Vancouver Canucks Week #16 Outlook, Predictions: Bo vs. East

@ Boston Bruins (22-16-5) Thursday, January 21st

Leading scorer: Patrice Bergeron (15 goals, 38 points)

Keys to the game

1. Dominate the emotional game
2. Bend, don’t break
3. Game for the Sedins

You know, I missed playing the Boston Bruins. Especially when the Panthers started meowing at the Canucks last week.

The Boston-Vancouver rivalry may be a thing of five years ago, but the Sedins are still here, Alex Edler and Alex Burrows are still here, and Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Zdeno Chara are still all Bruins. Heck, talk about the life of the league-renown Boston hater Mr. Brandon Prust. This match also marks the return of Matt Bartkowski to Boston, and hopefully not a spearing match between the two clubs.

There are going to be tempers flaring. But the Canucks need to stay out of the penalty box. The Bruins are the league-best on the man advantage, and the Canucks are 18th on the penalty kill. Prust and Derek Dorsett can fight, but not take offensive-zone minors of any kind. That goes to Edler, too.

The Bruins are a good club. They will push hard with a lot of shots on net (fifth most shots on net per game) and score a lot on you if you let them take that many shots (third in goals for per game). But their home record is a disappointing 11-12-2, and they have gone 4-5-1 in their last 10 games. The Bruins are not the sure shot to win this game.

And would you not want to see the Sedins dominate these Bruins? It’s been five years since they were ridiculed in the Finals. It is time to take revenge. We saw how fiery these Sedins can be in the Panthers scrum. “Low-lifes”, huh, Mr. Potvin? The Sedins can show you how classy “low-lives” can be. Win it for the Sedins.

Our Predictions

David Joun:

I have no idea on this one. The Bruins and the Canucks together on ice can do a lot of crazy things you know. Markstrom should start.

Sarah Laug:

Janik Beichler: 

Next: at Pittsburgh