Final
Coyotes-Canucks Preview
Jan 7, 2010 - 3:59 AM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS WriterPhoenix (26-14-4) at Vancouver (26-16-1), 10:00 p.m. EDT
With the Vancouver Canucks' top line playing at such a high level, it's going to take quite a defensive effort to slow it down - especially at GM Place.
Vancouver looks to continue its scoring surge and win its fourth in a row Thursday night when it hosts the Phoenix Coyotes.
Powered by Alex Burrows' second career hat trick, the Canucks (26-16-1) rallied from a 2-0 deficit and defeated Columbus 7-3 on Tuesday for their third straight victory.
"All three goals were unreal plays by my linemates," said Burrows, who has four goals and four assists during the Canucks' 6-0-1 run. "All three of them were tap-ins."
Burrows' first two goals were set up by linemates Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Ryan Kesler and Shane O'Brien assisted on his third score.
Burrow scored just once during Daniel Sedin's 18-game absence due to a broken bone in his foot, but has found the back of the net 10 times since Sedin returned Nov. 22.
"The twins, they do their thing and I do mine and it kind of works out," Burrows said. "They're the ones that are providing the offense. They're the ones that are making plays, especially since Danny's been back."
Daniel Sedin, third on Vancouver with 33 points, has four goals and nine assists in the last seven games. Henrik Sedin has five goals and nine assists during his seven-game point streak and is among the league leaders with 58 points.
The Canucks, who are 17-6-0 at home, are averaging 4.1 goals in their last seven games and 5.0 in their last three at GM Place.
Vancouver's only setback in the last two weeks was a 3-2 shootout loss at Phoenix on Dec. 29.
The Coyotes (26-14-4) set a team record with their 10th straight home victory in that matchup as former Canuck Jason LaBarbera made 28 saves and stopped all three shots he faced in the tiebreaker.
Ilya Bryzgalov, 3-2-0 with a 1.82 GAA in five career starts in Vancouver, has started Phoenix's last three games, going 1-1-1 with a 2.90 GAA.
The win came Tuesday in Edmonton, when he made 38 saves and Coyotes captain Shane Doan scored twice, including the game-winner, in a 5-4 overtime victory.
"I'm glad our guys stuck with it," said coach Dave Tippett, whose team improved to 13-3-3 since Nov. 25. "We got to overtime and found a way to get the extra point, and that's what counts."
The Coyotes got the puck past Roberto Luongo four times in last week's matchup, but delivering a repeat effort could be a challenge.
Luongo has dropped two consecutive starts to Phoenix, but has a 1.69 GAA in Vancouver's last seven games overall and is 3-0-0 with a 1.67 GAA in three home starts during that stretch.
In the teams' last meeting in Vancouver, Luongo made 28 saves in a 4-1 loss last Jan. 15. The Canucks were 12-1-0 with a tie the previous 14 times they hosted the Coyotes.
Phoenix leading goal scorer Scottie Upshall will not play Thursday due to an upper-body injury.
- -------------------------------------------
Phoenix
0 0 0 --0
Vancouver 1 1 2 --4
-------------------------------------------
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Vancouver, Alexandre Burrows 15 (Henrik
Sedin, Sami Salo), 11:35. Penalties: H Sedin, Van (hooking), 19:20.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 2, Vancouver, Mikael Samuelsson 14 (Ryan
Kesler, Shane O'Brien), 19:56. Penal
Jan 8 12:32 AM - -------------------------------------------
Phoenix
0 0 0 --0
Vancouver 1 1 2 --4
-------------------------------------------
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Vancouver, Alexandre Burrows 15 (Henrik
Sedin, Sami Salo), 11:35. Penalties: H Sedin, Van (hooking), 19:20.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 2, Vancouver, Mikael Samuelsson 14 (Ryan
Kesler, Shane O'Brien), 19:56. Penal
Jan 8 12:31 AM - --------------------------------------
Phoenix
0 0 --0
Vancouver 1 1 --2
--------------------------------------
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Vancouver, Alexandre Burrows 15 (Henrik
Sedin, Sami Salo), 11:35. Penalties: H Sedin, Van (hooking), 19:20.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 2, Vancouver, Mikael Samuelsson 14 (Ryan
Kesler, Shane O'Brien), 19:56. Penalties: R Lang, Pho (t
Jan 7 11:38 PM - ---------------------------------
Phoenix
0 --0
Vancouver 1 --1
---------------------------------
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Vancouver, Alexandre Burrows 15 (Henrik
Sedin, Sami Salo), 11:35. Penalties: H Sedin, Van (hooking), 19:20.
Shots on goal:
---------------------------------
Phoenix 6 --6
Vancouver 11 --11
-------------------------------
Jan 7 10:42 PM
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