Scoring power rules Canucks vs. Sharks
Last Updated: Sunday, November 29, 2009 | 12:57 PM ET
By Jenni Dunning CBC Sports
Canucks' Michael Funk clashes with San Jose's Brad Staubitz during pre-season action in September. (Sam Leung/Canadian Press)It's time to see who can bring more heat to the ice as the host Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks try to maintain some recent scoring power in their first matchup of the season on Sunday.
The Canucks (14-11-0) have won their last two games, including a 7-3 victory against Edmonton on Saturday night.
They nabbed five first-period goals, coasting to an easy defeat of the Oilers.
The Sharks (17-6-4) took a 7-2 drubbing from Chicago on Wednesday before bouncing back to beat Edmonton 5-4 in a shootout on Friday.
Stars Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau have been led San Jose to the top of the Western Conference.
Heatley is tied for second in the NHL with 18 goals this season, while Marleau is having a great season of his own. He's tied for fourth in the league with 17 goals and ranks fifth 31 points. Marleau scored a hat trick in the win over Edmonton.
The Sharks might have to work harder against the Canucks, who are surging up the ranks in power-play efficiency.
But last season, San Jose went 3-1-0 against Vancouver and won seven straight games against them before losing 3-1 in their last meeting in March.
Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo finished with 31 saves Saturday and improved to 10-8-0 with a 2.48 GAA this season.
He might be in net Sunday. It would be his second set of back-to-back games since two home matches against Toronto and Edmonton in late October.
Potentially missing from the game is Vancouver's Rick Rypien. He has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury.
Forwards Pavol Demitra (shoulder), Alexandre Bolduc (shoulder) and Michael Grabner (ankle) are all on injured reserve.
