(SportsNetwork.com) – The streaking Vancouver Canucks will try to stay perfect
this season against the Oilers, as the Pacific Division foes meet in
Saturday’s battle at Edmonton’s Rexall Place.
The Canucks won the first two of five scheduled meetings with Edmonton in
2014-15, beating a visiting Oilers team 5-4 in a shootout on Oct. 11 before
winning 2-0 at Rexall Place on Oct. 17. Vancouver has won five of the last
seven encounters overall and has claimed two of the past three in Edmonton.
Vancouver closed out October on a three-game winning streak, coming out on top
in each game of a homestand. The Canucks wrapped the stay at Rogers Arena with
Thursday’s thrilling 3-2 overtime win against Montreal.
Daniel Sedin scored the winner at 2:45 of OT to lift Vancouver past the Habs
and give the Canucks their second three-game winning streak of the season.
Vancouver also opened the season 3-0 and it will try for its first four-game
winning streak since a seven-game tear from December 1-14 of last season.
Sedin’s winner came on the power play after Montreal’s Tom Gilbert was called
for interference 50 seconds into the extra session. Henrik Sedin brought the
puck into the offensive end and cut over to the middle before dishing it low
to the right circle where his twin brother Daniel quickly shifted to the
forehand and snapped the puck into the left corner for the win.
Nick Bonino and Brad Richardson scored for the Canucks, while Ryan Miller made
23 stops for win No. 301 of his career.
“It was a fun game to play,” said Miller.
The Canucks, however, will be without Alexandre Burrows for the next three
games after the forward was suspended Friday. Burrows received the ban from
the league for a late and high hit on Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin. No
penalty was called on the play. Although he has been fined twice by the
league, this is the first suspension for Burrows in 10 NHL seasons.
Burrows, who has two goals and four assists this season, will be eligible to
return in Thursday’s game against San Jose.
Edmonton had won four straight before losing Wednesday against Nashville. The
Oilers hope to put a positive ending on a seven-game homestand when they cap
the residency versus the Canucks.
The Oilers dropped a 4-1 decision to the Predators, falling to 4-2-0 during
their current stay at Rexall Place. Pekka Rinne stopped 26 shots and Craig
Smith scored a pair of goals to lead Nashville to the easy win.
Taylor Hall potted the lone goal for the Oilers, while Ben Scrivens took the
loss despite making 31 saves.
“The chances were there, but we just couldn’t find a way to put them in. We’re
in the West, we have to find a way to beat them,” said Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-
Hopkins.
All of Edmonton’s wins this season have come against Eastern Conference teams,
as the Oilers are 0-5-1 within the conference.