Canucks News

Daniel Sedin due to return Sunday, so Ryan Kesler to keep filling top-line spot
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November 20
Vancouver Sun
 
"Daniel Sedin is getting nervous — but it's a good nervous, not a bad one. The Vancouver Canucks' premier left-winger is close to returning from his broken left foot and wonders if he'll be able to regain his spot alongside brother Henrik. In Vancouver's last two outings, Henrik has combined with new linemates Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond for nine points. That trio will be intact again Friday when the Canucks entertain the Colorado Avalanche at GM Place. Daniel expects to suit up Sunday against Chicago. "Hopefully I'll get back on that line," Daniel said playfully after completing a pain-free all-out practice with the team Thursday. "They've been going pretty good." Canucks head coach ..."
No excuses, but there are reasons for Burrows' slump
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November 19
Vancouver Province
 
"Alex Burrows can finally come clean. For two weeks he played through nagging groin and hip flexor injuries. Both came courtesy of L.A. Kings defenceman Drew Doughty, who nearly broke him in half Oct. 29 with one of the best hip checks you will see this year. Burrows could manage the injuries, so he kept playing. It happens every day in the NHL. But there wasn't much choice. Not on a team one step away from scouring Planet Ice for possible injury subs. "We're hockey players, that's the way it goes," Burrows said. "But you don't want other teams to know about it so they can target you. You also never use it as an excuse." And Burrows is not. If Burrows' four goals aren't enough to live up to ..."
Blueliners shoot to create chances, not necessarily to score
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November 19
Vancouver Province
 
"Threading a needle may be easier than getting point shots through a maze of bodies. That's the common conclusion when the bagel factory on the back end of the Vancouver Canucks is churning out zeroes. After all, Sami Salo and Alex Edler have yet to score and Kevin Bieksa has managed just one goal at the quarter-pole. But lost in that narrow overview is the fact that the blueline brigade has adjusted well to today's NHL traffic jam in the offensive zone. The Canucks led the league with 196 shots from their defence heading into Wednesday's games and joined the Philadelphia Flyers as the only teams with 10 or more points from their top-three blueliners. Christian Ehrhoff has 12 points while ..."
Sedin twins offer exponential potential
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November 18
Vancouver Province
 
"Sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of its parts: Call it synergy, call it Gestalt Theory, call it a metaphysical riddle if you want. The Canucks call it Henrik and Daniel Sedin, and on the chalkboard it reads 1 + 1 = 3. "They're still good players when they're not playing with one another, Hank has proved that during this time Danny is out," said Alain Vignault. "But, obviously, I believe they're better together." Sure, Henrik has been a point-a-game guy in the 17 games Daniel's missed since an Alex Edler slapshot broke a bone in his foot in the fourth game of the season on Oct. 7. Nine goals in his past 11 games, too. Not bad. And, despite Henrik's protestations to the contrary ..."
Canuck Daniel Sedin aims for Sunday return vs. Blackhawks
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November 18
Vancouver Sun
 
"Injured Canucks forward Daniel Sedin will not play Friday against the Colorado Avalanche, but is hopeful he might be back for Sunday's home game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Sedin skated on his own this morning, but did not participate in the team's practice at GM Place. He said he hopes to practise with the team on Thursday. Sedin has been out six weeks with a broken left foot, suffered in an Oct. 7 game against the Montreal Canadiens. "It felt really good, actually," Sedin said of his foot. "We'll see how it is tomorrow morning and maybe I'll skate with the team tomorrow." Sedin was initially forecast to miss between four and six weeks with the injury and had said he'd hoped to beat ..."
Canucks performance just mediocre after 21 games
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November 18
Vancouver Province
 
"The Canucks head into the second quarter of their season this week needing it to be a lot better than their first. Hovering around .500 is like a death knell in the NHL. Think the Toronto Maple Leafs last year. They were a .500 team. Playing at a point-per-game pace is like accumulating credit card debt. Do it for long enough, and you're buried. The Canucks are 21 games into the season and all they have to show for it is a fancy new dressing room. At least the players are comfortable. Injuries have been a big story up to now, but they don't explain everything. Like what happened with Alex Edler and why is he playing like he never left that third-tier league in Sweden? For the most part, ..."
Canuck grinders show their scoring touch
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November 18
Vancouver Sun
 
