Canucks recall Alexandre Bolduc

from Canucks.com:
Vancouver Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis announced today that centre Alexandre Bolduc has been recalled from the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.

Bolduc, 23, has appeared in 12 games this season, posting eight points (2-6-8) and a rating of +8.

Last season, Bolduc played in 70 games for the Manitoba Moose recording a career high 37 points (18-19-37). A graduate of the QMJHL, Bolduc split time between the Moose and the Bakersfield Condors of the ECHL prior to joining the team full time in 2007-08.

The 6’3”, 200 lbs. native of Montreal, Quebec was originally drafted by St. Louis Blues in the fourth round, 127th overall, in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and signed as a free agent on July 2, 2008.

Bolduc was recalled in light of the upper body injury that forward Steve Bernier sustained during last night's overtime win against Detroit.

Keep an eye on the Canucks.com news widget on the side of the page for updates...

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.

WTF Was That??? Canucks 7 Ducks 6 (SO)

Ok, that had to be the most messed up game I can recall the Canucks being involved in for a long time. Each period was a game unto its self. The Canucks played well in the first, apart from the penalty issues that continue to plague them, and didn't give up after surrendering 2 quick PP goals to the Ducks. Steve Bernier continued his strong play, and his first period goal set this crazy night in motion. The second period, more Canucks penalties, yet the Canucks rattled off 4 goals on 13 shots, the 4th goal of the night chasing J.S. Giguere, and then Jonas Hiller gave up his first one, the Canucks now have a 5-2 lead and it's all good, right? Wrong. Just a couple moments later, the game is now tied in what has to be some of the sloppiest and craziest few minutes of hockey in recent memory. Moving on to the 3rd, and it's Bernier again, using his size and speed to charge in and scoop the carom off the boards of a Kevin Bieksa shoot-in and the Canucks are back in the lead. But with the goalie pulled, an uncharacteristically bad attempt to clear the zone by Mattias Ohlund leads to Corey Perry's last minute goal, his 5th point of the night. OT solves nothing so they go to the shootout. An amazing deke from Kyle Wellwood puts the Canucks up, but it's matched by Ryan Getzlaf. It doesn't end until Vancouver's 13th shooter, Mattias Ohlund makes amends for his goof in the 3rd and ends it, giving the Canucks the 7-6 win to sweep the mini road trip to California. A few things came to mind as I looked at the aftermath of this game:
- The Oilers have now dropped to the division basement, and this time they don't have injuries as a reason for their slump. It's early, but things aren't looking good in Oil Country right now.
- The next hockey writer to say the Canucks have trouble scoring this year is gonna get a smack, as they are now 3rd in goals for. Seriously, it's as bad as the Obama hangs with terrorists line...
- Luongo may not have played like he did against LA, but when he needed to make the big saves in OT and the shootout he did, some amazing stuff there in the skills competition...
- After that horrendous road trip, and for how good the Flames and Wild have played lately, there we are tied for the division lead... makes me look forward to our first matchup against the Mild...
- We get another shot at Detroit Sunday, and I hear the 7th man may actually show up for this one.

Overall the last 7 days have been good for the Canucks. They've won 3 of 4, scored 17 goals, allowing 10, and made up for those losses on the eastern swing. a 2 week homestand and a chance to really put together some wins can help set them up for the season, and it all starts tomorrow against the Wings.

