Little In The Tank Costs Vancouver 3-2 Loss To Devils

Posted on November 22, 2015 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff November 22, 2015

Winning Streak Ends At One

The Canucks (8-8-6) looked to sweep their two-game home stand with a win over the New Jersey Devils (11-8-1) tonight at Rogers Arena, and move into a share of first place with the Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division.

Instead, Vancouver got shown the door by the New Jersey Devils, in a 3-2 loss that started another losing streak at Rogers Arena.

The Canucks haven’t had consecutive wins since they beat the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 30 and the Arizona Coyotes on Nov. 2.

It was critical that the Canucks not squander the momentum gained from last night’s slump ending win, by following it up with a poor effort tonight against the Devils, a team that was desperate for a win themselves.

Henrik Sedin was disappointed in the loss, feeling the Canucks lost a great chance to build more momentum on top of the Chicago victory.

“Especially going on the road, a tough road trip, it was a chance for us to get moving up in the standings, start feeling good about ourselves and get some wins and get some momentum. That didn’t happen. I thought we played good enough to win.”, Henrik Sedin added.

There was an effort but not the intensity and urgency that was present in last night’s emotional 6-3 win over the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Chicago Blackhawks.

Cammalleri opened the scoring 65 seconds into the second period, set up Andy Greene’s power-play goal 91 seconds into the third and assisted on Adam Henrique’s goal eight minutes later for the Devils.

Henrik Sedin ended Schneider’s shutout bid with a shorthanded goal 7:21 into the third period after the Devils goalie misplayed the puck to Daniel Sedin in front of the net, and Radim Vrbata scored a power-play goal on a deflection with 0.6 seconds left.

New Jersey avoided going winless on their three-game Western Canadian road trip which concluded tonight following losses in Calgary and Edmonton.

After welcoming Brandon Prust back to the line-up yesterday, the Canucks were hoping they would be bolstered by returning veteran Radim Vrbata, who missed the last two games with a groin injury. Except for his penalty shot, Vrbata did a good job of being inconsequential in the game, even with scoring Vancouver’s final goal with just tenths of a second left to play.

The Devils took advantage of the opportunity to do something Sunday night that they’ve never done before, sweep a season series from the Vancouver Canucks.

Winning in Vancouver never has been easy for the Devils, who are now 7-19-1 all-time and 2-5-1 since 1999-00.

The Canucks are 4-0 in games where Brandon Prust fights. Unfortunately, Prust had no fights. Canucks hand no win. Just saying.

Jacob Markstrom was 1-0-1 with a .914 save percentage and 3.41 goals-against after his 4-3 overtime loss to Montreal last Monday. He adds a loss to his season record, with his first regular season appearance of the year at Rogers Arena.

Markstrom made 19 saves for the Canucks, who have one win in their past six games (1-4-1).

Corey Schneider made 17 saves in the third period, stopping 36 shots in total, including a Vrbata penalty shot at 5:14 of the final period.

Vancouver had 38 shots to the Devils 22 shots.

The Canucks now get set for a 4-game road trip, starting with Minnesota on November 25 and finishing with Los Angeles on December 1.

In between they play the Dallas Stars on November 27 and San Jose Sharks on November 30.

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

Vancouver’s power play before tonight was 8 for 21 in its previous 5-games after going 0-16 the 5-games previous. Tonight, the Canucks were 1 for 7 on the power play.
Canucks have allowed 9 power play goals against in their last 10-games.
Vancouver’s penalty kill was 4 for 5 against the Devils.
Henrik Sedin’s shorthanded goal was his 7th shorthanded goal of his career.
Canucks outhit the Devils 14-12.
Vancouver had 7 giveaways and 6 takeaways tonight.
Vancouver has now surrendered three or more goals in 10 straight games.
Rookie defenceman Ben Hutton will be at least two weeks with a foot injury after blocking a shot Wednesday in Winnipeg.
Brandon Sutter will be out at least two weeks with abdominal injury.
Recalled Utica player Taylor Fedun, 27, could surface on the upcoming four-game road trip with the injury to Hutton.

GAME REVIEW

CANUCKS AT A GLANCE

Statistics courtesy of the NHL, and the Vancouver Canucks.

No Shortage Of Advice For The Canucks To Shake The Doom And Gloom Naysayers….Just Saying

Posted on November 22, 2015 by CanucksBanter

By Andrew Phillip Chernoff November 22, 2015 Just Saying….

