Now you're all gonna get it...

Luongo's back, and dog help you all... After what seemed to be an eternity, some of those nights filled with the kind of goaltending we thought was long gone from these here parts, Roberto Luongo's groin is ready to umm... rock. And not a moment too soon, either. The Flames have moved 5 points ahead, and the Avalanche are only 4 back. But with our All-Star goalie healthy, and Mats Sundin getting closer to form each game, this could spell a return to the kind of hockey we saw 2 seasons ago at this time, when the Canucks, led by Luongo were the best team from Christmas on. The Canucks will likely start Lu on Thursday against Phoenix, but I certainly wouldn't rule him out to play tomorrow night against the Brodeur-less Devils. Certainly this will help light a fire under these guys who can't be happy with the way the game ended up Saturday night. They played with the best team in the league for 50 minutes, at times much better than the Sharks, but came out empty handed. Having a goalie who can shut the door will certainly help. You can't help but think Curtis Sanford has played his last game for the Canucks, with the way Jason LaBarbera came in here. What we needed from Sanford was for him to play against other teams the way he played against us when he was with St. Louis. We never really got that from him, save for a game or two. Great guy, good in the room, but this team can do better and they showed they can rely on LaBarbera in his appearances thus far, making the Sandman the odd man out. Nice to see Ryan Johnson back as well, as he will certainly make the PK stronger, and having his faceoff ability (as well as ferocious shot blocking) is always a bonus.

GAME DAY: Canucks vs Red Wings

As the Vancouver Canucks await word on the severity of Roberto Luongo's injured groin,
they have another pressing concern, that being the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings looked their usual selves in dismantling
the Calgary Flames Saturday night, and no doubt will want to test Curtis Sanford early and often. The Canucks are looking to win
their 4th straight tonight, and are playing a very confident brand of hockey right now despite the injury to their captain. Both teams
are among the hottest in the NHL right now, the Canucks sitting just 3 points behind the Wings for the 2nd seed in the West, and both are 7-1-2
in their last 10 games. The Red Wings have been the best road team in the NHL so far this season with a 10-1-1 mark, but Vancouver's 6-2-1
home record is no small potatoes. This is a short homestand for the Canucks as they play Calgary Thursday in the 1st half of a home and home
that sees the Canucks start a 7 game road trip Saturday in Cowtown. While the Canucks will be playing their backup tonight, the way this team
rallied around him both in Minnesota and Pittsburgh after Luongo went down has been nothing short of inspiring. You will see evidence of that tonight
when they hit the ice, and I bet you actually hear from this fabled 7th man they keep talking about. The games against the Wings are always highly entertaining
no matter how well the Canucks are doing, but you can't help but feel this team is on a mission to prove everyone was wrong about them.

Along with Luongo, the Canucks will be without Sami Salo, Kevin Bieksa and Rick Rypien. The Wings could be without Tomas Holmstrom, who has missed 2 straight with back
spasms, and Dan Cleary has missed 6 with an eye infection (ew!). They are still without Chris Chelios, on the IR with a fractured tibia.

The Canucks have at least a point in their last 9 games, an impressive run after that first disastrous road trip. The team has been getting some outstanding efforts
from a number of players, especially the line of Daniel and Henrik Sedin with Pavol Demitra, who have been on a tear since Demitra's return from a rib injury, and the
league took notice, naming Henrik 2nd star of the week for his 7 assists on that 4 game Eastern road trip. Despite wins against some very good teams, the Canucks will have
their hands full with the Wings, who have lost just twice in regulation. The Red Wings were the last team to beat the Canucks in regulation, a 3-2 win in GM Place that despite
the loss seemed to signal a bit of a turn around for the club. This is the Wings last visit for the season, so it should be a dandy.

Questions about Curtis Sanford's ability to step in and win big games seem to have been answered, as he has allowed just 3 goals on 48 shots in 2 consecutive victories. The Canucks
have Corey Schneider on the bench tonight, and depending on the severity of the injury to Luongo, you have to think he will get some playing time on this call up, especially on the road trip.
Some milestones could be reached tonight, as Daniel and Henrik are both sitting at 399 career points, and Steve Bernier is 1 short of 100.

