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Tale of the Tape: Canucks vs. Flames (1.23.13)

Wednesday, 23.01.2013 / 12:00 PM / Features
By Daniel Fung


Tonight’s game is presented by Budweiser.

Team Record: 0-1-1
Last Game: 2-3 SO/L vs Edmonton (JAN.20.13)

Season Series: 0-0-0
Last Meeting: 2-3 L (APR.05.12)		 Team Record: 0-2-0
Last Game: 4-5 L vs Anaheim (JAN.21.13)

Season Series: 0-0-0
Last Meeting: 3-2 W (APR.05.12)

THE SET-UP

A pair of winless teams will try to pick up their respective first victories of the season at the other's expense tonight when the Canucks (0-1-1) play host to the Flames (0-2-0) in a Northwest Division clash at Rogers Arena.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

  • The Canucks are looking to avoid their worst start since the 2009.10 season when they stumbled to a 0-3 start. It took that team until their 11th game before they finally managed to climb above .500.
  • The Canucks and Flames split their 2011.12 season series with each team winning three times. Two of Vancouver's three wins came at Rogers Arena.
  • Canucks D Alex Edler brings a two-game goal streak into tonight's game. He has never scored in three straight games in his career.
  • Speaking of Edler, he led all players in the season series against the Flames with six points (1-5-6) in six games last year.
  • The Canucks aren't accustomed to losing when Edler scores. Last season, they went 8-1-1 in games when Edler found the back of the net.
  • Canucks G Cory Schneider gets back between the pipes tonight after being yanked on opening night. He has a career record of 1-2-0 against the Flames with a 2.65 GAA and .916 save percentage.
  • Calgary G Miikka Kiprusoff gave up four-or-more goals in a game on 11 occasions last season including once against the Canucks. He's done that in back-to-back games to start this season.
  • Calgary F Mike Cammalleri led the Flames in scoring in last year’s season series with four goals in three games. He also had an assist against the Canucks last season while playing for the Habs.
  • The Flames have lost two straight road openers and seven of their last eight overall dating back to 2003.04.
  • New Flames head coach, Bob Hartley, is still looking for his first win behind Calgary's bench. Back in 1998.99 when Hartley first took over the Avalanche in his first NHL coaching gig, Colorado went 0-4-1 out of the gate but finished that season atop the Northwest Division and second best in the Western Conference.

FOLLOW THE ACTION

Tonight's game faces off at 7 pm PT and can be seen on Rogers Sportsnet Pacific. Listen live on The TEAM 1040 Sports Radio or online at teamradio.ca.

Those away from a TV or radio can follow @CanucksGame on Twitter for live in-game play-by-play.

THE CANUCKS WIN IF...


  • The penalty kill actually kills. The sixth-best PK in the league last season has allowed four power play goals against on seven times shorthanded.
  • Schroeder makes an early impact. Vancouver's first round pick from 2009 will give a new look to Vancouver's third line and their power play.
  • Kassian continues to take advantage of top-line time. The 21-year-old power forward found himself with the Sedins on Sunday and made the most of it scoring once and finishing with four shots. Similar production from him will be needed if he hopes to stick there.


THE FLAMES WIN IF...


  • Miikka Kiprusoff bounces back. The Flames' workhorse goaltender has given up nine goals on just 53 shots after two games played. He hasn't lost three straight regulation games since January.
  • Jarome Iginla wakes up. Traditionally a slow starter, Iginla has nine shots but just one assist to show for his efforts in two games. He had just three assists in six games versus Vancouver last year.
  • Continue to get power play production. The Flames' PP has started off red hot scoring three times on six opportunities. That needs to continue against a struggling Vancouver penalty kill. Last season, Calgary scored just one power play goal on 22 opportunities against the Canucks in the season series.

JORDAN SCHROEDER

From the moment Jordan Schroeder was drafted by the Canucks back in the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Vancouver hockey fans have been eagerly anticipating for the day that the offensively-gifted forward would finally crack the big club. That long wait will finally come to an end tonight.