"When the Vancouver Canucks' grinder line of Ryan Johnson, Jannik Hansen and Tanner Glass collected seven points in Denver last Saturday, it was truly a case of the glass being more than half full. The trio had accounted for a meagre two points in 33-man games prior to the resounding 8-2 victory over the Avalanche. Then this. Johnson posted his first career three-assist night. Glass, with a goal and an assist, equalled his entire career output prior to this season. Hansen, in only his second game back due to injury, also had a goal and an assist and is on an 82-point pace. "It's not something we do often," noted Glass, now up to five NHL points lifetime. "It's always fun, for sure. Maybe ..."
Forsberg, with foot still sore, stays in Sweden
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November 17
Vancouver Province
 
"No Peter Forsberg ever, no Daniel Sedin yet and no Rick Rypien or Sami Salo at practice on Monday. Situation normal, in other words, in Canucksville. Forsberg informed general manager Mike Gillis on Monday morning he would not be returning to the NHL this season because the status of his chronically bad foot remains no better than day-to-day. "My understanding is Peter is going to stay and play in MoDo and he won't return to the NHL this year," Gillis said. "I think it's a tribute to him that he didn't want to put himself in a position where he's taking a roster spot and not being an everyday player on an NHL team." The Canucks were only one of a handful of clubs scouting Forsberg and ..."
Johnson draws, blocks and assists way into Canuck teammates' hearts
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November 17
Vancouver Province
 
"When Henrik Sedin stole the spotlight from Ryan Johnson on Hockey Night in Canada, it was symbolic. Sedin's first career hat-trick in 667 games trumped Johnson's first career three-assist effort in 626 outings on Saturday in Denver because those who find the net garner more attention than those who help defend it. However, what emerged during an 8-2 pounding of the Colorado Avalanche was there may be more to Johnson's responsible fourth-line routine than sacrificing limbs to block shots, winning faceoffs and killing penalties. "Everybody thinks I've been blocking shots and taking faceoffs since I was six — it's not the way," said Johnson, who leads NHL forwards with 26 blocked shots and ..."
Peter Forsberg not returning to the NHL
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November 17
Vancouver Sun
 
"It wasn't by choice, but it appears the Vancouver Canucks have been spared another awkward period of uncertainty while waiting for an aging Swedish centre to make up his mind. Peter Forsberg, the 36-year-old former Hart Trophy winner whose career has been plagued by foot and ankle problems for several seasons, has decided not to attempt another National Hockey League comeback this season, according to Canucks general manager Mike Gillis. "My understanding is Peter's going to stay and play with Modo, and he won't return to the NHL this season," Gillis told a scrum of reporters Monday at GM Place. Asked when Forsberg had made the call, Gillis said: "This morning. He made it because it's more ..."
Daniel Sedin 'reinjured?' Why, it's 'part of the process' for Canuck
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November 17
Vancouver Sun
 columnist Cam Cole
"Terminology is everything in these sensitive times. Daniel Sedin did not "reinjure" himself, as has been reported. He did not "overdo it" by flying all the way to Dallas and skating a long practice with his Vancouver Canuck teammates two weeks before his anticipated return from a broken foot. In fact, it was not a long practice, said coach Alain Vigneault, just a "normal practice, with a little skate at the end, nothing more." Sedin did not "rush back too soon," and most importantly (and please do not ask again), the fact that he was not out on the ice Monday at GM Place with the rest of the Canucks, and has skated only once since that Dallas experiment eight days ago, does not mean he's ..."
Ailing Daniel Sedin not skating at Canucks practice
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November 16
Vancouver Sun
 
"The Vancouver Canucks are back at work, practising now at GM Place in the afterglow of Saturday's big 8-2 in Denver over the Colorado Avalanche. One significant player who isn't skating today, however, is ailing winger Daniel Sedin. Sedin, who suffered a broken foot back on Oct. 7, has been skating with the team of late — but isn't for whatever reason today."
Hard to rate injury-riddled Canucks
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November 16
Vancouver Province
 
