Canucks seven game road trip begins tonight in Columbus

COLUMBUS (NEWS1130) – The Canucks longest road trip of the year begins tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Zack Kassian did not accompany the team on the road after suffering a hand injury against New Jersey on Tuesday. He is out for several weeks.

Vancouver traveled to Ohio on Wednesday so they could adjust to the east coast. Alex Burrows thinks it will go a long way in their performance tonight.

“It is always nice to get a few days to acclimatized to the eastern time zone. Now it is all business. They might not be where they want to be in the standings, but they are a dangerous team. They have some good players over there and we have to make sure we bring our “A” game.”

The Canucks have been very good on the road this season with an 8-3-1 record. Coach Willie Desjardins says he has pushed his players to play the same style of game, no matter where they play.

“We try and play the same at both home and on the road. We have had good performance in difference games that were good enough to get us wins, but it is always hard to win on the road.”

After a rash of injuries, the Blue Jackets have struggled this season and sit near the basement of the Eastern Conference standings with a 6-13-1 record. Port Moody’s Ryan Johansen has been the bright spot for Columbus with 24 points in 21 games. He has paced the Blue Jackets powerplay, which sits fifth in the NHL.

“We have to stay out of the box if we can,” says Desjardins, “Outside of that, they are good. They move the puck and have really good structure. We know we have to be careful with it, but our best bet is to stay out of the box.”

Ryan Miller will start in net for the Canucks, while Linden Vey returns to the lineup, taking the spot of the injured Kassian. Vancouver recalled Nicklas Jensen from Utica, while Kassian heals up.

The puck drops at 4 p.m.. You can watch it on Sportsnet Pacific. Listen for game updates every 10 minutes on the fives.