CANUCKS		WILD
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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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CANUCKS		PREDATORS
	AT

Honestly, I did not watch the Canucks-Avs game. I just heard from some dudes in a wedding party that they beat Colorado in a shootout. My first question was: "Was Cory Schneider in net?" Dude said "No, man. Luongo was!" And I replied "F***ing rights! He's won 2 of his last 3 shootouts!" So the saga continues. The Canucks continue getting saved by goaltending because the peeps in front of the netminder are not putting out. I see from the boxscore of the last game that Van were outshot 18-7 in the first period. Lovely.

So help me out. How has Lord Byron Bitz looked in a Canucks uni?

Well, bring on the Preds then. Let's see where a non-consistent effort against Nashville gets them. My guess is nowhere good. However, including the playoffs, the Canucks have won 4 straight in Music City...even though Country Music is an oxymoron.

These game previews will be a little more thorough once I get through the festivities where I am at. That won't be until the weekend. I will not be catching this game either. But don't worry! I will update the score-predicting list at that time. Until then: predict a 3-2 score. It has happened 13 times this season. A 4-2 score has only happened twice. A 5-1 score has happened 5 times. Damned unpredictable Canucks. Hey....I am just trying to help. I am also being a jerk to HockeyFanInColorado. Hehehh.

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CANUCKS		AVALANCHE
	AT

These 2 teams will play 4 more times this season. The Canucks have beaten the Avs twice this season and have outscored them 9-0. How about them apples? Well, that won't mean anything if the Canucks continually dish out mediocre and inconsistent efforts. I swear, sometimes I think this team needs a 5 game losing skid to learn something, because once again, goaltending bailed them out last night to get a point out of that crap.

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RED WINGS		CANUCKS
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"I've played on teams before where we've had some great stretches of hockey but didn't have a winning record," Higgins noted Wednesday as the Canucks prepared for Thursday's meeting with the first overall Detroit Red Wings. "We're playing very mediocre hockey right now and still getting the results. I think it's a sign of a good team but, at the same time, you'd like to feel more in tune with the way you're playing."

More on that at the Vancouver Sun.

"Babs is a big believer in shooting pucks on net — whether it’s a good or bad angle and create rebounds and scrambles. When you add the fact that they’re got five or six guys who can do the unexpected, it’s pretty dangerous. As a team we’ve got to be sharp. They’ve got a lot of weapons."

From the Province.

Lou knows. The Canucks' goaltending has saved a lot of games because the team doesn't put out 60 minute efforts. They may not get away with such efforts against a team like the Red Wings though. A lot at stake here. The Canucks can pull within one point of Detroit for top spot in the West with a win in regulation. I guess, just to be positively morbid, if the Red Wings beat us that will put them 6 points ahead of Chicago. Yay? No Way! Beat these bastards!

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I don't know about you peeps, but that All-Star break put me to sleep. What was the last time the Canucks played again? SEVEN days ago. Apparently that's not a long enough layoff for Roberto Luongo, who will not play in this one. Cory Schneider will face what is sure to be an onslaught of Chicago shots. Actually, the reasoning behind Ginger Jesus getting the start is here. Makes sense. This is a terrific rivalry that pretty much took the passenger seat since the whole Canucks / Bruins debacle. But the feelings of hate will return on Tuesday night. There's a rat in Chicago too. His name is Bolland.

The Hawks suck on the road. They have lost their last 4 straight there, but have had the luxury of playing a ton of home games. That all changes now. They play their next 9 games in a row away from the Madhouse on Madison. They need to keep pace with the Red Wings, who

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OILERS		CANUCKS
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How bad are the Oilers on the road? Answer: they have lost 5 in a row away from Rexall Place. They have lost 13 of their last 14 on the road. Terrible. If there was ever a chance for the Canucks to pound on somebody it would be now. If there was ever a time for the ice-cold Sedins to snap out of their funk it would be now. NOW! Don't play mediocre hockey against a mediocre team. Blow these kids out of the rink and send them off crying.

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SHARKS		CANUCKS
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For the 3rd time in a row...a Pacific Division team waltzes into Roger's Arena to face our head-scratching Canucks. The Sharks are 7-2-1 in their 10 games in January. The Canucks are 4-2-2 in their 8 January games even though, given their inconsistency lately, is an impressive record. Maybe an early game against a new rival will change things. You know, get the juices flowing. Maybe this will be a feisty affair. It is the 4th and final meeting of the season between the 2 teams.

Let's take a look at some Canucks futility shall we?

-Daniel Sedin has 1 goal and 2 assists in his last 5 games. He has been held pointless in 3 of those games.

-Henrik Sedin has

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KINGS		CANUCKS
	AT

The title of the post is sarcasm, and lyrics to an awesome Testament song that is stuck in my head (see video section below). I do have minor concerns about the Canucks team lately and it involves their lack of consistent efforts game to game and within a game itself. This squad is deep enough right now where a solid effort for 60-70% of games from the skaters is good enough to get a W. I think we can thank the goaltending for that mostly. But it

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