"The Canucks are 25 per cent through the season but, as indicators go, predicting where they'll finish on this trajectory is as meaningless as the first-quarter score in a CFL game. It's taken 91 to 96 points the past four years to make the West playoffs, meaning the 11-10-0 Canucks will have to play at least .590 hockey the rest of the way. To gauge the Canucks now with all the injuries they've had is an exercise in incomplete data. That said, there are patterns emerging so let's address a handful of them and see what Mike Gillis, who was on the Eastern Seaboard on Sunday to catch some women's NCAA field hockey, has to say. Brother's keeper At times he's been invisible in the 17 games ..."
Raymond proves to be consistent Canuck
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November 15
Vancouver Province
 
"It's hard to believe he's the same player who went 26 games without a goal last season. Vancouver Canucks winger Mason Raymond had his struggles, with lots of company earlier this season, but he's been one of the team's most consistent forwards since the end of October. Raymond, who had scored five goals in seven games heading into Saturday's contest here with the Avalanche, but he came though with three assists and created the key goal in an 8-2 Canucks victory. Raymond embarrassed Craig Anderson midway through the first period when he raced out of the penalty box and arrived at the puck at the same time as the Avalanche goaltender. Raymond took the puck and centred it into the slot for a ..."
Canucks bury Colorado Avalanche with 8-2 win
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November 15
Vancouver Province
 
"Accused of a litany of hockey sins in three straight losses on this road trip, the Vancouver Canucks answered their critics here in a key Northwest Division game. Powered by Henrik Sedin's first career hat trick, the Canucks finally found their 'A' game against the division-leading Colorado Avalanche and came away with an 8-2 win at the Pepsi Center. Told they couldn't score, they filled the net behind Avalanche goaltender Craig Anderson — arguably the best in the league thus far. Accused of not going to the net hard enough, they made life miserable for Anderson, the Avs' catalyst this season. Called out for not finishing their checks, they did that early and often, wearing down Colorado ..."
Hat trick for Henrik Sedin as Canucks defeat the Avalanche 8-2
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November 15
Vancouver Sun
 
"The Vancouver Canucks escaped two storms Saturday night. They planned to make it out of Denver before the worst of a snowstorm was forecast to strike overnight, and they took with them a cleansing 8-2 victory against the Colorado Avalanche to escape the murk of a three-game National Hockey League losing streak. The Canucks finished their five-game, 10-day road odyssey at 2-3, and the victory gave them some positive feelings heading into a five-day break between games in Vancouver. "We wanted to end with a win for sure," Canuck goalie Roberto Luongo said after a second straight solid performance since returning from a rib injury. "We'd lost three games in a row and we didn't want to come ..."
Forbes on NHL team value: Canucks good on paper, at least
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November 13
Vancouver Province
 
"It's one thing to be worth almost half a billion dollars even though you haven't been in a Stanley Cup final for 42 years and counting. But to hose your fans for the most expensive tickets in the NHL on top of it? To throw bad money after even worse money year in, year out? Thanks to Forbes magazine, details like this show why the Toronto Maple Leafs are as inept off the ice as on. Forbes published its annual list of NHL franchises and their worth a couple of days ago, and the Leafs again topped the list with a value of $470 million, putting smiles on all those Ontario teachers who look forward to early retirement. But Forbes doesn't stop at franchise worth; it compares franchises in all ..."
Canucks trying to swing a Swede deal
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November 13
Vancouver Sun
 
"The Vancouver Canucks are prepared to wait. Again. For the third straight autumn, the National Hockey League team is standing by for a free agent from Sweden to decide if he wants to play in Vancouver -- or at all. Canuck assistant general manager Laurence Gilman said Thursday evening he was undismayed by a Toronto report that centre Peter Forsberg has told agent Don Baizley not to negotiate with NHL teams because his client is still unsure if chronic foot problems will allow him to play this season. Forsberg, the 36-year-old former Hart Trophy winner who has played just nine NHL games since the 2006-07 season, was expected to decide this week whether to attempt another comeback in North ..."
Dear Forsberg, come quick, Canuck scoring disappearing
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November 13
Vancouver Sun
 
