Avs @ Canucks: I wrote this yesterday

Whew, what a game last night, am I right?  Coulda gone either way (at some point), but in the end, somebody had to win, ya know (because Bettman)?  I mean, I don't want to take away anything from the experience, but that game was just played 24 hours ago and it seems so ephemeral. Like sands through an hourglass...

The Avs continue their Canuckistan road trip by visiting not-Seattle for their last tilt o' the season against the 'Couver Canucks.  The two previous games against Sedins & Co. were lopsided affairs with each team coming away the victor in a game.  Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in October (you know the month in which the Avalanche possibly blew their playoff chances), the boys in burgundy laid a good ol' fashioned curb stompin' with a 7-2 victory in Denver.  A few weeks later, the Nyucks returned to town and returned the favor coming back from an early 2-0 deficit to triumph with 5-2 win in a game that I'm sure Nick Bonino has saved on his DVR.

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Tonight's game is the middle frame of a three-game homestand for Vancouver after they dispatched the 'Peggers on Monday night.  They came back from a 2-nil defecit to win 5-2 in that one too.  They rode the hot hands of Henrik Sedin, Yannick "not-Shea" Weber and old friend Radim Vrbata (29 goals and 27 assists this season).  That gave them their 43rd win of the season and likely secured their 2nd place finish in the Pacific since Calgary and LA can't decide what they want, what they really, really want.  All signs point to Eddie Lack getting the start in net as Ryan Miller continues to have an owwie.

Bad Guys to Watch Out For:

• The Aforementioned Sedins - Daniel has 8 points in his last five and brother Henrik has a good shot at notching 20 goals for the first time since '09-'10).
• Vrbata is some kind of timeless wonder this year, leading the team in goals and third in points.  He's also on a hot streak of 7 points in his last three games.  He's done jack squat against his former team though, so expect him to get the hatty.
• Lack has rocked a .920 S% this season and gotten wins in 6 of his last 8 starts.
• Honestly?  Not much after that...

Good Guys Tonight:

Varly in net because of course

LINES (copy/paste from EDM preview-nobody will notice...)

Landeskog-O"Reilly-Tanguay

Mitchell-Duchene-Iginla

McLeod-Cliche-Everberg

Caron-Hishon-Briere

Hejda-Redmond

Guenin-Barrie

Stuart-Holden

Notes:

• Vancouver will salute the Millionaires prior to the game.
• The Canucks PP (18th) isn't very good (still not as abysmal as Colorado's 29th-ranked unit), but they are rocking the second-best PK unit in the league @ 85.6%.  I'm sure that won't factor into an altijinx at all!!
• Game time is 8 PM MT on the Altitude

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