GDT: Canucks @ Penquins - 7pm - TSN

[Cornuck]

Tonight we end our road trip - currently 2-1-1 - a win tonight would bring us back with a good amount of points from this trip (especially considering our usual road record).

So we'll see how we fare against Sid & Company, who are off to a blazing .500 start, but 3-1-1 in their last 5. Their power play is struggling along at 13%.

Tonight I'd like to see the Manny and Raffi show hook up for some points - they're both at 4 games without a point.

NHL.com Preview

THN.com Tale of the Tape

Canucks.com Game Notes

GO CANUCKS GO!

[Robert]

7pm?? Are you sure?

Being one of the so called top teams, the penguins should bring out some hustle from the Canucks tonight. I can't recall the last time I've seen the Penguins play.. hmmm...

[Tciso]

7pm?? Are you sure?

Being one of the so called top teams, the penguins should bring out some hustle from the Canucks tonight. I can't recall the last time I've seen the Penguins play.. hmmm...

I agree. It's usually against the cellar dwellers that we drop a load of crap. I expect us to be jacked up tonight.

[dr.dork]

Tonight I'd like to see the Manny and Raffi show hook up for some points - they're both at 4 games without a point.

Yep. But Raffi hitting Myers the other night was a thing of beauty. I don't we can expect that 3rd line to do as well as they did in that early season spell, but some timely scoring, hitting and good defensive play should be expected.

As pointed out by Robert, game is on at 4 pm for us left coasters.

Looking forward to it. Would have been a BIG deal if Mitchell was still playing with us, but since he isn't Malkin probably won't be too worried.

Our penalty kill and power play are very good, our 5 on 5 play not so good (but perhaps that is partly due to Raymond's injury and Burrows still ramping up after his return from injury). We're leading the league in faceoff wins (percentage). What a difference a year makes.

[woodhog]

Keith Ballard is expected to return to active duty after sitting out the last four consecutive games as a healthy scratch. Ballard will likely take the spot of Andrew Alberts in the lineup after the latter had just 11:09 of ice-time and was a team-worst minus-three in the loss to the Sabres.

We'll see if sitting out the last week helps motivate Ballard. Hamhuis should also be motivated to make up for his costly turn over against Buffalo.
The Canucks will have to take care of their own end first to deny the Penguins strong offensive players.
Should be a good game.
The key may be to get to Fleury early to destroy any confidence he has gained in the past week or two.

[Linden Is God]

Nice, BXA decidedly won a fight.

Being on the east coast, this early game is a bonus for me. I was sick Monday night and slept through most of the game. Hopefully I can enjoy this one in it's entirety.

[Robert]

Well so far I'm wrong. Is tonight movie night? They just seem to be sitting around watching.. maybe they'll wanna pick it up some in the second??

[the toucan kid]

Pathetic. Luongo can't move laterally at all any more. Just pathetic.

[Island Nucklehead]

Pathetic. Luongo can't move laterally at all any more. Just pathetic.

Pretty lazy looking play, for sure. I don't know if he thought Talbot would try to rag the puck around or what... but he was so slow even attempting that move.

The Canucks really aren't playing with any sense of urgency, and Fleury made a big stop right before their SH goal. Those are the kind of saves that make a win, and Luongo's effort only seconds later are at the other end of the spectrum.

[the toucan kid]

Pretty lazy looking play, for sure. I don't know if he thought Talbot would try to rag the puck around or what... but he was so slow even attempting that move.

Lazy is increasingly coming to look like someone who is halfway washed up. It's a good thing they let him wear all that padding because other than a good right pad, about all he can do is let it hit him and hopefully keep it close on the rebound. That might be okay from game to game, but it's happened two years in a row in the postseason and a good team will find the secret and make him look like a fat seal out there. I'm not sure we can win the cup with Roberto Luongo, which is a shame because I think most everything else is in place. Exaggerated? Would be with just this year as a sample, but given how long this has been going on, I think it's fair to say that stubbornness with equipment weight, and the wear of groin injuries has made this guy pretty flawed as an NHL goalie.

[Island Nucklehead]

Lazy is increasingly coming to look like someone who is halfway washed up. It's a good thing they let him wear all that padding because other than a good right pad, about all he can do is let it hit him and hopefully keep it close on the rebound. That might be okay from game to game, but it's happened two years in a row in the postseason and a good team will find the secret and make him look like a fat seal out there. I'm not sure we can win the cup with Roberto Luongo, which is a shame because I think most everything else is in place. Exaggerated? Would be with just this year as a sample, but given how long this has been going on, I think it's fair to say that stubbornness with equipment weight, and the wear of groin injuries has made this guy pretty flawed as an NHL goalie.

I think it is a tad exaggerated. He's got arguably better stats than Ryan Miller this year (.02 worse GAA but .12% better). Better stats than Brodeur. Very similar to Lundqvist.

He's middle of the pack right now, and that's good enough for at this point. We'll need him to get hot in time for the playoffs (like any goalie needs to be to go deep), and hopefully he can.

[the toucan kid]

I think it is a tad exaggerated. He's got arguably better stats than Ryan Miller this year (.02 worse GAA but .12% better). Better stats than Brodeur. Very similar to Lundqvist.

He's middle of the pack right now, and that's good enough for at this point. We'll need him to get hot in time for the playoffs (like any goalie needs to be to go deep), and hopefully he can.

Stats don't matter though if you're following my case at all. I'm sure Luongo will manage to put up roughly comparable career stats this year, but that doesn't change the fact that he is a fantastically flawed goalie who can't move worth shit and looks ridiculous on a lot of the goals he does give up... and oddly often in the playoffs.

I'm not trying to bury the guy, but there just isn't any evidence that he's corrected the abundantly clear flaw in his game that has plagued him when it counted the last couple years, and limited him to mediocrity when it didn't. So why would I continue to think this guy is in a state to get back to the point he once was, and for that matter ever going to be sound enough to stop giving up bad goals that a lot of guys could get? And that has proven to be an ugly mixture come playoff time already. (not to repeat)

By the way, I don't accuse him of mental problems or lack of work ethic as most people usually do to a player not performing at par. That would be fatuous, because no one has ever questioned his will, but the skill seems to have degraded before the spirit (and sadly the paycheck) gave out.

[Cornuck]

7pm?? Are you sure?

Good to see you guys are paying attention. Actually, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often. I do these while consuming my first coffee of the day and have to calculate from Eastern to Central (my time zone) and then try to post the correct Pacific time -

I'm hoping nobody missed the game on my account! As for me, I was gone all night and just saw the score - crap.

As a side note, I don't know if anyone is following Carolina, but they're winning and losing by huge margins the last few games - crazy stuff.