"Could we please get a performance from Roberto Luongo? Sure, he was out 16 days with a rib fracture that won't be fully healed for another three weeks. And, yes, he was on the road against the Detroit Red Wings. But how freakin' hard is it to blank the conference champions? It's not like we're asking for a half-billion-dollar stadium roof here. One lousy shutout. Just stop them all. Luongo couldn't even do that on his return to the National Hockey League. The Vancouver Canuck goalie stopped 27 of 29 shots Thursday in his first start since Oct. 27, which was two saves too few as his slumping team generated just one goal for the third straight game. The Red Wings, badly outplayed through two ..."
Luongo returns, Canucks fall to Red Wings
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November 13
Vancouver Province
 
"They outworked the Red Wings for much of Thursday's game here, but the Vancouver Canucks couldn't beat their skill. Red Wings all-world forward Henrik Zetterberg scored a highlight reel goal at 8:00 of the third period to snap a 1-1 tie to put Detroit ahead for good. Zetterberg, in full flight, took a pass in the neutral zone from Brad Stuart and split the Canucks defence pair of Willie Mitchell and Kevin Bieksa before taking goaltender Roberto Luongo wide to the right and depositing a backhander under the crossbar in a play that only a handfull of players in the league could pull off. Zetterberg also set up the Wings first goal 17:31 into the first— another beauty — as Tomas Holmstrom ..."
Wings' Jimmy Howard 'stellar' in win over his idol
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November 13
Detroit Free Press
 
"Steve Yzerman dropped the puck, and Jimmy Howard stopped it - and stopped it and stopped it. Playing as good a game as he has in the NHL, Howard made 31 saves Thursday night at Joe Louis Arena and had an assist on Niklas Kronwall's empty net goal to give the Red Wings a 3-1 victory over the Canucks. It was Howard's second one-goal against victory in as many nights. "He was stellar the whole game," Nicklas Lidstrom said. "He played tremendous for us. They had some great chances, too, some two-on-ones, some lateral passes where he came across and made some key saves. It was great to see." Fans gave Yzerman, inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Monday in Toronto, a rousing, standing ..."
Henrik Zetterberg scores winner as Wings grind out another one
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November 13
Detroit News
 
"The Red Wings seemed to be on the ropes from the opening faceoff Thursday, but goaltender Jimmy Howard kept them propped up just long enough for Henrik Zetterberg to sneak behind the Vancouver defense, lift a backhander over Roberto Luongo eight minutes into the third period and send them to a 3-1 victory over the Canucks. It was the Red Wings' fifth win in six games. They've allowed just four goals in those five wins. "We are now 9-3-3 since coming back from our trip (to Sweden)," coach Mike Babcock said. "We aren't winning games in the same fashion that we used to, that's pretty obvious. But we are finding ways to grind games out and that's what we have to do." On the winner, Niklas ..."
Kyle Wellwood needs to produce to earn promotion
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November 12
Vancouver Province
 
"Desperate times, desperate measures? In a lot of ways that may be where and how the Vancouver Canucks find themselves lining up here tonight when they face the Detroit Red Wings. How desperate are they? They're coming off what may be their most disheartening loss of the season, a 6-1 no-show at the hands of the Blues in St. Louis. It was the Canucks' second straight road loss, and their record away from GM Place is now a dismal 3-7-0. Given that tonight's game No. 20 will, effectively, mark the quarter point of the season, and given that it takes about 95 points to get a playoff spot, the 10-9-0 Canucks likely need to play 12 to 14 games above .500 the rest of the way. Desperate enough for ..."
Luongo needs time, but Canucks can't wait
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November 12
Vancouver Sun
 
