Canucks Gameday. The ProvinceMarch 15, COLORADO ( ) at vancouver ( ), 7 p.m., GM PLACE TV: Sportsnet. Radio: TEAM 1040 AM.

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1 Canucks Gameday The ProvinceMarch 15, 2009 COLORADO ( ) at vancouver ( ), 7 p.m., GM PLACE TV: Sportsnet Radio: TEAM 1040 AM The setup The Canucks look to snap an eight-game losing streak to the Avalanche, making this a good test even if the Avs are in the Western Conference's basement. Canucks last game The Canucks responded to a late surge from the L.A. Kings with two goals in 30 seconds to win 4-2 Friday. Avs last game The last-place Avalanche took a 3-7 run into Edmonton on Saturday night. The word: Things only get easier for the Canucks, who meet a tired Colorado team playing its second game in two nights. Three things to watch 1 Mats Sundin

2 After head coach Alain Vigneault called him a "work-in-progress" on Friday, Mats Sundin responded with one of his best efforts in weeks against the L.A. Kings. He had six shots on net and spent much more time handling the puck than he has in the past three weeks. He still finished the game a minus-1, however, and looked like a statue when Alexander Frolov went around him for L.A.'s first goal. 2 Alex Burrows Who isn't watching this guy? Everything he touches seems to turn to goals. He scored his 21st goal of the season Friday because of hustle and timing. He has a good chance now at 25 goals this year. "No one probably expected this out of me. It feels good," Burrows said. "But right now we're in a good spot for the playoffs, and that feels even better." 3 The Canuck killer Milan Hejduk has made a career of feasting on the Canucks. He always saves his best games for Vancouver. Hejduk has been one of the few bright spots on a rather ugly Colorado season. It's not, however, like the old days, when he had 90-point seasons. Still, he will easily surpass the 54 points he scored last year. He went into Saturday night's game versus the Edmonton Oilers with 53. Hejduk usually up for roasting host He's a Canuck-killer, writes Jim Jamieson The ProvinceMarch 15, 2009 To be sure, this season has been a mess for the Colorado Avalanche. They've been riddled by injuries to key players -- top centres Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny -- and hurt by inconsistent goaltending. On a roster that is thin anyway, the result has been predictable: Barring a miracle, Colorado will miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons and finish with the worst record since the team relocated from Quebec City for the season.

3 The Avs are a distant last in the Northwest Division and last in the Western Conference. The only thing their fans have to look forward to is a top draft pick this June. The fallout could be widespread, considering the growing number of empty seats at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Already, there are rumblings that head coach Tony Granato's second go-round behind the bench could be in jeopardy and that many of the veteran players may be swept out in a postseason house-cleaning. The Canucks play the Avs four more times between now and the end of the season, the first being tonight at GM Place. But they'd best be wary. Colorado won the first two match-ups, both in the shootout. To be fair, the last one came in a game (Dec. 7) where Vancouver outplayed Colorado, but was hamstrung by rookie Cory Schneider's worst outing in his call-up following Roberto Luongo's groin injury. Schneider gave up a poor tying goal late in the third and didn't make a save in the eventual shootout. Although the two teams have gone in different directions since then, Colorado is more than capable of being a spoiler. It wouldn't hurt to keep a close eye on noted Canuck killer Milan Hejduk -- who had three points in the Dec. 7 game and scored in the shootout as well. Stastny, now back after missing 26 games with a fractured forearm, also had three points in that game and has four assists in two games against the Canucks. Peter Budaj was in goal for both wins against Vancouver and, as he'd started three straight heading into the Avs' Saturday night game in Edmonton, could get the nod again tonight. Still missing from the Avalanche lineup is Sakic, who played just 15 games before having back surgery for a bulging disc. He also broke three fingers in a bizarre snowblower mishap, but that's all healed now and it's the back rehab blocking his returning to action. Granato said recently that Sakic's rehab is going well, so we could see him sooner than later. Colorado's power play woes mirror that of the Canucks recently. Over the last 11 games, the Avalanche were blanked eight times and have managed just three PP goals in 36 opportunities. Former Canucks defenceman Lawrence Nycholat is still with the Avalanche after being claimed by Calgary on waivers and then immediately swapped to Colorado in the Jordan Leopold deal. Nycholat has been a healthy scratch for all four games since his arrival in Denver. Fear's the great motivator

