GDT - Canucks vs Stars 7PM PST SNet

[donlever]

Canucks looking to bounce back from a loss to the Sabres as well as avenge a recent come back defeat to a potential first round foe. Rumour has it coach Glen Gulutzan indicated back up Richard Backman will get the start tonight. We can believe that when we see it but Lehtonen has played 90% of the games over the past quarter of the season. Newcomer Zack Kassian skated on a second line with Kesler and Booth during Mondays practice while Mason Raymond switched off on the fourth line with Dale Weise. Gragnani remained on a 3rd pairing with Aaron Rome while Andrew Alberts and Chris Tanev skated together as spares. Roberto Luongo apparently gets the start following a poor outing on Saturday night.

NHL.COM PREVIEW


EXCERPT: This is the second of four meetings between the clubs. The Stars won 3-2 in overtime on Feb. 26 in Dallas while coming back from a 2-0 deficit. Their final three meetings come between now and March 30.

The Canucks want the top seed the West; the Stars are fighting for any seed in the West. Vancouver is in a fight for first place with the Blues and Red Wings, who are both one point back. Meanwhile, the Stars have surged into seventh place in the West behind their 7-1-2 run.

INJURIES: Dallas captain Brenden Morrow (neck/back) and forward Jake Dowell (finger) are on injured reserve. … The Canucks are without forward Andrew Ebbett (collarbone) and defenseman Keith Ballard (concussion).

HOT: Louie Eriksson has 4 goals and 5 assists in his last six games for the Stars.

HISTORY: After 26 mediocre years in Minnesota the North Stars moved to Dallas becoming the Stars after flirting with the notion of the name Lone Stars. On October 5th the State of Texas finally had a NHL team of its own, after years of Minor League Hockey and the WHA's Houston Aeros, as the Stars beat the Detroit Red Wings at Reunion Arena 6-4. The Stars would go on to have a solid first season in Dallas as Mike Modano scored 50 goals with the Stars finishing in third place in the Central Division with a solid 42-29-13. In the playoffs the Stars got off to a fast start sweeping the St. Louis Blues in four straight games. However, in the second round they would be upset by Vancouver in five games as the Canucks made their second run towards a Stanley Cup Final appearance .

[tantalum]

This'll be a snooze fest.

I ALMOST want a Stars victory because it amuses me to see Flames and Sharks fans get upset.

When I look at games the next couple of weeks I only want one thing: The Ducks to stop winning. If they squeeze into the 7th/8th spot they are not going to be pushovers.

[Zamboni Driver]

Canucks looking to bounce back from a loss to the Sabres as well as avenge a recent come back defeat to a potential first round foe. Rumour has it coach Glen Gulutzan indicated back up Richard Backman will get the start tonight. We can believe that when we see it but Lehtonen has played 90% of the games over the past quarter of the season. Newcomer Zack Kassian skated on a second line with Kesler and Booth during Mondays practice while Mason Raymond switched off on the fourth line with Dale Weise. Gragnani remained on a 3rd pairing with Aaron Rome while Andrew Alberts and Chris Tanev skated together as spares. Roberto Luongo apparently gets the start following a poor outing on Saturday night.

WTF is with AV's man-crush on Rome?
If going -3 in Buffalo doesn't deserve a benching god knows what will.

[tantalum]

WTF is with AV's man-crush on Rome?
If going -3 in Buffalo doesn't deserve a benching god knows what will.

Alberts is worse and against a conference opponent I don't see him going with two inexperienced guys on the third pairing. I wouldn't mind seeing in the Jets and/or Habs game seeing a Gragnani-Tanev pairing. It has all the makings of a disaster...it might just work.

[Zamboni Driver]

This'll be a snooze fest.

I ALMOST want a Stars victory because it amuses me to see Flames and Sharks fans get upset.

When I look at games the next couple of weeks I only want one thing: The Ducks to stop winning. If they squeeze into the 7th/8th spot they are not going to be pushovers.