"The landing conditions were almost perfect. The Vancouver Canucks were winning and getting terrific goaltending from the replacements. Roberto Luongo wasn't the only impact player returning from injury. He was fit and ahead of schedule and able to pick his return date. It was a near-perfect scenario for the arrival back in the lineup of Luongo, who under conditions such as these could ease into his starting job without, at least initially, the impossible demand to play like Superman. That was a week ago. Then Luongo got the flu, which pushed back his return date. Daniel Sedin's recovery from a broken foot stalled, and the Canucks' best scorer went home. Then the Canucks, in an inexplicably ..."
Laying it on the line as Kesler joins top trio
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November 12
Vancouver Sun
 
"Two key things will have happened if things go well tonight for the Vancouver Canucks: the game will have been dull, and they'll have beaten the Detroit Red Wings (4:30 p.m., PPV, Team 1040). Canucks coach Alain Vigneault is loading what little he has offensively onto one line, moving Ryan Kesler to right wing to play with Henrik Sedin and Mason Raymond. That means the Canucks' other three lines will be playing mostly dump-it-in, grind-it-out hockey. The second line has one-point man Kyle Wellwood centring Mikael Samuelsson and Alex Burrows, who has one empty-net goal in 14 games. "Hopefully we'll get that [first] line chipping in a goal or two and get a power-play goal," assistant coach ..."
Luongo, Brodeur remain prime Team Canada candidates
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November 12
Vancouver Province
 
"Roberto Luongo needn't be too concerned that his slow start, or missing the last two weeks with a rib injury, will hurt his chances of being one of the three goaltenders named to Canada's Olympic hockey team next month. For one, Canadian puck-stoppers haven't exactly been setting the NHL on fire through the first two months of the season. For another, Team Canada executive and Detroit GM Ken Holland says the early underwhelming stats from the core group of prospective netminders will have little to do with personnel decisions made by GM Steve Yzerman. The five goaltenders invited to the Team Canada summer camp in Calgary are led in individual stats by 37-year-old Martin Brodeur. Heading ..."
Forsberg not ready for NHL return
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November 12
Camden Courier-Post
 
"The Flyers have expressed interest in bringing former captain Peter Forsberg back to Philadelphia, but it appears the 36-year-old Swede is not quite ready to commit himself to an NHL comeback. At least not yet. One day after Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren told reporters in Toronto he would entertain the idea of putting Forsberg back in orange and black, a report by the Canadian Website tsn.ca said Forsberg instructed his agent, Don Baizley, not to pursue contract talks with any NHL teams until he feels more comfortable skating. The Rangers, Flyers, Bruins and Canucks are among the teams that have expressed interest in Forsberg, who has not played a full NHL season since 2002-03. ..."
Canucks' Daniel Sedin sent home; broken foot not healed enough to play
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November 11
Vancouver Sun
 
"Injured Canuck winger Daniel Sedin has been sent home to Vancouver and won't play until at least next Friday's home game. Daniel Sedin did not practise as planned in Detroit, indicating his broken foot has not healed well enough for him to play. Sedin broke his foot Oct. 7 and rejoined the Canucks Saturday in Dallas after skating for three straight days in Vancouver. Sedin practised well on Sunday, but was kept off the ice on Monday. He took the morning skate Tuesday in St. Louis although he was not going to play that night."
Blues make hamburger out of listless Canucks in 6-1 loss
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November 11
Vancouver Province
 
"The rousing reception to the in-house game promotion said it all Tuesday. Reminded that the St. Louis Blues needed one more effort to hit the five-goal plateau and reward the Scottrade Center faithful with free Big Macs, there was a fan frenzy. After all, Andrew Raycroft had allowed four goals on nine shots through the opening eight minutes. Anybody hungry? The Blues would bag two more goals after Raycroft was replaced by Roberto Luongo to start the second period during a convincing 6-1 victory that fed 17,175 ticket holders some meat and the Canucks some humble pie. The offensively challenged Blues not only made hamburger out of the Vancouver Canucks backup goaltender by scoring three ..."
Vancouver Canucks beaten badly by St. Louis Blues
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November 11
Vancouver Sun
 
