The Vancouver Canucks arrive in town tonight to play the Canadiens atop the Northwest Division. With 18 points, they are two points away from joining the Detroit Red Wings and the LA Kings for first place in the Western Conference. Aside from their star netminder and Montreal native Robert Luongo, the main reason for their success are the Sedin twins – Henrik and Daniel.
The twins enter the game tonight with not only identical looks, they also have identical point totals. Daniel – the natural scorer has 9 goals and 7 assists while his brother, the playmaker , owns 2 goals and 14 helpers. If coach Alain Vigneault has trouble identifying the two in the dressing room, the duo do not help his or their teammates cause on the ice . Conspiracy theorists would be quick to notice that the sole reason that Henrik was made captain was to make it easier to identify one over the other. In 2011, the pair will celebrate their tenth anniversaries with the club and within the next two seasons will surpass Markus Naslund as the all time leading scorer in a Vancouver uniform.The Montreal Canadiens will have their hands full this evening defensively while attempting to elevate their offensive game. It will not be easy as the Habs take on their biggest challenge of the young season as the Canucks are arguably their most formidable enemies far.
Change is in the Air
The Habs placed Dustin Boyd on waivers yesterday. Boyd is the player that they received for perennial bad boy Sergei Kostisyn in the off season. In nine games thus far, Dustin has one point and is a negative six on the production scale. This could be a move to enable Boyd to play in Hamilton and allow the Habs brass to bring another player to the parent club. It is a clear indication that Gauthier et al are concerned about the lack of offense being generated by the team.
In an attempt to remove Scott Gomez from his lethargic state, the Habs are adding Maxime Lapierre to the Gomez – Gionta line. Lapierre started the season with a bang yet in recent contests has been more of a hindrance than a plus. The move is an effort to break not one – three players out of a comatose state. The other player on that line, Brian Gionta, is not exactly the poster boy for the Rocket Richard Trophy and Lapierre , not a goal scorer himself, can only inject some toughness in the crease and the corners for his two mates. This can open up some ice for Gomez and Gionta which is what coach Martin is probably thinking.
Cammallerri will be alongside his buddies Plekanec and Kostisyn and with any
luck – the trio can rediscover the magic that enabled them to account for the majority of the Habs`offense in the first ten games of this newborn season.
Robert Luongo brings an inferior 2.76 GAA to the Bell Center in an attempt to counter Carey Price`s 2.45. The way things have been going – Price will be the busier of the two unless the Montreal Canadien forwards can generate ample enough excitement to dismiss the Swedish connection and focus on the task at hand.
This is hockey after all.