Just-saying

The Vancouver Canucks returned from a disappointing seven game road trip, arguably their toughest road trip of the entire 2015-16 season.

Many people had their opinions as to what went wrong and what needed to be done to salvage the rest of the season, where competition is stiff, and very few points can be given up in a short period of time and still make a successful season. What is a successful season? Well, for the Canucks, it would be making the playoffs.

The Canucks have not had so few wins after 20 games since the 1997-98 season. The Canucks started 4-13-3 that season under former head coach Mike Keenan and finished the year with just 65 points. Brad Ziemer,Vancouver Sun, Nov 20, 2015

Media covering the Canucks, as well as Jim Benning, Ryan Miller, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, wasted little time in making their opinions known November 19-21.

Some key things for the Canucks remainder of the season according to those that voiced their thoughts include:

Play inspired, not intimidated. A visit from the defending Cup champs usually brings out the best in a team wanting to use the game as a measuring stick. The Canucks might not be feeling too confident lately but they still should be fired up and wanting to show they can be competitive against the league’s best. Canucks website, Nov 21, 2015.
Prust brings some life. Brandon Prust may not be the guy you’re counting on for goals and points, but when it comes to energy he brings it every night. The Canucks have sorely missed the veteran winger and his expected return tonight should galvanize a team that desperately needs something positive right now. Canucks website, Nov 21, 2015.
“You need to manage the puck properly,” Benning said. “I think in some instances we haven’t been focused on managing the puck, getting it out at our blue line and making sure when we get to their blue-line, not losing the puck and getting it in and chasing after it. BRAD ZIEMER, Vancouver Sun
Need to get the big goal when they need it. Offensively, the Canucks can’t seem to get a big goal when they need it most. Radim Vrbata, who had a team-high 31 goals last season, has just three despite being tied for seventh in the NHL with 74 shots on net. BRAD ZIEMER, Vancouver Sun
Need to close—–finish. Whatever spin you choose to summarize a sobering 1-4-2 road trip — including losing two one-goal games in regulation and two more in overtime to sink to 0-for-6 in the new 3-on-3 format — one thing is clear after 20 games. The Vancouver Canucks are good enough to keep games close, they just can’t close. Ben Kuzma, The Province
Ryan Miller needs to maintain focus and reduce distractions. He was rightly feted in his long anticipated return to Buffalo and understandably upset following an overtime loss in New Jersey.Willie Desjardins loves that his starter rarely gives up rebounds, has a high level of compete and studies the game like a professor. That’s where the smarts kick in and that’s where Miller can be better. . Ben Kuzma, The Province
Horvat has to step up against better opposition. Even before training camp, Bo Horvat spoke of and was well aware of the sophomore jinx. He knew players who went through it, knew what to expect.Really? He’s only 20. Add power-play and penalty kill responsibilities this season and it shouldn’t be that surprising that the centre has two goals through 20 games after 13 as a rookie.Is he pressing and missing great scoring chances? Absolutely. Has he been anxious to get in transition and not been as diligent in his own zone or the faceoff circle? Probably. And with Brandon Sutter injured, Horvat has to step up against better opposition and it’s a long way from being a fourth line rookie centre with limited expectations and even-strength minutes.He’s gone from 12:15 of average ice time and a 51.4 per cent faceoff efficiency to 16:20 and 49.2 per cent in the circle and a minus-9 rating. That’s a lot to shoulder. . Ben Kuzma, The Province
A team is only as good as its goalie. Vancouver shot out of the gates on the back of Miller, who started the team’s first 10 games until Richard Bachman spelled him off on Oct. 30. Miller had a 2.16 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage in those 10 games. Not surprisingly, the Canucks went 4-2-4 and were tied with the Los Angeles Kings for first in the Pacific Division.Since then, however, Miller — unsurprisingly — has come back to earth. He has been, well, less than stellar in six starts so far in November, with a 3.04 GAA and an .892 SP, and the Canucks have gone just 1-4-1 in those six starts. Perhaps the most telling statistic is that he has allowed three goals or more in 10 of his 16 starts. Ronnie Shuker, The Hockey News
Eliminate the silver-platter scoring chances they are presenting (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun). Keep it simple. Stick to basics. No need to be flashy. Have the shot, shoot. Go to the net. Don’t have the shot, look for somebody. Put the puck on net, good things can happen.
Get better on special teams play. Need to finish around the net on the power play. Need to be more disciplined on the penalty kill.
Get points, get points, and get points!!! The Canucks are home, but their schedule isn’t getting easier. After spending two weeks on the road, Vancouver plays the Chicago Blackhawks and New Jersey Devils back-to-back, Saturday and Sunday at Rogers Arena, then travel again for games in Minnesota, Dallas, Anaheim and Los Angeles. November could decide their season.Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun
Leave no points on the table.No team has left more points on the table than the Vancouver Canucks have this season. “It could be a big part of defining our season,” Vancouver GM Jim Benning told The Province. “Because last year, in games that went to overtime and the shootout we were (12-5). That’s the difference between making the playoffs and not making the playoffs.” Jason Brough
You create your own breaks. Positives are not results. Raise the intensity level. Attention level to detail has to go up. Mistakes need to go down. Gotta have confidence and bring it. “We keep saying we’re close,” said Miller, who made 30 saves. “We’ve got to make the turn here. It’s not ideal mentally for this group to be really close [in] games. We’ve got to park it. We’ve got to find a way to keep coming with energy and believe it’s going to turn. The only thing you can do in this situation is work hard and believe that hard work will translate. ” Daniel Sedin found some positives with the road trip but admitted that the Canucks need results. “I think we’ve got to turn it around now,” he said. “We need some wins. But at the same time, I think we need to look at the big picture. We’re playing better than we were before. That’s a good sign. But right now we need a win.” Henrik Sedin concurred. “I don’t think you can question the way we battled, but our intensity has to go up, and our attention to detail needs to be there,” he said. “It’s a game of mistakes. We’re still making a few too many to win the close games.” Patrick Williams NHL.com
Play with urgency in the moment. You can’t do anything about what has past. The future is yours to write. So excel in the moment. Andrew Chernoff, andrewchernoff.wordpress.com