4 Reliving last season's collapse keeps troops alert By Jason Botchford, The ProvinceMarch 15, 2009 There isn't one written on a chalkboard, pinned to a bulletin board or taped to a locker stall. The Canucks, those who were there, don't need reminders about what happened last year. Nightmares like that are hard to forget. Interestingly, the Canucks are choosing to remember that late season collapse. Nothing motivates quite like fear. "What I take with me from what happened last year is the fear -- I never want to go through something like that again," Roberto Luongo said. "I use it to motivate. I remember the feelings I had once last season was over. I was devastated. It took me a long, long time to get over it. "I just don't want to go through something like that again." Even after their eighth home win in a row Friday significantly solidified a playoff spot, and put the Canucks within whispering distance of the Chicago Blackhawks, players were reluctant to talk about postseason positioning. "We can't ever sit back and think it's over, that we're in," Luongo said. "There's still 15 games left and a lot can happen. Things change fast. You lose a few games in a row and, before you know it, you're battling just for that last spot." This is the home stretch for a team that looks a lot different from the one last year that lost seven of its final eight. Even if this group is only three points ahead of last season's pace, it's deeper, more healthy and believes it has more character. Only time will tell. But the Canucks passed a significant test Friday, overcoming a series of third-period lapses which nearly turned an easy win into an ugly defeat. After the unthinkable happened and the L.A. Kings tied a game they never really showed up to play -- on a painfully weak Anze Kopitar wrist shot -- Henrik Sedin scored twice in 30 seconds to secure a 4-2 win. "We knew when they scored those two goals it was going to be hard," Alex Burrows said. "But two minutes later we were up by two goals again. It says a lot about our group." Tonight will say more. The reeling Colorado Avalanche limp into GM Place having played Saturday. The Avs have been toiling in the Western Conference basement for weeks now. But don't let that fool anyone

5 in Vancouver. The Avalanche have owned the Canucks, dominated them in winning eight games in a row. "We can't ease up. When we have a team against the ropes, we really have to bring it," Burrows said. "There's a lot of guys in this locker room who were really upset about what happened down the stretch last year. They were sad and frustrated. It was a long summer for us. We thought about it for a long time. We know now we can't take any game for granted." On many nights during the past few years, Luongo has been the one to save the Canucks. On Friday, he's the one who was saved when Henrik's two goals took the attention off the Kopitar goal. "I was really happy," a relieved Luongo said of his team's response. "[Kopitar's] was a bad goal. But at the same time, I was feeling good in the game. It's not like I was fighting the puck the whole game. "Obviously, I was upset with myself." Several players talked about how good it felt to bail out Luongo. "It was huge," Burrows said. "We think he's our best player. He is our leader. Once the second goal went by him, we responded. We knew he was going to be strong down the stretch and you could tell he was fired up. He made some big saves in the last few minutes." Friday's game wasn't an easy one for Luongo to get into. He faced only three shots in the first period as the Kings were submissive and docile. The lack of action prevented him from getting into a rhythm and may be part of the reason he lapsed both mentally and physically on Kopitar's 44-foot wrister. Luongo guessed pass and then when he saw shot he got tangled up on his post. But the Canucks response was more memorable than the goal. "What good teams do is find ways to win, that's what defines them," Luongo said. "We have to find ways to win every night. Different circumstances are going to appear every night we may not have our best game, but it shouldn't matter. "We have to be relentless and we have to be that way no matter what the score is."

6 Pushing his pinky, but not too hard The ProvinceMarch 15, 2009 Jannik Hansen skated for the second day in a row with his teammates Saturday. He hasn't played since he broke his pinky finger in a game Feb. 19 in Ottawa. Hansen is still about a week away from returning, but he should be cleared to play after he sees a specialist, which could happen today. "I'm wearing a splint which keeps the finger straight," Hansen said. "I can't squeeze the stick the same way but it's coming around. I'm really eager to get back into a game. "It's a matter of pushing it but not pushing it too much. I've only had one full practice and one game day skate. For me, it's a matter of getting back into game shape." Scrappy forward Rick Rypien skated on his own again this weekend and appears to be closer to a return. He only played five games this season and was on personal leave following a sports hernia surgery. There is no timeline, however, for a return this year. "Rick is just starting to skate now so we'll take it day-by-day with him," head coach Alain Vigneault said Friday. Loving his puck luck The Canucks are four points behind the Chicago Blackhawks for fourth place. A big reason is Alex Burrows, who continued his breakout season by scoring his 21st goal of the year Friday. Much like so many of his goals this year, it was one part luck and three parts effort. Burrows skated hard to get to a puck that took a bad bounce off the end boards. "I have been getting so much puck luck lately," Burrows said. "I'm just trying to get pucks on net. You never know what's going to happen. It's been fun but not as fun as winning games." The Canucks have won eight home games in a row, and are just one short of tying the franchise record. "We're confident that's for sure," Henrik Sedin said. "There's a lot of different guys who can step up on any night and that takes the pressure off."

