Columnist image

| Archive

The Vancouver Canucks (27-17-3) open the February portion of their schedule with their first meeting of the season against the Minnesota Wild (22-20-6). These teams will see plenty of each other in the next few weeks as three of the Canucks next nine games are against the Wild (after today they meet February 9th in Minnesota and again February 16th at Rogers Arena).

New defenceman Adam Clendening is expected to make his Canucks debut today. He arrived in town Friday night and practiced with the Canucks yesterday paired with Luca Sbisa and saw time on the point on the second unit power play along with Dan Hamhuis. It appears Clendening will replace Yannick Weber. If that’s the case, the Canucks will have their youngest blueline of the season (Chris Tanev turned 25 in December, Sbisa turned 25 on Friday, Clendening 22 & Corrado 21).

Derek Dorsett practiced with the Canucks yesterday for the first time since leaving Tuesday’s game against Anaheim after a collision with Ryan Kesler. The hard-nosed winger is a possibility to return to the line-up today.

Five different Canucks scored in Friday’s 5-2 win over Buffalo. It was the first time the Canucks have scored more than four goals in a game since a 7-1 romp over Arizona on December 22nd. Nick Bonino scored the game winner on a second period power play. The goal was his team-leading fifth game winner of the season, but just his first power play goal as a Canuck.

The Canucks scored an empty net goal on Friday and were also assessed a too-many men on the ice penalty. In both cases, that marked the 11th time this season they have hit the scoresheet in such fashion – the Canucks lead the league in both categories.

There is no word on who will start in goal for the Canucks today. Ryan Miller has started the team’s last six games. Miller is 4-3 lifetime against the Wild while Eddie Lack is 1-0-1 with both games coming after the Olympic break last season.

The Canucks and the Wild are two of three teams in the NHL this season with leading point-getters who are in single digits in goals (Daniel & Henrik Sedin 9+31=40 & Jason Pominville 9+29=38). Arizona’s Keith Yandle is the other.

The Wild are here off a 1-0 win in Calgary on Thursday. Devan Dubnyk stopped 30 shots for the shutout and Zach Parise’s team-leading 20th goal of the season in the first period stood up as the winner. The Wild have won both of their games since the All-Star break giving up just one goal in the process. They are 4-1-1 in their past six games which follows a stretch in which they won just 2 of their previous 14 games (2-8-4).

Dubnyk has started six straight games since being acquired from Arizona in mid-January. He’s 4-1 with the Wild with 2 shutouts a 1.66 GAA and a 93.1 save percentage. Dubnyk made 35 saves and blanked the Canucks 5-0 while with Arizona on November 14th at Rogers Arena. He also allowed three goals in relief duty in a 7-1 loss to the Canucks on December 22nd.

The league’s ice-time leader Ryan Suter (average 29:29 a night) did not practice yesterday and is questionable with a lower body injury. Suter has just one goal on 94 shots this season (shooting percentage of 1.1%). Winger Justin Fontaine (groin) will not play today. Former Canuck Keith Ballard has been out since December 10th with a concussion and facial injuries.

The Wild is 26th in the NHL on the power play (15.4%) and 28th in the league on the road (11.4%) scoring nine of its 25 PPG this season away from home.