Keys to the game:
1- Quick start: The fans will be looking for something to calm their fears, especially if the news about Luongo is bad today, so getting a couple behind Chris Osgood, who is a certified Canuck
Killer will be huge. Look for th Wings to concentrate heavily on the PHD line (23 points last week) perhaps freeing up the HBK line to do some damage.
2- Treat it like a road game: This seems to make a lot of sense, actually. The Canucks played some smart, fundamentally sound hockey on the road last week. They were great defensively, did a
decent job of staying out of the box, and towards the end even had a better effort on the PK. You cant give Detroit opportunities with the man advantage, so we need to make sure that the emotions are kept
in check and we stay at 5 on 5, where statistically we are better than them this season. We may not get many chances on the PP, but we need to make the most of them, as the Wings PK is pretty even with ours.
3- Focus: Just like the game against the Rangers, there are subplots that can be distracting. The Canucks did an incredible job of treating it like any other game and keeping focused on the real issue: 2 points
in the standings. They have a chance to move 7 up on the Flames and Wild, best to make the most of it.

Though it will be great when Salo and Bieksa return to the lineup, the Canucks D, led by Willie Mitchell and Mattias Ohlund have been stellar as of late, but it's been the grunts like Shane O'Brien, Alex edler
and Lawrence Nycholat who are getting it done. The shot blocking this team has been throwing up lately is so nice to see, and a sign this team is doing everything they can to help out their goaltender, regardless
of what number is on his jersey. Gametime is at 7pm and you can catch it on Sportsnet pacific and the Team 1040.

A little side note, we have added the Canucks.com news widget to the site, so you can see breaking news when it happens. We will be making one for our site soon too.

The Luongogeddon has arrived!!!!

Stoic, leader-type guy: Ok... if I can get everyone to just be quiet for a second, we can see if we can muddle our way through this. Now, it's important that everyone stays calm. Here is what we know. Roberto Luongo has suffered some type of leg or groin injury... (camera pans to audience in mass hysteria, screaming. Some cry, others just stare blankly. One man jumps through the window to certain death on the concrete below).
Stoic, leader-type guy: People...people, please! You have got to calm down! We can get through this together, but you have to just chill the hell out!
Hysterical mid-30's man: You said this couldn't happen!! You said it wouldn't happen!!!
Stoic, leader-type guy: (Leaning over and slapping the man across the face) Dammit, man! Get a hold of yourself! Now, does anyone have any ideas? (Camera pans across the room, people showing a variety of emotions on their faces)
Hysterical mid-30's man: Well I don't know about you guys, but I can't deal with this, man! It's all too much... (he turns and walks towards the door, faster until he begins to run, not looking back)
Stoic, leader-type guy: Well? Anyone else think this is too much? Now's your chance to leave. If not, then let's get to work. We have to do something so this whole damn thing doesn't fall apart.

Ok, so my future as a screen writer is in serious doubt. But I really feel that this is not the end of the world. The reports of Luongo in the dressing room joking around afterwards seem to indicate at least for now it may not be serious. Obviously you can't make a diagnosis from that, but given how passionate Lu is, it's a good sign. The way this team has played since returning from that 6 game roadtrip has been quite impressive. They have gone 10-2-2 in their last 14, after going 2-4-1 in their first 7. The PHD line of Pavol Demitra with Daniel and Henrik Sedin have been on a tear, notching (if my math is correct) 23 points since Demitra returned to the lineup from his rib injury. The play of Curtis Sanford in the last 2 games is certainly a bright spot, with huge wins over Minnesota and now Pittsburgh. And defensively the Canucks have rattled off some impressive efforts, leaving teams utterly frustrated in their wake, none moreso than the Penguins today. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were a combined -3, with 1 and 3 shots respectively. The play of Willie Mitchell and Mattias Ohlund lately has been awe-inspiring. Mitchell was his usual rock solid self, logging almost 27 minutes, and Ohlund was a +3 with almost 25 minutes TOI. My favorite stat however, was the shot clock. The Canucks held the Pittsburgh Penguins and all their firepower to 19 shots on goal. I truly believe that this is not just a team on a hot streak, but the true manifestation of this year's dark horse. I know there is a lot of hockey to be played here. And with the Luongo injury, a lot of uncertainty. But for the time being Curtis Sanford and Corey Schneider will be called upon to handle the load. For now, they can rest in their own beds, await the news of their Captain's status, and prepare for Monday and the Red Wings. Oh, did I mention they are going on a 7 game road trip later in the week? You can't accuse them of being boring, that's for sure. Oh, and Matt Cooke played 25 seconds before douchebagging Alex Edler. You stay classy, Cooke. Shame all that amazing work you do in the community gets flushed away by your actions on the ice.