Canucks 6 Flames 0

It was a night the Vancouver Canucks set aside to honor a fallen teammate. They then served notice on the Calgary Flames, the rest of the NHL and pundits across the continent: This Threat Is Real. While some have noted that the Canucks have added toughness and some offensive ability to the lineup this season, no one was willing to give them a chance, and some have the team finishing as low as 14th in the conference. I am not saying that the Canucks are going to unseat the Red Wings at the top, but this Vancouver team is very much alive, thank you. An emotionally charged team shook away the fog after the moving tribute to the late Luc Bourdon and scored a late one in the first, Henrik Sedin from his brother Daniel and Ryan Kesler as the Canucks took advantage of some sloppy defensive play by the Flames. The Flames had a number of power play opportunities in the first, and 8 scoring chances, but Roberto Luongo kept the gates closed to give them a chance. And that was exactly what they needed, as they stormed out in the second, with goals from Steve Bernier (his first as a Canuck) and Alex Burrows in the first 2 minutes. The Flames had absolutely no response for this new version of the Canucks, as they were outhit and outhustled for the entire 20 minutes. Their frustration showed as they found themselves shorthanded 3 times, and their 3 biggest players, Iginla, Phaneuf and Todd Bertuzzi were the culprits, taking undisciplined penalties. The Canucks were right back at it in the third, Burrows netting his second early on from new Canuck Ryan Johnson, who was impressive, blocking shots and working hard on the PK. Mattias Ohlund was a tower of strength on D last night, leading the way with 5 hits and was rewarded with a PP goal into an empty net after a rush from Taylor Pyatt left the big Swede unchallenged in front of the net. The game was chippy at times, even Jannik Hansen dropped the gloves with Damon Langkow after he took a poke at Roberto Luongo. This was probably the biggest message sent of the night: This team is not going to let anyone take liberties any longer. That was evident again as Dion Phaneuf rocked Daniel coming across the blueline (he clearly leaves his feet to make the hit, but hey, there was no injury and we won so I will let it slide), and had to answer to Steve Bernier, who was an assist short of the Gordie Howe hat trick for the night. The PP the Flames recieved didn't help, as the speedy Rick Rypien stole the puck and potted a beautiful shot top corner on Miikka Kiprusoff for the final tally of the night. After the slow start, the Canucks showed what had been developing during that great 6-0-1 preseason run: speed, toughness and tenacity, the likes of which we have rarely seen in this town. Oh, and lost in all this offense was a 25 save shutout by the new captain (sorry Don Cherry, some goalies are not shrinking violets). Another notice served against one of the better goalies in the league for sure. To be fair to Kipper, his D left him hung out to dry a number of times. Kinda sad to see how ready the CBC crew of Mark Le and former Canucks coach Marc Crawford were to remind everyone that Robyn Regehr was back in Calgary with his wife in labour. One player makes not a team, and as good as Regehr is, nothing could have stopped a team as focused as the Canucks were last night. A fitting tribute to Luc (who wore the #6 in Moncton for his Jr. team, as someone on the Canucks board pointed out), and a hell of a way to open the season. The team has a 6 game road swing coming up, starting with a rematch against the Flames Saturday. You know they will come out fighting after being thoroughly embarassed last night, so this will be the first real test. After that its 5 games out east, starting with Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals Monday. We will have the Canucks/Flames pregame podcast for you tomorrow, so check back.
The Canucks announced today that they have signed Alex Edler to a 4 year contract extension. A great move to lock up a kid who is becoming a bright light on our backline, and may be a star in this league if he continues to develop at the pace he has shown.

GAME DAY: Ducks @ Canucks

For the Vancouver Canucks, this year's pre-season seems to not just be about getting prepared for the upcoming 82 games, but about new beginnings and exorcising some of the demons that plagued them last year. After a team record setting season 2 years ago, last year was a huge step back for the Canucks, one that ultimately cost GM Dave Nonis his job. New GM Mike Gillis has brought in a number of new faces, and while he didnt hit the homerun by snagging Mats Sundin or another superstar free agent, the players he did bring in seem to have meshed well, to the point the team appears to now have 3 solid lines. The losses in personnel from last season are big, but this improbable 6-0 run seems to not only have taken everyone's minds off who has left, but taken some of the sting away from missing the playoffs last season and given fans and the team optimism for the upcoming season. The boys in blue wrap up the preseason tonight at GM Place as they take on the Ducks. Both teams will be icing lineups that are essentially what they will start the season with, barring a couple exceptions. The line of Daniel and Henrik Sedin with Steve Bernier will be front and center tonight. The line has 16 points in 3 games and seems to really coming together. Roberto Luongo has been stellar this preseason, his save percentage just a shade under 97% and a GAA of 0.90.

The Ducks will be led by their usual cast, but you may see Brendan Morrison in the lineup tonight on a line with Teemu Selanne and Chris Kunitz, marking Mo's first return to GM Place since signing with the Ducks in the offseason. This game should have some emotion, with the scuffle between Corey Perry and Henrik Sedin late in the contest a week ago probably not completely forgotten, and both teams proabably still have a couple roster spots up for grabs. Nolan Baumgartner was sent to Manitoba by the Canucks, while Jeff Cowan and Nathan McIver wwere placed on waivers, McIver interestingly enough was quickly grabbed by the Ducks. If Cowan clears waivers he will report to Manitoba. The Canucks hope to make tonight their first unbeaten preseason in team history and their best since 1973 when they went 7-3. The game goes at 7pm and can be seen live on canucks.com, or on the radio on team 1040.

