Canucks-Sharks Preview: The Glass is Half Full

Too much gore for the post image? Oh well.
The Canucks finally get away from home to play the Sharks at the tank tomorrow/today. Before this big homestand they just failed at miserably, we were saying how much they needed to get off the road and away from the insane schedule. Now it's the other way around. I'm sure it's too tense for a team struggling with having a fragile confidence level to be playing that many games at home.
Unfortunately they play the best team in the West on the road before the All Star break hits.
Last time these 2 teams played wasn't all that long ago, and the Sharks had their way with us. I'm thinking the teams' effort may be better this time around, even if the end result is possibly the same.
There was some fight in the Canucks' game against the Blue Jackets. After the 4 goals against brain fart the Canucks showed resiliency to tie it up at 5. They showed that they aren't quitting. That's a good thing. That is one reason why I think the glass is half full with this team and not half empty.
Another reason? Sundin is looking better. Luongo and Sundin are going to need more time to play at the level that we expect of them. Sundin is progressing. Luongo has only had 2 games under his belt since his return and looks like he needs a lot of work. But he'll get there. Luongo called himself a "work in progress" after the loss to Columbus and that he is.
The defence, with Bieksa being center stage for his follies will improve. There just isn't a lot of confidence there right now and the D is not making smart decisions getting the puck out of their zone. But they were being smart earlier in the season. They'll get back to that smart play.

Demitra's groin injury shouldn't spell demise. When he hurt his ribs in late October, the Canucks went 6-2-1 in his absence. The were 3-4-0 before that injury and had lost the previous 3 straight games. Demitra is not the cog that holds this machine together. He's only an inconsistent drifting part of it.

Sami Salo is ready to play against the Sharks. Speaking of not getting the puck out of their zone...Salo can help with that, and he can also play a tonne of minutes. Oh and his shot on the power play is missed. But remember, Salo is not going to save the day. The team as a whole needs to build on the positives of the game against Columbus.

More updates pre game as they happen.

T Tags: Canucks+Sharks+game+preview January+20+2009 Salo+returns Demitra+injured slump improving+team positivity

Salo and Pyatt practicing and could return this week as well

Gotta love the CDC forum guys. They keep finding Canucks news so quickly.

"It's sore still but at least I can do pretty much everything out there so that's obviously a good thing," Salo noted following the Luongo-based workout. "We haven't talked about any date to play. We'll just go by how it feels. You have to make sure it's healed because it's in a fairly difficult spot."

Pyatt said he experienced no pain skating. Sunday was his second day back on ice.

"My foot actually feels better in my skate than it does walking around in my shoe," Pyatt explained. "The swelling has gone down and I'm going to get an X-ray (Monday) to make sure the bone is healing properly. I'm hoping to play this week."

More on that story at the National Post.
Salo's return could be a blessing in the sense that Alex Edler is receiving nothing but bad reviews from the press and fans alike. He looks insecure and unsure out there. Salo will eat up a lot of Edler's minutes. Pyatt's return, and it's hard to say this because I wasn't impressed with him prior to his injury-except his defensive play, may be a blessing as well. He has 4 goals and 10 points in 36 games this season.
With the addition of Sundin and now Pyatt's return, somebody's getting sent down.
That odd man out could be Jannik Hansen, again.
This may sound crazy, but I wouldn't mind seeing Bernier and Pyatt play with Sundin. 3 tough guys on one line. The way Sundin is progressing, he may be able to get some offence out of those 2 floundering forwards 5 on 5.

Pyatt/Salo image from Kid_Roll at the CDC forum.

T Tags: Taylor+Pyatt Sami+Salo injury+updates practicing returning

Glass Joe Salo

Sami, Sami, Sami. I am growing tired of your injury-prone tendencies. So in recognition of your calcium-deficient bones and your insufficient groin, I honor you with the following:






















No I have not forgiven Salo for that painful display right at the time the Avs tied the game last night. Ha!

T Tags: Sami+Salo Glass+Joe Punchout Injury+prone Canucks