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Canucks-Flames Preview

Oct 16, 2009 - 2:52 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Vancouver (2-3-0) at Calgary (4-2-1), 9:00 p.m. EDT

The Vancouver Canucks appear to have turned things around after a poor start, which began against the Calgary Flames. The recent success by the reigning Northwest Division champions, though, could be derailed by injuries to two of their top players.

The Canucks look to win their third straight when they visit the slumping Flames on Friday night.

Vancouver (2-3-0) was outscored 13-6 while opening the season with three straight defeats. After posting wins over Montreal and Dallas, the Canucks are in position to reach .500 for the first time in 2009-10.

Those victories have been costly. Daniel Sedin broke his foot in the 7-1 win over the Canadiens on Oct. 7 and will be out for four to six weeks. Top defenseman Sami Salo then suffered what is believed to be a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Stars, and is expected to miss three to five weeks.

Sedin, who had four assists this season, will especially be tough to replace. He led the Canucks with 31 goals in 2008-09 and his 82 points tied him with twin brother Henrik for the team lead. Coming into this season, he's missed only five games since 2003.

"I'm hoping I can be very effective without Daniel," Henrik Sedin said. "I think it's the same thing on any team if you have two good players that play a lot together: if one gets injured the other is affected for sure. Not because we're twins but because Danny is a good player."

Vancouver has called up former first-round draft pick Michael Grabner, who is set to make his NHL debut. The 22-year-old Austrian, the 14th overall pick in the 2006 Entry Draft, scored 30 goals in the AHL last season.

The Canucks have experience playing without the oft-injured Salo, who missed 22 games last season. Vancouver allowed the fourth-fewest goals in the Western Conference in 2008-09, but was 9-10-3 with Salo sidelined.

The Canucks opened the season with a 5-3 loss at Calgary on Oct. 1. The Flames (4-2-1) finished two points behind Vancouver in the Northwest last season, and forward Rene Bourque said each game between the teams this season will be tough.

"Every time we play them, it's going to be a battle," Bourque said. "There's definitely guys that you don't like on that team and I'm sure they don't like us, either. Every game is going to be a war. I expect the next five of the regular season to be the same."

The Flames are trying to snap a three-game losing streak. They fell 2-1 to Columbus on Tuesday, a day after blowing a 5-0 first-period lead en route to a 6-5 overtime loss to Chicago.

Against the Blue Jackets, Curtis Glencross opened the scoring the first period, but Miikka Kiprusoff allowed two in the second as the Flames were outshot 33-23 for the game.

Looking to get a five-game homestand off to a good start, Calgary done some line-shuffling. One of the biggest changes has Jarome Iginla with Glencross and Craig Conroy.

"Things change," said Conroy, who has two assists so far. "It might be a game, it might be a period, it might be a shift. You don't know what's going to happen. You just want to get some rhythm and some flow."

Iginla is looking to extend a five-game point streak versus the Canucks. He recorded an assist earlier this month, giving him two goals and five assists in his run against them.