The 22-year-old native of Burnsville, Minnesota will make his NHL debut tonight against the Flames as the team's third line centre playing alongside Mason Raymond and Dale Weise after being recalled from the Chicago Wolves (AHL) on Tuesday. Schroeder took part in the Canucks' brief training camp prior to the start of the season but did not initially make the team's 23-player roster.

Schroeder has put up some modest numbers at the AHL level this season netting nine goals and 19 points in 30 games. In addition to his third line duties, he's expected to get some second unit power play time as well.

SVEN BAERTSCHI

The present might not look particularly encouraging for the Flames right now but the future certainly looks bright with promising forward Sven Baertschi among the youngsters that Calgary fans can look forward to watching for many years to come.

A first round selection of the Flames back in 2011, Baertschi gave Flames fan something to buzz about during a mid-season emergency call-up last season when he notched three goals during a brief five-game stint. He continued to impress earlier this season at the AHL level amassing six goals and 18 points in 21 games with the Abbotsford Heat.

The 20-year-old Swiss is still seeking his first points of the new NHL season. Tonight will mark his first career game against the Canucks.

Game Notes on Canucks.com are written by Daniel Fung. Follow him on Twitter @daniel_fung or e-mail him at dfung_sports@hotmail.com.

CANUCKS LEADING SCORERS

2012.13 Regular Season

Player GP G A P +/-
Alexander Edler
 2 2 1 3 0
Daniel Sedin
 2 1 2 3 -1
Henrik Sedin
 2 0 2 2 1
Jannik Hansen
 2 0 2 2 0
Dan Hamhuis
 2 1 0 1 -2
FLAMES LEADING SCORERS

2012.13 Regular Season

Player GP G A P +/-
Curtis Glencross
 2 2 1 3 -2
Lee Stempniak
 2 2 0 2 0
Alex Tanguay
 2 1 1 2 -2
Dennis Wideman
 2 0 2 2 -1
Roman Horak
 2 0 1 1 0
IN THE INFIRMARY

For the Canucks...

F Ryan Kesler (shoulder/wrist surgery) and F David Booth (strained groin) are on the injured reserve list.

For the Flames...

F Jiri Hudler is currently on bereavement leave. F Roman Cervenka (blood clot) and D Anton Babchuk (shoulder) are on the injured reserve list.

BY THE NUMBERS

4 – Wins needed for Coach Vigneault to reach 400 career NHL victories.

8 – Points needed for Henrik Sedin (749) to surpass Markus Naslund (756) as the franchise's leading point scorer.

264th – All-time meeting between the Canucks and Flames. Vancouver trails the all-time series 90-117-38.

409 – Straight sellouts for Canucks hockey at Rogers Arena entering tonight's game. The streak dates back November 14, 2002 and includes 363 regular season games and 46 playoff games.

590 – Games in Calgary's Jay Bouwmeester's current ironman streak coming into tonight. Barring injury, Bouwmeester will in the top-five of all-time longest NHL ironman streaks by season's end.

THE TWEET STUFF

@BDGallof

- I'm pretty convinced the mystery team vying for Roberto Luongo is the Brooklyn Nets.

@passittobulis

- You know who isn't surprised that Weise is in the top six? Dutch people. #DaleWeiseScoort

@FarhanLaljiTSN

- Kassian keeping perspective, "I can get moved down as fast as I got moved up." #canucks

DID YOU KNOW?

One-time Canuck training camp attendee Steve Begin isn't exactly on a career path that will see him break many NHL records but he already shares one in the Flames' books. Begin, originally a draft pick of the Flames back in 1996, recently returned to Calgary for his second stint with the team and has opted to don jersey number 25 this season.

That's somewhat significant because it's the fifth different jersey number he has worn in Calgary tying the club record set by Pat Ribble. Begin has previously worn jersey numbers 7, 26, 33 and 57 with the Flames. Ribble, a journeyman defenseman back in the mid-70's to early-80's, wore numbers 3, 8, 22, 23 and 28 for the Flames.