"Everyone received free Big Macs. But there were no happy meals for the Vancouver Canucks, who had their lunch — and dinner and today's breakfast — eaten by the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night. That Roberto Luongo was still willing to start the second period after what he witnessed in the first demonstrated how loyal and committed he really is to Vancouver. Canuck backup goalie Andrew Raycroft saved his worst for last, allowing four goals in the first 7 1/2 minutes of a 6-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues, who eclipsed their total offensive output from the previous five games and triggered a hamburger promotion for their fans. It was a horrible end to Raycroft's temp contract as starter and a ..."
Vancouver Canucks' worst-case scenario unfolded in St. Louis
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November 11
Vancouver Sun
 
"Missed it by that much. The Vancouver Canucks' worst-case scenario unfolded on cue Tuesday as Alain Vigneault was forced to move franchise player Roberto Luongo from the bench into the fire after starting Andrew Raycroft against the St. Louis Blues. Luongo, who suffered a fractured rib on Oct. 24 and hadn't played in two weeks, said he didn't feel ready to start after only one full practice but was comfortable backing up Raycroft. Vigneault had to use Luongo anyway — and without the benefit of an adequate warmup or game-day routine — when Raycroft was ventilated for four first-period goals. Third-string goalie Cory Schneider was returned to the American League earlier Tuesday. Every goalie ..."
Strategy for OT has several variables
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November 11
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"The Blues had a reunion with the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night, teams that met in the first round of Western Conference playoffs last April. Suffice to say, the Blues enjoyed the re-acquaintance. Winless in five games, and seemingly clueless on offense, the home team scored early and often in dispatching their playoff nemesis in convincing 6-1 fashion at Scottrade Center. Seems ironic the Blues would break a slump against a Vancouver club that swept them from last season's playoffs in four fruitless games. Then again, the adversaries reached the postseason stage by being among the league's best second-half teams. They have not been among the best first-half teams in 2009-2010. So ..."
Daniel Sedin could return as early as Thursday
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November 10
Vancouver Province
 
"Daniel Sedin pushed hard in practice Sunday. The training staff pushed harder Monday. The Vancouver Canucks winger was advised to take treatment Monday on the left foot he fractured Oct. 7 after his first full practice since suffering the ailment. He expects to skate this morning, but his place on the top line with Henrik Sedin and Alex Burrows will be taken by Steve Bernier as the Canucks face the St. Louis Blues tonight for the first time since a playoff sweep of the club last spring. Having a major injury for the first time during the regular season has taxed Sedin mentally and physically. He skated three times on his own last week before arriving in Dallas on Saturday night. "I was ..."
Backup Raycroft's mission: 'Don't get hurt'
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November 10
Vancouver Province
 
"Andrew Raycroft offered a light-hearted summation of his call to duty Tuesday. "Don't get hurt," chuckled the Vancouver Canucks backup goaltender. If that scenario were to unfold against the St. Louis Blues, it would force starter Roberto Luongo back sooner than planned from an Oct. 24 hairline rib fracture. Luongo will play Thursday in Detroit, so the best outcome for Raycroft would be a fourth straight win between the pipes and keeping the performance in perspective. Win or lose, Luongo is about to shoulder his usual workload. And Cory Schneider has been returned to the Manitoba Moose. "Lou just signed a 12-year contract and it's not like he's going to get unseeded from his No. 1 job ..."
Canucks reassign Schneider to Manitoba Moose
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November 10
Vancouver Sun
 
"Vancouver Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider has been re-assigned to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. Canucks captain and starting goaltender Roberto Luongo, who has been out of the lineup for two weeks with a rib injury and flu-like symptoms, will suit up tonight against the St. Louis Blues, according to a news release. It's not known if Luongo start tonight, or whether he'll back up Andrew Raycroft, who was 4-1 with 1.50 goals-against average and .940 save percentage in Luongo's absence."
Canucks' Roberto Luongo OK to play — but not to start?
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November 10
Vancouver Sun
 
