Canucks need to find some offence against Avalanche
Colorado cooling off after hot start to season
Last Updated: Saturday, November 14, 2009 | 9:00 AM PT
CBC Sports
Vancouver needs more like this from Ryan Kesler, here beating Craig Anderson in the Canucks' 3-0 victory on Nov. 1 at home. Kesler has only four assists in road games this year. (Sam Leung/Canadian Press)Saturday's Colorado-Vancouver matchup (CBC Sports, CBCSports.ca, 10 p.m. ET) may be a dangerous one to put a nickel on.
Nothing is making any sense right now.
The last time these divisional foes met, two weeks ago, everything seemed straight forward.
Those Canucks were struggling for consistency and missing their captain and top goaltender, Roberto Luongo, while the Avalanche were flying and filled with confidence.
Vancouver then ignored all the hype and beat the Avs 3-0 behind backup Andrew Raycroft, taking off on a solid three-game winning streak that combined strong offence and good defence.
Then, with word around Luongo was almost ready to come back, the Canucks went in the tank, losing three straight and getting outscored 11-3, despite the captain returning for the last one on Thursday in Detroit.
"We played a good road game," Luongo said of that 3-1 loss. Unfortunately, we don't have much to show for it."
Such as no scoring, for example.
Over the last three games the Canucks (10-10) have scored just once in each of them.
They especially need to get something on the road out of Ryan Kesler, who has 14 points in nine games at GM Place but just four assists away from home.
Colorado (12-4-3), meanwhile, has been rapidly cooling off since a surprisingly strong 10-1-2 start, going 2-3-1 over the last six games and losing to Chicago in overtime on Wednesday.
Goaltender Craig Anderson, everyone's early choice for shocker of the year since coming over as a free agent from Florida this summer, is starting to look normal again.
He's posted a 1-3-1 mark and a 3.13 goals against average after starting 10-1-2 with a 1.97 GAA in his first 13 outings. That blast out of the gate included a 3-0 win over the Canucks early on.
Colorado winger Milan Hejduk has missed the last two games with a back injury, and that hasn't helped. His status for Saturday in not certain.
Paul Stastny has been bad news for Vancouver as he has five goals and 16 points in 10 home games against the Canucks.
The scheduling computer is finally giving Vancouver a break after this one, granting six days off before the Avalanche come back to the Left Coast next Friday where the Canucks will open a five-game homestand.