The game on Saturday night against the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks provided Vancouver with a perfect opportunity to pull a true Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and show a side of themselves that was reminiscent of the start of the season when they were firing on all cylinders and looking like they were going to be a playoff contender in the Western Conference. Not a pretender.

The leaders—–the Sedin brothers, Ryan Miller, Jannick Hansen, Alex Edler, Chris Tanev, Brandon Prust, Alex Burrows, Chris Higgins, to speak of a few; the youth—–Bo Horvat, Jared McCann, Jake Virtanen—–reminded the coaches, the general manager, the president of the Canucks, and all Canuck fans…..how this team could actually play if inspired, focused, disciplined and able to fight off distractions and stay with the game plan.

The result was there last night against the Blackhawks, a 6-3 victory that ended a four game losing streak, but one game does not make a season or make up for the points left on the table.

Great individual efforts such as exhibited by Daniel and Henrik Sedin, are to be praised in the moment and used for inspiration, for future upcoming games.

The team had the confidence and brought it. They raised their intensity level, created their own breaks, reduced their mistakes and were rewarded for it all.

There are 61 games left, including tonight against the New Jersey Devils and the upcoming four game road trip.

The Canucks have not had so few wins after 20 games since the 1997-98 season. The Canucks started 4-13-3 that season under former head coach Mike Keenan and finished the year with just 65 points.

Vancouver, more now then ever, have to turn up their game as they did against Chicago, and sustain it for the rest of the season, if they are going to seriously compete against the leading Western Conference teams and achieve their goal of making the playoffs next Spring.

Standings seldom alter to a great degree after U.S. Thanksgiving. Catching teams after that date is one thing, passing them is another. And with Brandon Sutter, Luca Sbisa and Radim Vrbata injured to varying degrees, the climb will be more arduous if areas of considerable concern aren’t immediately addressed. Ben Kuzma, The Province, Nov 20, 2015

Canucks have to play with urgency in the moment. You can’t do anything about what has past. The future is there to write. So excel in the moment….Just Saying….

Canucks Go For Sweep At Home Against New Jersey Tonight

Posted on November 22, 2015 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff November 22, 2015

The New Jersey Devils (10-8-1), in 5th place in the Metropolitan division, come into Vancouver(8-7-6), 3rd place in the Pacific division, after losses to the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.

New Jersey will conclude its three-game, Western Canadian road trip tonight. With Friday’s 5-1 loss at Edmonton, the Devils are now 3-12-3 in the Western Canadian cities (Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver & Winnipeg) since the 2011-12 season.

