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Sundin, rejuvenated Canucks host Blues

Jan 9, 2009 - 11:48 AM St. Louis (15-21-3) at Vancouver (22-15-5), 10:00 p.m. EST

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Ticker) -- Though Mats Sundin did not fill up the scoresheet during his much-anticipated debut, the Vancouver Canucks received a jolt of momentum heading into their five-game homestand.

Coming off a convincing win, the Canucks hope Sundin can shake off more rust from his high-profile, nine-month layoff when he makes his home debut against the St. Louis Blues on Friday.

The 37-year-old Sundin, the Maple Leafs' career scoring leader, left Toronto following last season after refusing a request by the team at the trade deadline to waive the no-trade clause in his contract. He then began a prolonged period of limbo in which several teams had reportedly been interested in his services.

In the end, Vancouver that won the sweepstakes and benefited from his presence on Wednesday, when it defeated the Edmonton Oilers, 4-2. Sundin did not record a shot on goal in 15 minutes of ice time.

Though Sundin attracted much of the spotlight, Steve Bernier stole the show by scoring twice in a 12-second span and giving the Canucks a lead they would not relinquish.

Prior to that victory, they had dropped two contests in a row.

St. Louis, meanwhile, recently enjoyed the rare distinction of solving Columbus Blue Jackets rookie netminder Chris Mason. The Blues, who are in last place in the Western Conference, thrived on offense and posted a 5-2 victory on Saturday against Mason, who had recorded shutouts in three of his previous four games.

Even with that win, the Blues are 3-10-0 in their last 13 games and begin a three-game road swing in this contest.