I am not trying to illuminat(i) your minds here at all. That kind of stuff is for the network news guys, PBS and CBC.

This is just too perfect for the Canucks and their run through the Xcel Energy Center. Its been a personal horror show for the back up tonight ( though, interestingly enough, he has 3 straight shutouts at home versus the Wild.), what with a 7.00 GAA in the last three here. So, maybe Grand Wizard Vigneault played the averages, or maybe it was just time for Cory Schneider to take the crease. He had some big saves tonight, but come on. He only had 24 shots.

My favorite stylistic tool is the A-B-C's, but that, I have decided, is only for the big games. The rivalry tilts. The Wild just think the Canucks are a "rival". Get in line there Wild fans. We have some others a little further up the food chain that hate us much much more than you.

So, in honour of the above and luck at the Xcel or the lack of it, here's the thirteen points to ponder tonight.

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Back in Minnesota, eh? Alrighty, then. Cory Schneider is in net tonight, for the 2nd time at this arena this year. Also, our most recent reports say that Henrik Sedin should be good to go tonight, although it is still a gametime decision. We also had "Count" Mike Duco called up to fill in should either Henrik or Dale Weise, also a gametime decision, be not able to play.

Coconuts go.

The road trip continues as does the debate: Is this a slump if they are the hottest team in the league? We know the team has put forth some lackluster efforts of late, but they continue to win. And even when they don't win, they continue to get points, unlike earlier in the season where they couldn't buy their way into overtime. They're a little banged up and looking lost, yet night after night this team is doing just enough to win, so is it fair to call it a slump? Your guess is as good as mine. I have been saying all along that there's something to be said about teams that find a way to win. Sure the shootout isn't gonna help them come playoff time, but battling through adversity? That's something you want a team to know, to live and breathe. This Canucks team may have more heart than last year's incarnation. And for the rest of the NHL, that's not good news.

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Whether you're feeling the effects of a big win and the celebration that followed, or you're just crushing as much caffeine as you can to make it through the day, everyone needs a good buzz in the morning. Here are your links, images, bad Photoshops, out-of-context quotes and wild generalities for Thursday, February 9, 2012.

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CANUCKS		WILD
	AT

For the first time in 4 years I have missed 2 consecutive Canucks games. How do I feel about that? M'eh. It is what it is, plus I get to read Vancitydan's recaps and they are terrific and informative.

I don't know what to say about the Canucks. They baffle me. I want better consistency but they keep getting the wins. In shootouts no less. How exciting. Roberto Luongod is just that....GOD.

And what's all this about Byron Bitz?

AV in the back said "everyone attack!"

And we didn't think Byron Bitz.

From the AHL he's up and raising hell

And his name is Byron Bitz

Byron Bitz....Byron Bitz.

Haha, I love it. Great job Lord Byron! (Even though that was what they called Byron Dafoe.) F*ck him he was a Bruin.

You get the short preview today because I am off going through personal matters. How...uh....fitting I guess that my dad's funeral is on Let's Talk day. It's cool though. All is proceeding as it should here and I have many of you commenters to thank for that. Your comments, stories and words of encouragement have helped immensely. My family read the comments thread on that post and found solace in so many of the comments. Yay! for the NM community! You rule! More than you know. So...how about the Canucks beat the holy hell outta Minnesota? The Wild suck right? I mean, the just lost to Columbus. So...looks like a 3-2 Canucks win in a shootout with Hodgson getting the winner.

Keep your predictions coming. I will be updating the score predicting wizards list this weekend.

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It's amazing the difference a year makes, isn't it? A year ago I was here talking to you about my struggles with depression, taking advantage of the Let's Talk initiative sponsored by Bell Canada to get people to end the silence about dealing with the painful struggle of those that suffer from depression, as well as the people who are directly affected by it: family, friends and coworkers.

I believe to this day that opening up to you all was a huge step in my recovery, a cathartic release even. I also spoke about a player near and dear to our hearts, Rick Rypien, and the struggles he was facing at the time. I suggested that it was in fact depression that he was suffering from, and while hindsight shows us that the personal leaves he took from the team were in fact that, all we had was speculation. I hate that so many of us were right, and not a day has gone by since that awful summer afternoon when we got the word about Ryp, that I don't think about him and wish that somehow he could have gotten through this. But it was his refusal to stay silent that provides the inspiration, more important than ever, that silence about depression, whether yours or someone you love's is wrong. So let's talk, shall we?

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Boy, watching Byron Bitz lumber up and down Henrik's wing last night reminded me of the Wade Brookbank era.

How about Luongo? He battled back from a terrible goal and was solid in another shootout. He's won 3 of his last 4, and has a message for the haters:

(via PITB)

Luongo's incredible save and more after the jump.

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Come on. Did you think I would go for anything other than The Sweet tonight. So what if Byron Bitz was eleven when this song came out. Its his now.

Tonight, we saw a game tailor made for Twitter ( and I look forward to the Game According to Twitter to come ). Beforehand, the debates over the line changes ( can you believe that they are punishing Hank by putting him with Bitz? ), the goaltending at both ends, the two goals for the Predators in 1:02 ( one that should not have counted, at least by, you know, the rules according to Mike Murphy, and Daniel's no goal in that LA playoff series that all Canuck fans immediately refer these kind of things to), and a third period where only a few chances late betrayed another third period that was dominant, on the road, in a place where the opposition were the best team in hockey recently. The home team has to be considered the "better team" tonight. But this is where the judgements always differ, how much better. Our goalie was definitely better. He had a couple posts help him out in regulation, but his counterpart had two straight in the shootout. So, you know there will be differing opinions.

I know we love to go over the here and there of the various games and the results, but this win is one that Alain Vigneault gets a stick tap for, along with Roberto Luongo, of course.

More after the break.

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