"Vancouver Canuck goalie Roberto Luongo will be in the lineup and on the bench tonight to back up Andrew Raycroft against the St. Louis Blues. The question is: Why? Luongo and coach Alain Vigneault agree that it is too soon for him to start because he has had only one full practice since he left the lineup two weeks ago due to a fractured rib. They say he is able to back up, which is why minor-league callup Cory Schneider was returned earlier today to the Manitoba Moose. But since every goaltender will tell you that it is easier to start than to back up, with the uncertain prospect of going into a game cold, are the Canucks taking more of risk by having Luongo on the bench instead of in ..."
Luongo won't start in St. Louis
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November 10
Vancouver Province
 
"Caution has replaced optimism as Roberto Luongo and Daniel Sedin won't play Tuesday in St. Louis, despite progress in recovering from rib and foot injuries respectively. They could play Thursday in Detroit. Luongo recovered from a 48-hour flu virus and practised fully for the first time Monday since suffering a hairline rib fracture Oct. 24. But sharpening his technical game and dealing with muscle soreness will place the Vancouver Canucks starting goaltender in a backup role to Andrew Raycroft against the Blues. That scenario would also return Cory Schneider to the Manitoba Moose. "Obviously, there's a little soreness there because the muscles haven't been worked that much, but if it ..."
Canucks hoping to deepen St. Louis' blues
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November 10
Vancouver Province
 
"This was supposed to be the year of the Great Leap Forward for the St. Louis Blues. The Blues, decimated by injuries to key players last season, confounded onlookers by producing the best record in the second half of the NHL schedule before bowing to the Vancouver Canucks in four straight games in the playoffs. With their precocious young players more seasoned and the injured core players — Paul Kariya, Erik Johnson, Eric Brewer — back, the Blues were expected to be a force. It hasn't happened. It's early, of course, but the Blues have lost five in a row and inhabit 14th spot in the Western Conference. As is often the case in the NHL it's difficult to predict where the goals are going to ..."
Canucks' Roberto Luongo back practising with team today
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November 9
Vancouver Sun
 
"Injured goalie Roberto Luongo practised today and believes he'll be able to back up Andrew Raycroft Tuesday when the Vancouver Canucks visit the St. Louis Blues. But winger Daniel Sedin skipped practice due to soreness in his broken foot and is unlikely to play in St. Louis, although coach Alain Vigneault said it's possible Sedin could be in the lineup if he has a good morning skate and convinces Vigneault he's ready.. Luongo, who spent the weekend in his Dallas hotel room with a "48-hour virus", hasn't played in two weeks due to a fractured rib. Today's workout prior to the Canucks' flight to St. Louis was Luongo's first full practice with teammates. He spent 30 minutes before the regular ..."
Canucks' Sedins together again — tears stop falling
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November 9
Vancouver Sun
 columnist Iain Macintyre
"Unseparated from birth until a month ago, Daniel and Henrik Sedin finally know what it's like to miss each other. Apparently, absence made their hearts grow fonder. Yeah, pass the Kleenex. "Every night, he cried himself to sleep," Daniel Sedin said Sunday, reunited in practice with his twin after missing one month due to a broken foot. "We've played together so long. I knew he would do pretty good, but it would be different without me. "There were a lot of games he knew he could play better, but the team was winning and that's all that matters." A lot of Canucks should be weepy at the Sedin family reunion. It boosts the National Hockey League team 11/2 players: all of Daniel and the half ..."
Special Delivery
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November 9
Vancouver Province
 
"It's an easy game when the special teams are, indeed, special. How do you figure this?Last Thursday, the Oilers may as well have been traffic cones as the New York Rangers scored three power-play goals. On Sunday, they made the NHL's second-best penalty-killers look like beer leaguers, scoring four of their own in the first five tries to end the Colorado Avalanche's perfect 6-0 home record with a 5-3 decision. And who leads the way? Ryan Potulny, who gets his first NHL goal since April 3, 2007 (playing for the Philadelphia Flyers)in his first Oilers game since being called up from the American Hockey League's Springfield Falcons, and an assist on Dustin Penner's power-play score. Mike ..."
Burrows the hunter or the hunted?
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November 9
Vancouver Province
 
