Canucks at Hurricanes
THE STORY: Home supremacy is the story as the Vancouver Canucks tangle with the host Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. The Canucks have a clear advantage over the struggling Hurricanes, but home-ice has dictated the direction of this series since before the NHL lockout. The home side has won six straight encounters dating back to the 2002-03 season, with Vancouver prevailing in four of those six games. The Canucks are coming off a dismal effort in a winnable game, dropping a 2-1 shootout decision to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Despite the setback, Vancouver has still captured five of a possible six points during its East Coast road trip that concludes Saturday night in Toronto. The Hurricanes occupy the Eastern Conference basement and now will be without second-year scoring sensation Jeff Skinner and defensive stalwart Joni Pitkanen, both out indefinitely with concussions.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Rogers Sportsnet Vancouver, Fox Sports Carolina
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (18-10-2): Vancouver hasn't visited Chicago during its trek, but is still finding the time to engage in verbal spats with the Blackhawks. After forward Dave Bolland disparaged the Sedin twins on Chicago radio, Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault went on the offensive - suggesting Bolland was a guy "whose IQ is probably the size of a bird seed." It's safe to say the West rivals will continue to peck at each other throughout the season.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (9-18-5): The losses continue to pile up for Carolina - and now the injuries are, as will. The absence of Skinner represents a major loss for a team already struggling to generate offense. The reigning Calder Trophy winner leads the club with 12 goals and had been one of the team's most consistent players. His injury means more of the scoring burden will fall on captain Eric Staal, who has been a bust so far with just seven goals in 32 games.
OVERTIME:
1. The teams last met on Oct. 17, 2010, with the Canucks cruising to a 5-1 win. Vancouver was the last team to secure a road victory in the series, shading Carolina 3-2 on Nov. 27, 2002.
2. Staal has been solid against Vancouver in his career, registering two goals and four assists in six games. The 26-year-old has scored just once in 16 home games this season.