I think I'd rather see the Stars ot Sharks as a first round matchup.
Phoenix would be tough (and probably low-scoring boring games) LA makes me nervous if Quick brings his A game


With the Sharks having 5 points up and 3 games in hand the Ducks are now cooked. (hopefully with orange sauce )

[Potatoe1]

Phoenix would be tough (and probably low-scoring boring games) LA makes me nervous if Quick brings his A game

Phoenix has been a total dud in the post season the past 2 years.

I agree on avoiding LA.

Dallas or Pheonix are probably the best match upps.

[Meds]

Phoenix would be tough (and probably low-scoring boring games) LA makes me nervous if Quick brings his A game

Phoenix has been a total dud in the post season the past 2 years.

I agree on avoiding LA.

Dallas or Pheonix are probably the best match upps.

Agreed. Go to the net against both of those teams and the Canucks stand a very good chance of winning. While both Smith and Lehtonen can heat up, the Canucks just need to remember that they aren't going to score very many on even an average goalie if all they do is take shots from the outside with nobody going to the net for rebounds.

The last two games of the road trip were against these two teams, and in both instances the Canucks were totally spent but still managed to get a single point, in the case of Dallas, they needed serious help from the officiating crew to tie it up and get to OT. In the case of Phoenix, Vigneault really blew it with his shootout choices. Not worried about either of them.

[Sticky]

I think this ones gonna be 13-1 Vancouver... If we're talking about scoring chances taken away by obstruction.

The headline will read..."despite being badly outplayed through the majority of the game, the defensively skilled Stars manage to come out ahead by a score of 2-1."

Long headline, I know.... It's to give the reader a sense of the EONS that it is going to feel like watching yet another trapfest.

[Larry Goodenough]

I'd like to see a Tanev/Gragnani pairing one game. Gragnani needs 12 games total this seasons to remain RFA, otherwise he becomes a group 6 UFA. So, to have Gragnani back next year at about $775,000, he'll have to play 12 of the next 16 games.

Tanev also not on the Wolves roster as of today. This means he can't play for the Wolves in the AHL playoffs and most definately is here for the duration.

[Jovocop]

I'd like to see a Tanev/Gragnani pairing one game. Gragnani needs 12 games total this seasons to remain RFA, otherwise he becomes a group 6 UFA. So, to have Gragnani back next year at about $775,000, he'll have to play 12 of the next 16 games.

Tanev also not on the Wolves roster as of today. This means he can't play for the Wolves in the AHL playoffs and most definately is here for the duration.

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Canu ... story.html

The Canucks will have to give Gragnani a fair bit of time if they are to prevent him from becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer. Unless he has logged 80 NHL games, including playoffs, by the end of this season, Gragnani would become a Group 6 free agent. He has played 68 games heading into tonight's game against the Dallas Stars.

Is that correct or does Gragnani need 12 more games in the regular season???

[coco_canuck]

Is that correct or does Gragnani need 12 more games in the regular season???

I'm pretty sure it's regular season and playoffs.

It would seem to be most prudent to get as close to 12 games before the playoffs so they're not forced to make a tough decision when the stakes are raised.

But since Grags is turning 25, he's only 2 years away from reaching UFA status anyways, so I could see a scenario where the Canucks sign him to a relatively cheap 2-year extension regardless of him reaching 12 games or nor...that's if they like what they see and think they can further develop him.

[dhabums]

With the Sharks having 5 points up and 3 games in hand the Ducks are now cooked. (hopefully with orange sauce )

Still 2 games H2H, but it's a bit of a longshot.

[TDA Rum]

5 - 1 Canucks with Sedins getting 3 points each and Edler with a goal....

[Uncle dans leg]

3-0 Stars
The nucks haven't played good hockey in what seems like ages and I think they're going to sink a bit lower before they sort it out and are peaking for the real season.

Hope I'm wrong but where the hell have the Sedins gone?

[rats19]

Not one post since the puck dropped and I am relying on play descriptions...sad really