The Canucks homestand continues against the Buffalo Sabres
Posted January 30, 2015 2:01 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The Canucks host the lowly Sabres tonight at Rogers Arena. Buffalo has lost 13-straight games and sit in the basement of the NHL standings. The team is still searching for its first win of 2015, but the Canucks are hoping it isn’t tonight.
Vancouver enters the game with its own struggles. The team has failed to score in back-to-back home games. Defenceman Luca Sbisa says the Canucks can’t underestimate Buffalo.
“You can’t take a team lightly in this league. I think Buffalo has been playing better as of late. We have to find a way to score and the only way to do that is to get the pucks in to the zone and go to work. I don’t think our work ethic has been as high as it should be.”
Ryan Miller will be in net for the Canucks. It will be the first time he has played Buffalo after being traded last season. He spent the first 11 seasons of his NHL career with the Sabres.
Derek Dorsett will not play after suffering an upper-body injury in Tuesday’s game against Anaheim. Latvian rookie Ronalds Kenins will take his place and make his NHL debut. The 23-year old was recalled from Utica yesterday. He has 12 points in 36 games in the AHL this season and he calls tonight a dream come true.
“Every hockey player waits for this moment. I am here and I am so excited to play the game.”
Coach Willie Desjardins says Kenins immediately caught his eye in training camp with his physicality.
“I am excited to get a look at him. I’m don’t know exactly how he will fit in and I’m sure he doesn’t either. I expect him to work hard and that is one thing that is always important to me and I think he is going to put in a very good effort.”
Adam Clendening won’t be in the lineup as Desjardins wants to give him a chance to get to know the team first. Clendening was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks last night to help replace the injured Kevin Bieksa. Desjardins thinks Clendening has a good chance of making an immediate impact in Vancouver.
“I know he is a good puck-moving defenceman with a good shot. He is the type of guy who can run a powerplay. There is a lot of good things about it. He is a young and someone who can be a good prospect for us.”
Cody Hodgson plays his former team for the fourth time. He has failed to register a point in his previous three games against the Canucks.
The puck drops at 7 p.m.. You can watch it on Sportsnet Pacific. Listen for game updates every 10 minutes on the fives.