7 Imagine thinking about rest for a change If results go well, the Canucks might even consider sitting vets for final game or two By Tony Gallagher, The ProvinceMarch 15, 2009 Columbus plays Chicago three more times down the stretch of this NHL Western Conference playoff race, and depending largely on how those games turn out, the Canucks could find themselves in a strange space, if they can keep getting positive results. The more this team keeps winning, the greater the chances that by April, the Canucks could be locked into either fifth or fourth with the rare opportunity of being able to rest some veterans in the final days of the season. Detroit does it every year, of course. Suddenly, Nick Lidstrom develops an "injury" and misses two or three games in a row. He comes back fresh as a daisy ready for a deep run into the playoffs, something the Wings do regularly. Not surprisingly, the Canucks haven't given this much thought. The Jackets have butted into their plans a little, and they still have the nattering nabobs of doom nipping at their heels. But a few more wins coupled with a sweep of Columbus by the Hawks, now that Chicago has Nikolai Khabibulin back, and the Canucks might actually have the chance to rest Mattias Ohlund, Willie Mitchell, Sami Salo -- even Mats Sundin or Roberto Luongo, if they're not opposed. Often, the high-minute guys like to keep going, stick to their routine, although most of them have no idea of what the benefits of rest at that juncture might be, given most have never done it. "We used to do it in Ottawa a little when I was there," says Salo of the idea. "But it's a little hard to say whether it's a good idea because we didn't do well very often in the first round. I already miss too many games and I'd probably like to keep playing, but I know Detroit does it most of the time with Lidstrom and their older guys, and it seems to work for them." Alain Vigneault hasn't even thought about it. Given last year's collapse, this team isn't likely to consider such a concept until it clinches a playoff spot. But if the idea is to go deep into the playoffs, it would behoove this crew to win these games coming up at home and put themselves

8 into a position where they could consider getting Luongo more than just the one back-to-back, which remains on the schedule as a day off. "We obviously haven't thought about it yet," says Luongo, a notorious glutton for work to keep himself sharp. "We're still in the position where every game matters because it's so tight. Maybe one game here or there but you're never going to see me take a stretch or two or three games off. It might be good for some of the other guys though." Mitchell and Ohlund are numbers two and three in team ice time behind the younger Kevin Bieksa, and they might be the most likely candidates to benefit. Sundin is also a consideration despite his half season, given his 38 years of age. "I'm sure the coaches are caught up too much in the moment to have given it any thought and that's pretty much the way we are, with every game meaning so much," says Ohlund, the great war horse of so many good years here perhaps in his final season in Vancouver. "I know Detroit does it with Lidstrom and it works well, but you know, in all the years I've been in the league, it's always come down to the last game. There was that one time when we had one game that didn't mean anything. I don't know how I'd feel about it or what the coaches would think." Nobody wants to miss the actual last game because that's the final tune-up, so if the situation arises it would have to be before that and there is also the question of ethics. Dressing a weaker lineup when playing another team fighting for its playoff life isn't helpful to other teams in the race, but that never much bothered the Wings and ultimately, a team's highest calling has to be, to do what's best to advance its own interests. Hopefully the Canucks can get into such a situation, if for no other reason than to see how the people in question would handle it. GM Place concession workers pull picket line -- for now Workers worried they'll be laid off during Olympics By Elaine O'Connor, The ProvinceMarch 15, 2009 Its back to the hot dogs and cold beers for Vancouver hockey fans.

9 Striking workers at GM Place are not expected to shut down concessions again tonight as the team plays a home game against the Colorado Avalanche. On Friday, several hundred concession workers, members of Unite Here Local 40, picketed the arena's public entrances, escalating their labour dispute with food service employer Aramark Canada. The 700-plus members of the union are fighting for higher wages and improved medical coverage, and want assurances they won't be laid off over the Olympics. They have been working without a contract for three months. Talks broke down Thursday night and the picket lines went up at 6 a.m. Friday. The workers and the B.C. Federation of Labour asked fans not to buy snacks sold inside, and even asked ticketholders to consider forgoing the game and not crossing the picket line. "These workers can't even afford the overpriced food that Aramark sells at events at General Motors Place, but the company is still trying to extract more concessions from them," Federation president Jim Sinclair said in a release. It appears few ticketholders complied. Staff and players' entrances were not picketed. Inside the stadium, managers were running some of the stands, but fans reported long line-ups for their chips and suds. To help feed hungry hockey nuts, union members handed out free peanuts, labelled "Aramark pays peanuts." However, the snack strike didn't seem to affect team morale: the Canucks won 4-2 over the L.A. Kings Friday. The Canucks' next two games on Tuesday and Thursday, against the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues respectively, are also home games. The one-day work walk-off follows a rally held outside the arena on Feb. 27. The union has an 83-per cent strike mandate. eoconnor@theprovince.com