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.

Don't mind me, I'm just remembering our last 2 visits to the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. As shown in the video above as a demo, Ryan Kesler was in absolute beast mode when we played the Predators in the 2nd round last spring. This will be the first time Nashville fans will get to see our boys in their arena since we eliminated their team on their own turf.

Coconuts go.

Good morning. Or afternoon, wherever the heck you are. Canucks visit the Avalanche for a matinee. Last time we saw them, we whipped them 6-0, which means that Colorado will probably be looking for vengeance. Especially since they're tied for 9th in the conference right now. Yeah, now would be a good time for our boys to start putting in more effort....

Coconuts go.

Remember the good old days, where the Canucks were trying to figure out how to be elite, but kept getting weighed down by goonery and Chicago? In a way, Vancouver used to be like Jeannie Bueller, struggling with why everyone gets away with stuff that we can't do. At this time, the Red Wings were (and still are) the model for building a championship team. In a way, they're kinda like Charlie Sheen in the video above, explaining to Jeannie that the problem is the Canucks themselves, not the teams around them. Vancouver needs to find their own ways to get what they want, and stop worring so much about what others are doing. Well, look at us now. We finally found a method to get to the Stanley Cup Finals, maintain great depth, and embrace the hate. And now, we once again face the team who set the bar.

Coconuts go.

"If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball."

Win da turd.

Well, thank goodness the All-Star break is over, let's get back to the real hockey! After a much-needed week off for our boys, they return tonight to host their intense rival. The Blackhawks are having a solid year, currently 6th in the West, and somehow benefitting (like everyone else in their division) on Columbus's terrible year. Chicago is only 3 points shy of Detroit's Central lead, which is also being contended for by St. Louis and Nashville. Also, they just traded some no-name prospect to Calgary for ..... wait, this can't be real.... Brendan Morrison??? What the hell????

Whatever. Coconuts go.

Poor, poor Taylor Hall. We all heard about last Tuesday's freak accident, where he fell and Corey Potter's skate ended up in his face. We all also saw the picture a few days later of his stitches, a gash that only made his uglyness worse. Now, most people think this was the end of that, aside from both the laughs at his scar and the appreciation of his luck. Unfortunately, that is not the case. When I saw the picture on Thursday, I remembered that I had just finished reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein approximately 24 hours before Hall's incident. I also realized that the timing of these coincidences paired perfectly with prepping this Canucks - Oilers gamethread. Therefore, I will now probably be calling him "Frankenstein" for quite some time now. Sorry, kid.

Coconuts go.

Tonight, we get to see another rookie. Okay, maybe not much of a rookie, Chris Tanev played 29 regular season games last season, plus 5 playoff games. And now, he rejoins the team. Although his regular partner last year was Keith Ballard, he was reported to have been paired up with Alexander Edler during practices this week. If that young pair sticks together, watch for a whole new batch of puckbunnies going nuts for our blue-line men. (Back off ladies, I want them.) How fitting that Chris returns as the Canucks host the Sharks in a Saturday afternoon matinee, since he played in Games 4 and 5 against them last year.

Coconuts go.

(Disclaimer: I'm working today, so if it turns out that he was scratched, I will be annoyed about my gamethread idea being ruined at the last minute.)