Despite Friday’s 5-1 loss at Edmonton, the Devils have won ten of their last 15 games & have points in 11 of their last 16 contests (10-5-1=21pts).

“We played them in Jersey, and they’re a tough team,” Henrik Sedin said of the Devils. “They skate, they’re a fast team. They still play well defensively and whenever you beat them, [Schneider] is back there making saves. It’s going to be a tough test for us [Sunday].” Canucks.com

Vancouver snapped a four-game winless stretch (0-3-1) with a 6-3 victory over Chicago last night at Rogers Arena.

Vancouver is closing-out its fourth set of back-to-back games tonight. The Canucks are 2-1-1 in first games and 2-0-1 in second games when playing on consecutive dates.

Daniel Sedin recorded his sixth career hat trick last night and added an assist for his second 4pt. game of the season. Sedin’s assist last night was the 900th point of his NHL career (337g-566a-903pts). He now has points in four straight (5g-2a-7pts) & leads the Canucks with 10g-12a-22pts overall.

Henrik Sedin registered a career-high 1g-4a-5pts on Saturday & now has points in three straight games (1g-6a-7pts). He ranks second on the club with 6g-14a-20pts overall.

Jannik Hansen posted 1g-1a-2pts and was a +3 vs. Chicago last night. He’s seventh (tie) in the NHL with a +11 rating overall.

Tonight marksthe second and final meeting this season between the Canucks and Devils.Vancouver lost their lone meeting versus New Jersey earlier thismonth in overtime and split the season series versus the Devils last season.Overall the Canucks are 3-1-1 in their last 5 meetings versus New Jersey.

Vancouver will again be without center Brandon Sutter because of an abdominal strain. He has missed the past five games. The Canucks recalled defenseman Taylor Fedun from Utica of the American Hockey League on Saturday. He had two goals and four assists in 14 AHL games. Fedun did not play against the Blackhawks, according to the Canucks website.

Vancouver is in 3rd place in the Pacific division, with 22-points, two points behind Los Angeles and San Jose, who are currently tied for 1rst place in the division with 24-points.

New Jersey enters the game in 5th place in the Metropolitan division with 21-points, two points behind the Islanders, and three points behind Pittsburgh, who are in 4rth and 3rd place respectively with 23 and 24 points each.

Canucks Jottings

The Canucks are 2-5-2 over their last nine games.
Vancouver was 3/4 on the power play last night & has now scored a PPG in each of their last five games (8/21, 38.1%).
Ben Hutton ranks second (tie) among all NHL rookies with 8a this season.
Jared McCann is tied (Jack Eichel) for sixth among all first year players with 6g.
Ryan Miller made 26 saves and earned the win in goal for the Canucks last night. He’s tied (Devan Dubnyk) for the league-lead among goaltenders with 18 games played this season. Miller is 6-7-5 with one shutout, a 2.54 goals-against average & .911 save-percentage overall this season.
Jacob Markstrom has started twice over the past six games. He’s 1-0-1 with a 3.41 GAA & .914 save %.
Both Canucks goaltenders faced New Jersey in their first NHL game – Ryan Miller did so on Nov. 19/02 while Jacob Markstrom facedthem on Jan. 23/11.
Brandon Prust appeared in his 100th NHL game against NJ on Mar. 10/10 while teammate Radim Vrbata collected his 100th NHL point against the Devils on Jan. 15/06.
Bo Horvat was drafted ninth overall at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft that took place in New Jersey.
Jake Virtanen leads the team and is 2nd among NHL rookies in hits with 48.
Daniel Sedin has 7 points (5-2-7) in his last 5 games. He has had two four point performances in the last six games – Nov. 10 at CBJ and Nov. 21 vs CHI. He currently leads the team in points (22) and goals (10).
Jared McCann ranks second on the team and t-sixth among rookies in goals (6); he is also the first Canucks player since Dane Jackson in 1993 to have at least five consecutive goals to start his career (no assists). McCann currently ranks 9th among rookies in shooting percentage (18.2%) and is t-7th among rookies in shots with 33.
Ryan Miller ranks t-first in games played/started (17) and first in TOI (1026:13). He also ranks second among all goalies in shots against with 485 (one behind League-leader Roberto Luongo (486)).
Alex Edler leads VAN in time on ice (24:45) and has led the team in that category in 18 of 19 games he’s played, including 10 games where he’s led all skaters in TOI. He currently ranks 11th 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 six different players make their NHL debut this season (Grenier, Shinkaruk, Virtanen, McCann, Hutton, and Gaunce). According to Elias Sports Bureau, this is the most number players to make their NHL debut for the Canucks in a single season since six players did so during the 2007.08 season.
The last season where six or more players made their NHL debut in a single season for the Canucks was in 1999.00 (eight players). The club record for NHL debuts in a single season is 11 which occurred during the 1973.74 season.
Daniel Sedin collected his 900th point Nov. 21/15 versus Chicago. He became the 12th active NHLer, fifth Swedish born player and second Canuck to accomplish the feat.
As part of a four point effort (3-1-4), Daniel collected his 6th career hat trick and now holds sole possession of fifth spot in club history for most hat tricks. It was his first hat trick since Dec. 6/11 vs COL.
The Canucks have had 18 different goal scorers this season, t-third most in the League with Boston; Nashville has had 20 and St. Louis has had 19 different goal scorers.
The Canucks players aged 23 or younger that have appeared in the lineup thus far (Baertschi, Horvat, Hutton, Virtanen, McCann, Gaunce, and Shinkaruk) have accounted for 20.0% of points (34), goals (22) and assists (22) respectively, for the team this season
The Canucks are 7th in the League with 2.9 goals for per game; Their 61 goals on the year are 5th most in the NHL.
VANCOUVER’S 2015.16 RECORD WHEN…