"Abrasive. Agitating. Loud. Proud. At his best, Alex Burrows is a pesky presence and it's a big reason why the Vancouver Canucks winger reached a career-high 28 goals and 51 points last season and was rewarded with a contract extension. Good or bad, Burrows did something to get noticed or to get to the other team. At his worst, Burrows plays out of the character that fuels his game. He has been tentative this season, a half-step behind the play and a second late on his release. It's a big reason why he has managed just an empty-net goal in his last 13 outings and theories abound as to the reasons for his turnaround. You could argue Burrows is feeling pressure to perform on the top line ..."
Henrik's crying time is almost over
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November 9
Vancouver Province
 
"The best barometer for true health of the Vancouver Canucks wasn't a comment from the coach or offerings from the afflicted Sunday. It was a 20-minute bag skate. Daniel Sedin arrived here in time to test his fractured left foot and survived the torture. Flu-ridden Steve Bernier got out of bed after three days of isolation to do the same, while Roberto Luongo stayed in bed as the latest to experience flu-like symptoms. It could mean Daniel and Henrik will be reunited to face the Blues in St. Louis on Tuesday. It could mean the same for Bernier. And it could mean Luongo, who had been taking practice shots in recovering from a hairline rib fracture, may not play until Thursday in Detroit. Or ..."
Canuck goalie Roberto Luongo may be down with flu
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November 8
Vancouver Sun
 
"On the verge of returning from a rib injury, Vancouver Canuck goalie Roberto Luongo may now have the flu and probably won't make a planned return to the lineup Tuesday in St. Louis. Luongo did not practise with teammates Sunday and coach Alain Vigneault said the Canuck captain was sick. He did not, however, rule out the possibility that Luongo could practise here today. Canuck Steve Bernier missed games Thursday and Friday due to what the team believes was seasonal flu, but practised Sunday and expects to play in St. Louis."
Bernier feeling 'a lot better' after 48-hour flu scare
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November 8
Vancouver Province
 
"Steve Bernier was in a sweat Saturday for all the right reasons. The Vancouver Canucks winger was spotted in the gym after recovering from a mild case of the flu and put to rest fears that he had contracted a more serious strain when the club embarked on its five-game road trip Wednesday. "I feel a lot better," said Bernier, who plans to practise today. "I was pretty worried on the plane coming down from Vancouver, but it was only a mild flu for about 48 hours." Regardless, Bernier didn't fly on the team's post-game charter Thursday night following a 5-2 win at St. Paul, Minn. He flew into Dallas on Friday and has had his own hotel room because of league-wide concern over the H1N1 virus. ..."
Luongo feeling sick, misses practice
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November 8
Vancouver Province
 
"The surprise was supposed to be a Daniel Sedin sighting. Instead, it was a no-show by Roberto Luongo at practice Sunday that stole the show. "He's a little under the weather and stayed back at the hotel," said Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. "He started not feeling well yesterday (Saturday) and we'll see how he's doing tomorrow. If he's not better, we'll fly him later into St. Louis." Luongo is also recovering from a hairline rib fracture suffered Oct. 24 when he absorbed a Niklas Hagman shot in the third period against Toronto. He had been taking practice shots in hopes of returning to the lineup this week, but Tuesday now seems a stretch and perhaps Thursday in Detroit might be ..."
Schneider's 45-save effort boosts his confidence
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November 8
Vancouver Province
 
"Roberto Luongo is ready to face more shots today. Andrew Raycroft is ready to play again after three straight victories. And Cory Schneider is ready to prove that his stellar one-man show Friday is worth more prime time on the NHL stage. Add it all up and the Vancouver Canucks have a pleasant crease conundrum. Luongo is targeting a Tuesday test in St. Louis after recovering from a hairline rib fracture he suffered Oct. 24 in absorbing a Niklas Hagman shot to the left side. How the starter handles practice shots to his upper body the next two days will determine if he'll face the Blues. "I'm closer today than yesterday," Luongo said after the Canucks fell 2-1 to the Dallas Stars on Friday. ..."