Canucks 3 Wild 2

Are you freakin' kidding me? As I had mentioned in the pre-game post, I didn't think this one would go down as a win, but it would be great to hang on for a point. No one told the Canucks that, as they battled back twice to tie it and then to paraphrase Joey Kenward on the Team 1040 last night "Henrik scores!! Or was that Daniel? I don't care, it was a Sedin and it's 3-2 Vancouver". Classic. Now unlike some who pander to the eternal pessimists out there, (*coughDanRussellcough*) I think it is a very big deal that the Canucks were able to win that game last night. Playing their 3rd game in 4 nights on the road, with a 3 hour flight and a time zone change tacked onto it, the Canucks went into a place where they were 6-1-2 in their last 9 visits with Curtis Sanford and without Sami Salo and Kevin Bieksa and won it. They did it with hard work, a great job of line matching by Alain Vigneault (congrats on win #100, Coach!) and great nights from 2 players in particular: Willie Mitchell and Pavol Demitra. Funny that not only did Mitchell not get recognized for his efforts last night in the 3 star selections, but neither did Curtis Sanford. Can't blame them though, as it's hard to look good when you have the league's premier player Cal Clutterbuck on the ice. Seriously. Clutterbuck was an even, with 3 shots and 8 hits. Fine, 8 hits. Good for him. But he had 9:34 TOI. Then we go to Mr. Mitchell: 1 assist, +2, 24:01 TOI, 2 hits and 4 blocked shots. But maybe they just wanted an excuse to get Mr. Clutterbuck on the scoresheet, because you won't find him anywhere else except the program. Is this a big deal? No. But it speaks volumes about the perception of things in the Cult of Lemaire (tm). Can't say enough about Curtis Sanford. he certainly showed how hard he can battle, and it was truly inspiring to see how hard the team was battling for him last night. Sanford is a relentless worker in practice, and it certainly gives the Canucks a boost to have him come in and give them the chance to win such a huge divisional matchup. Good on Steve Bernier to get off the Schneid as well... He has been busting his ass out there, so a goal, especially the timing of it was huge. So that's 5 of a possible 6 points on this road trip, and they head into Pittsburgh with a well-rested Roberto Luongo to take on Crosby, Malkin and the Penguins tomorrow morning at 11 am PST. Yeah, ask me how happy I am about that. The game is on Sportsnet with Shorthouse and Garrett, and Joey and Tommy have the call on the Team 1040.

On a side note, the game took on a bigger meaning as the Flames shutout Colorado 1-0. The win moves the Flames into a tie with the Wild, but they retain 2nd due to games in hand.

GAME DAY: Canucks @ Wild

In the fabled 8th borough of New York City, the Canucks are hoping they have something left in a huge divisional matchup against the 2nd place Minnesota Wild. We all know this scheduling sucks, so let's get past this and do what they did last night and focus on the task at hand.

The last time these two teams met, the Canucks shut them out 2-0, and Roberto Luongo outdueled Niklas Backstrom. Tonight, it may be Curtis Sanford in goal however, as the Canucks may want to rest Luongo for the Saturday morning game against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. Backstrom was 3-0-2 against the Canucks lifetime at the Xcel Energy Center, and will be looking to keep his winning ways going, as he has won 2 straight in the shootout, including the Penguins Tuesday night. This will mark Pavol Demitra's first game against his old team. Demitra has returned with a vengeance from the IR, with goals in 2 straight games and 5 points in the 3 since his return from the rib injury. Sami Salo left the game limping last night and is questionable for tonight's game. Kevin Bieksa and Rick Rypien are still on the IR. Marion Gaborik, Kurtis Foster and Josh Harding are out for the Wild. This game is quite honestly not too winnable. The Canucks played last night then took the 3 hour flight to Minnesota, while the Wild have been resting since the shootout win over the Pens. I am expecting a loss, but with some hard work we could maybe see a point out of this. Getting to OT would be huge for the Canucks, who lead the Wild by 1 point. Here's what they need to do to have success tonight:

1- Play your game: Sure we would love to have a quick start, but it's not likely. So what will be needed is to weather the first 10 minutes. Jacques Lemaire will have his troops fired up and they will throw everything they can at a tired Canucks squad. If they can get out of the first half of period 1 unscathed, they have a shot.