GAME DAY: Flames @ Canucks

In an era of lopsided divisional play, rivals are many in the NHL, but when it comes to the Vancouver Canucks, is there an opponent that brings out as much passion as the Calgary Flames? And it's fitting then that two of the hottest teams in the preseason clash tonight as the Canucks begin their final 3 pre-season contests, all at GM Place. The Canucks are currently 4-0, while the Flames are coming off a 4th straight win after opening the pre-season with a loss. The lineups haven't been released yet, but one thing is certain, new Canucks captain Roberto Luongo will not be in the lineup, as he suffered a minor groin tweak in a colision with Jannik Hansen in practice yesterday. Expect the Sedin/Sedin/Bernier line tonight, as they were dominant in San Jose, as well as Pavol Demitra, possibly on a line with Mason Raymond and either Taylor Pyatt or Kyle Wellwood. The big buzz on the Flames is some of the new faces in the lineup, and whether they can replace some of the players that departed, most notably Kristian Huselius, Alex Tanguay and Stephan Yelle. It's up to Todd Bertuzzi, Rene Bourque and Mike Cammalleri to step up. The Flames have gotten younger, with the additions to the lineup as well as returning youngsters like Eric Nystrom and Dustin Boyd. If Calgary has a weak link it's on defence. Sure they still have Robyn Regehr and Dion Phaneuf, but Adrian Aucoin is injury-prone and after that it's Mark Giordano, Cory Sarich and Jim Vandermere. Once again the Flames will rely heavily on Miikka Kiprusoff, who was sub-par last year after signing a huge contract extension. This year he is the highest paid goalie in the NHL and if he doesn't play like it the Flames are in serious trouble. Curtis Joseph is gone as back up, meaning Curtis McElhinney will get the support role, but if he fails to impress as he did last season, don't be surprised to see the Flames shopping for a goalie.

The key to tonight's game will be the line matching. Both teams will likely ice lineups close to what they will start the season with, so the pressure will be on players like Jarome Iginla and the Sedins to shine, as well as players on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines to take advantage of their TOI. It should be a typical Canucks/Flames match; spirited, a little nasty and a lot of fun to watch. One of these teams will leave with their 5th win of the preseason tonight, and the beauty is, TSN is carrying it, puck drop is at 7pm.

Canucks 5 Ducks 4 (SO)

Kyle Wellwood (yes, you heard me correctly) had the shootout winner along with a beauty during regulation, and the Sedin/Bernier/Sedin line had 6 points to lead the Canucks to a 5-4 SO win at the Honda Center in Anaheim last night. Wellwood seems to be responding well to the pressure, as he set up the winner the night before in San Jose. He may not have been the dominant player on the ice for the Canucks, but it was still a night that will help him in his efforts to make this Canucks squad. Teemu Selanne notched 2 for the Ducks (not bad for a guy on a tryout...) and Ryan Getzlaf had 3 assists in a losing cause. The big story once again was special teams, the Canucks making the most of their few powerplay opportunities, going 2-4 with goals by Henrik Sedin and a rocket from Sami Salo, who had a 3 point night and apart from a couple giveaways had a solid game. The PK continued to shine, as the Ducks went 2-10, both from Selanne, though one of them was a 5 on 3. A huge issue was the number of hooking calls against the Canucks, seemingly a holdover from last season, and something that no doubt will need to be addressed. Anyone who believes the referees willingly even up calls should save the scoresheet from this game. A shocker in the final minute of OT saw Henrik Sedin drop the gloves with Corey Perry after Perry delivered a cheap suckerpunch as the 2 met along the boards. Both recieved roughing calls, and you can bet this will be addressed when these teams meet again in the pre-season at GM Place. Overall, another good road game, Curtis Sanford was strong, and I liked the way the team responded after the Ducks took a 3-2 lead in the latter half of the 3rd. 4 games, 4 1 goal victories. The naysayers will criticize the teams inability to blow teams out of the water, but I say they won hard fought victories over 3 of the best in the West. Last time I checked, 1 goal victories still get you two points in the standings, so if we get this kind of effort this season, it's gonna be a fun year. Next up for the Canucks is a match against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday at GM Place and the possibility of Todd Bertuzzi in the lineup, likely on a line with Jarome Iginla. They will host the Sharks in a rematch the following night, and close out the preseason with another tilt against the Ducks Sunday evening.

GAME DAY: Oilers @ Canucks

The Canucks and Oilers go back to back tonight, and the first home appearance of the season for the Canucks gives the fans a look at a number of new faces tonight at GM Place. Darcy Hordichuk will make an appearance on the 1st line with Henrik Sedin and jannik Hansen, while the much anticipated 2nd line has Pavol Demitra and Steve Bernier centered by this years 1st round draft pick Cody Hodgson. Alex Burrows is on a 3rd line with Mark Cullen and Alexandre Bolduc and newcomer Ryan Johnson centers Mike Brown and Micheal Grabner. Luongo will get the start in goal for the first half, with Sanford playing the 2nd half for the Canucks. The Oilers iced a lineup that will probably look like the one they will start the season for them, minus just a couple notables like knuckledragger Zach Stortini, so you can expect him and Hordichuck to renew aquaintances tonight. At press time no word on the Oilers line up and once again the game is available on Rogers Sportsnet, team 1040 and streaming on Canucks.com. Being the shameless homers that we are, we're gonna call the Canucks on this one.