Score 4+ Goals: 6-0-0

Score 3 Goals or Less: 2-7-6

Allow 4+ Goals: 0-3-3

Allow 3 Goals or Less: 8-4-3

On 0 Days Rest: 2-0-1

On 1 Day Rest: 2-4-4

On 2 Days Rest: 3-2-1

On 3+ Days Rest: 0-1-1

Score a PPG: 3-4-4

Give up a PPG: 3-5-3

25+ Shots on Goal: 6-6-5

Less than 25 shots: 2-1-1

SEASON SNAPSHOT

CANUCKS PLAYER STATS

CANUCKS TEAM STATS

DEVILS PLAYER STATS

DEVILS TEAM STATS

CANUCKS AT A GLANCE

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

Canucks Ride The Sedin’s Wave, End Four Game Losing Streak, 6-3 Over Chicago.

Posted on November 21, 2015 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff November 21, 2015

According to the Canucks (8-7-6), home never looked so sweet as they returned to familiar surroundings after a disastrous 7-game road trip.

Tonight’s opponent, the Chicago Blackhawks (11-8-2), were expected to be no pushover, but Daniel Sedin (3-1—4 +3) and Henrik Sedin (1-4—5 +3) had a total of 9 points, and Ryan Miller was solid (after allowing 2-goals on the Blackhawks first seven shots), stopping 26 of 29 shots, as they led the Canucks to 6-3 home win against the defending Stanley Cup champs.

The Canucks were looking to end a season high 4-game losing streak, and the Blackhawks were looking to get back to winning ways after having their 3-game winning streak come to an end, against the Calgary Flames on Friday night.

After winning three of their first four games to start the season, the Canucks had only four wins in their last 16 games. They had lost four straight and seven of their last eight.

First Period

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews (7) opened the scoring with a power play goal to make it 1-0 Chicago at 6:17, off the goal post on the short side.

Jannick Hansen had everyone worried when he was crosschecked into an on coming shot by Dan Hamhuis and he left the game, to return later. The Canucks did get a power play on the crosscheck. Fifty seconds after the Canucks started the power play, the Blackhawks got penalized again, setting up a 5-3 advantage.

Henrik Sedin (6), assisted by Daniel Sedin (12), and Alex Edler (6) made it a 1-1 tie on the power play at 9:32. It was Daniel Sedin’s 900th point of his NHL career.

Jannick Hansen (6) gets an even strength goal, set up by Henrik Sedin (11) and Matt Bartowski(5) at 15:18, and the Canucks had their second consecutive goal to take the lead 2-1.

Chicago quickly responded back, tying up the game at 2-2 on a goal by Ryan Garbutt(1), assisted by Jonathan Toews (7) at 16:10. And that was the score at the end of one period.

Vancouver out hit Chicago 5-2 in the opening period; had more faceoff wins: 13-9; had more takeaways: 4-1; more blocked shots: 6-5; less giveaways than Chicago: 2-3; and both teams had 7-shots each.

