Thursday, February 05, 2004

Salvage job at the Swamp

Henrik and Daniel Sedin found their groove tonight, as the Vancouver Cancuks ended their pre all star game road trip with a 4-0 shutout of the Devils. The win a convincing one should help take the sting out of the two losses suffered on the other side of the Hudson river earlier in the week.

The Sedins who have been putting the chances away the last few weeks added to their totals, with Henrik getting his 8th point in six games and Daniel tallying up his tenth point in six. The Sedins have found that their third linemate changes as the game progresses, tonight Mike Keane seemed to be the most effective with them. Keane helped to set up the first goal and seemed to be a solid influence with the twins. With the success of the last six games the Canucks now once again have a second line threat, taking the heat off the first line of Naslund, Bertuzzi and Morrison.

Dan Cloutier picked up his third shut out of the year, facing 24 Devil shots before the final horn. For Vancouver it sends the team off to the all star break on a high note. Having won six of their last 8 games, and they probably should have won the two they lost, just mental miscues separating them from a perfect road trip.

A complete team effort tonight, the defence kept the zones clear for Cloutier to see the first shot, few rebounds were given up and those that did occur were quickly cleared up the ice. With the first line firing on all it's cylinders and the second line now a tangible threat, the opposing teams are going to be spread thinner and thinner. With Cloutier gaining confidence as well, the playoff drive should be an enjoyable run for the Canucks.

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