Tonight at Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks (11-8-3) enter tonight’s tilt with three straight defeats, including Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars, which was the second match of a six-game homestand. Can the Panthers keep Vancouver down and finally post their first winning streak of the season, or will they be the tonic the sliding Canucks need to get back in the win column?
As usual, the Canucks are led offensively by the dynamic Sedin twins. Henrik is the club’s leading scorer with 22 points (4G/18A) while brother Daniel has notched 7 goals and 10 assists. I would expect our old friend Roberto Luongo to battle Tim Thomas in goal tonight.
Thursday at Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers (5-15-2) will be playing in the second of a three-game homestand when the Cats come calling on Thursday. The Panthers will be looking to avenge the 4-3 overtime loss they suffered to the “Oil” back on November 6th. Florida could be shooting at recent signee Ilya “Humongous Big” Bryzgalov who was deemed NHL-ready after two starts for the Oklahoma City Barons this weekend.
The Oilers’ underachieving offense is led by Jordan Eberle whose sixteen points put him on pace for sixty this season.
Friday at Calgary Flames
Florida will conclude their five-game road trip against the rebuilding Flames (7-11-3) at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Cats will be the middle visitor in Calgary’s three-game homestand. Despite being near the bottom of the Western Conference, the Flames have been more competitive than expected. Calgary hasn’t been good on home ice (3-4-2) this season, so the Panthers have a solid chance to finish the road swing off on a positive note.
Calgary’s veteran forward Jiri Hudler is on pace for a career year with 21 points in 21 games. Rookie Sean Monahan has scored eight goals and fourteen points.
So how do you see the Panthers finishing the week before they return home to face the Philadelphia Flyers? The Canucks provide the stiffest test on paper, but have been reeling as of late. The Oilers and Flames present an opportunity for the Cats to collect points and move up in the standings. Vote in the poll and let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
How many points will the Cats pick up this week?
| Zero | 2 |
| One | 0 |
| Two | 6 |
| Three | 16 |
| Four | 19 |
| Five | 7 |
| Six | 6 |