2- Discipline: There are bad feelings brewing deeper and deeper each time we play the Wild, and no doubt their fans will be looking for some retribution for the 2-0 loss earlier this month. Jacques Lemaire accused the Canucks of playing "boring hockey" in that game. Seriously. It's amazing he doesn't get laughed out of the press conferences with lines like that. But with the PK still needing some fine tuning (the Rangers were 2 for 6 last night), the Canucks, especially Shane O'Brien need to stay out of the box and not let themselves get suckered into confrontations. Pick your battles.

3- Play their game: The whole Minnesota model is clog up the middle, forecheck tenaciously and try and capitalize on mistakes. Sounds like a plan to me. It may not make for the most exciting game, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and if it means giving them a taste of their own medicine, so be it. The points are what's important, and this team has shown it can play a number of styles. Give them a trap of their own to deal with and make sure to provide support for Sanford (or Luongo, as I am not entirely sure they won't just go with him) with lots of support.

Like I said, I don't expect them to win this one, but it is not out of the realm of possibility. A confident team can do some amazing things, and the Canucks are certainly that after dismantling the best in the East last night. After this the Canucks head back East for that Saturday morning matchup against Sid the Kid and the Penguins.

GAME DAY: Canucks vs. Ducks

The Canucks continue their winning ways with a strong effort in the Shark Tank last night, and the B squad hopes to do the same tonight as they roll into Anaheim to face the Ducks. The much anticipated line of Steve Bernier playing beside the Sedin brothers will make it's debut tonight, marking the first time the Canucks have their planned #1 line in a game situation. The Canucks can expect to see the Dynamic duo of Chris Pronger and Scott Neidermeyer in the lineup for the Ducks tonight, as both players did not play in the game against Phoenix last night. Willie Mitchell and Kevn Bieksa will lead the Canucks D, along with Sami Salo and Rob Davison, who has looked solid so far, expect Curtis Sanford to get the start tonight for the Canucks, and there is much anticipation for the Canucks 2nd line featuring 1st rounders Cody Hodgson and Micheal Grabner, likely playing with Pierre-Cedric Labrie or Dan Gendur. The Canucks 3rd line should be Ryan Jonson centering Darcy Hordichuk and Alex Burrows. Reports say Brendan Morrison likely won't be in the lineup for the Ducks tonight, but there is a chance Josh Green could be. Even with it being a pre-season game, expect a physical, emotional affair, as these 2 teams always play each other hard. The way the Canucks have played so far, I see no reason to expect they can't stay undefeated.

Canucks 4 Wild 2 Boogaard 0

On paper it looked like doom for the Canucks, coming off a shootout loss in Edmonton the night before, having to take on one of the NHL's best home teams with little rest and a goalie whose last game was 1 month ago. Someone forgot to tell that to Markus Naslund. The Captain was stellar with a hat trick (not to mention a disallowed goal on a quick whistle and a slapper from the point that hit the post), playing as fine a game as I've seen him play post-Steve Moore incident. Curtis Sanford was solid despite giving up a couple to Marian Gaborik, and we also got an absolute beauty end to end rush from Ryan Kesler. Nazzy now has goals in 4 straight games and leads the team with 10. And as for the most anticipated aspect of the night, the "revenge" on Canucks players by Wild knuckledragger Derek Boogaard on Pinky & the Brain? Boogaard had 3:53 of ice time and was a -1, while the twins set up 2 of Naslunds 3 goals and were both +2.
Guess that showed us. Full credit to AV and the coaching staff who did a fine job of getting the guys ready and keeping them focused, pulling down what is no doubt the biggest win of the year. The Canucks now sit atop the Northwest Division, 1 point behind San Jose for 2nd place in the Conference with 24 points. Next up for the Canucks is a visit to Curtis Sanford's old stomping grounds in St. Louis to take on the much improved Blues team on Friday. Oh and hat tip to Squirrel E. Doom on CDC for the photo.