Second Period

The second period started out with both teams trying to dictate the intensity of the game. Canucks got the break they needed with a power play and did not disappoint as Daniel Sedin (8) scored from Henrick Sedin (12) at 7:22.

Both teams picked up the pace of the game with nine minutes left in the second period. Luca Sbisa received a penalty for high sticking and the Canucks responded with an aggressive penalty kill and a great save by Ryan Miller. Canucks 3-2 after the middle period. Chicago out shot Vancouver 11-6.

Canucks out hit Chicago 6-3; faceoffs were:7-7 each; giveaways: 4-0 Chicago; takeaways: 5-3 Vancouver; blocked shots: 5-2 Vancouver. Power Play:1-1 Van; 0-1 Chicago.

Faceoffs: Horvat: 10 for 12; H. Sedin: 5-12; McCann: 1-5; Cracknell: 4-7; Canucks: 20-36 overall after two periods. Even Strength: 12-27. Penalty Kill: 2-2. Power Play: 6-7.

Third Period

Canucks have had trouble hanging on to 3rd period leads, and both teams were playing with urgency early in the final frame. The action in the final frame was frantic, with a good pace to the game.

With less than ten minutes left in the game, Alex Burrows led the Canucks on a 3-on-1 into the Chicago end, as the Blackhawks got caught trying for the tying goal. The chances were there for both teams, the finishing wasn’t.

Chicago finally got rewarded for their tenacious play as Artem Anisimov (9) scored, assisted by Patrick Kane (19) and Trevor Daley (5) at 12:20, with 7:40 left in the game.

Vancouver moved it into a higher gear, and just over two minutes later, Daniel Sedin(9) scored his second goal of the game, to put the Canucks out in front 4-3 assisted by Henrik Sedin (13) and Alex Edler (7) at 14:35.

Chicago played with urgency, and the Canucks stayed disciplined and kept their composure, and two minutes later, Daniel Sedin (10) scored his 3rd goal of the game, and his 6th hat trick of his career to put Vancouver up by 2-goals, 5-3. Assists went to Henrik Sedin (13) and Alex Edler (7).

Chicago pulled their goaltender, Corey Crawford, to get within one goal but were unable to succeed and Alex Burrows scored an empty net goal on a power play as Chicago pressed shorthanded and without their goalie, to cap off the impressive win, their 3rd in 9-home games this season.

Vancouver has little rest as they take on the New Jersey Devils tomorrow night in the 2nd of two weekend home games at Rogers Place before leaving for a 4-game road trip.

GAME REVIEW

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

CANUCKS BANTER: Chicago Visits Vancouver In Key Western Conference Matchup

Posted on November 21, 2015 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff November 21, 2015

The Chicago Blackhawks (11-7-2), in 4rth place in the Central division, come into Vancouver(7-7-6) after a tough game in Calgary on Friday night, a 2-1 overtime loss to the Flames.

Patrick Kane will be trying to extend his 15-game point streak. Crawford will likely start after backup Scott Darling made 35 saves against the Flames. Chicago are 3-6-0 on the road and were winless in the first two games of their “Circus Trip” by the Edmonton Oilers (4-3 overtime win) and Flames but still earning three of four points to start the trip.

“It’s definitely not frustrating to get three out of four points,” Darling told the Blackhawks website. “Maybe we didn’t have our best game [Friday], so we can definitely improve and build off this game … I think we’ll be fine.”

Vancouver starts a 4-game home stand, playing their first home game in over two weeks after a disastrous 7-game road trip that garnered a 1-4-2 record, and helped them fall into 4rth place in the Pacific Division, after starting the road trip tied for first place with Los Angeles.

The Canucks have lost 4-games in a row (0-3-1), and are in need of some urgency as they are plunging further down in the standings while other teams are overtaking them.

“These games are a big test coming up for us,” Prust said. “We’re not pressing the panic button, but we definitely have a sense of urgency.”

Canucks have been injury prone lately, and continue to be faced with a revolving door.

Vancouver will get left wing Brandon Prust (ankle) back from injured reserve after missing 11 games. The Canucks may also get right wing Radim Vrbata back after he missed Vancouver’s 4-1 loss at the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday with a groin injury; Vrbata skated by himself at practice Friday. Defenseman Ben Hutton (lower body), center Brandon Sutter (lower body) and defenseman Luca Sbisa (left hand) are day-to-day but not expected to play, according to the Canucks website.