Canucks Week 21 Preview: Jim Benning is Falling Behind in Trade Deadline

Thursday, Mar. 2: Canucks at San Jose Sharks

After the Wings, Vancouver departs on a three-game road trip through California, starting with another game against the San Jose Sharks.

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The Sharks have a stranglehold on first place in the Pacific Division. They have a five-point lead on both Edmonton and Anaheim, plus they have two games in hand. As it stands right now, they would take home-ice advantage into a first-round series against the wild card Flames.

This will mark Vancouver’s first game after the March 1 trade deadline. Hansen and Burrows were both key Canuck players back in 2011, when they eliminated the Sharks in the Western Conference Final. As Canucks, the pair have combined for 13 goals, 30 points in 72 games against San Jose.

Was Saturday’s game the last Canucks-Sharks game for either of them?

Predictions

Alex:

More stars, more talent, more offence, more defence, more goaltending. Easy W for Sharks

Jeff:

This will be Vancouver’s first game post-deadline, so it’s hard to say what kind of lineup they will ice. If Burrows or Hansen have been dealt, the Sharks should win easily. If not, and the Canucks are healthy, they could well put together a solid road effort to beat San Jose.