikov (12) and Anton Stralman (16) at 3:51.

With the loss, Vancouver takes over 3rd place in the Pacific division with 42 points, 4 points behind Arizona in 2nd place. They are 13 points behind Los Angeles; a point in front of Anaheim. They are two points ahead of San Jose and Calgary; 5 points in front of Edmonton.

Andrew Phillip Chernoff

The Outer Limits To The Inner Depths

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff January 15, 2016

WESTERN CONFERENCE WILD CARD STANDINGS

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE STANDINGS

2015-2016 VANCOUVER CANUCKS VS ALL TEAMS

CANUCKS PLAYER STATS

HURRICANES PLAYER STATS

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff January 14, 2016

GAME REVIEW

CANUCKS PLAYERS STATS

WESTERN CONFERENCE WILD CARD STANDINGS

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE STANDINGS

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff January 14, 2016

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

CAPITALS 10-GAME HOME WINNING STREAK

WASHINGTON CAPITALS NOTES

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

COMING INTO TONIGHT…….

WESTERN CONFERENCE WILD CARD STANDINGS

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE STANDINGS

2015-2016 VANCOUVER CANUCKS VS ALL TEAMS

CANUCKS PLAYER STATS

CAPITALS PLAYER STATS

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff January 11, 2016

FLORIDA 12-GAME WINNING STREAK

FLORIDA PANTHER NOTES

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

COMING INTO TONIGHT…….

WESTERN CONFERENCE WILD CARD STANDINGS

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE STANDINGS

2015-2016 VANCOUVER CANUCKS VS ALL TEAMS

CANUCKS PLAYER STATS

PANTHER PLAYER STATS

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff January 10, 2016

GAME REVIEW

CANUCKS PLAYERS STATS

WESTERN CONFERENCE WILD CARD STANDINGS

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE STANDINGS